2024 Season Festival Results
The Dragon Divas are scheduled to race in 6 festivals this summer and fall. Our festivals give us a chance to apply our training and practice to the test, paddling against breast cancer survivor and other types of teams. Other benefits of the festival season are building comradery with our teammates and building relationships with other teams in the dragon boat community.
July Festivals:
The Dragon Divas kicked off the festival season on July 13th by participating in the Dragon Festival at Lake Phalen in St. Paul, MN. The Dragon Divas entered two teams, named Team Hope and Team Courage, at this hometown festival. Although the race schedule was impacted by intermittent thunderstorms, all festival teams completed two back-to-back 250-meter races. The Divas’ Team Hope earned the Bronze medal. Many Divas jumped into boats with other teams that were short paddlers to help out. The Dragon Divas organized the flower ceremony, gave a wonderful tribute to those who have passed and explained the connection of breast cancer to dragon boating. Many Dragon Divas volunteered on the docks and helped out where needed at the festival, demonstrating strong Dragon Divas spirit!
The Dragon Divas attended the Chicago International Dragon Boat Festival in Busse Woods on July 27, 2024. With two teams in the Breast Cancer Survivor division, the Divas placed first in the 200-meter races, paddling against the Prairie Dragon Paddlers BCS team. In the 500-meter races in the afternoon, the Dragon Divas took home Gold in the breast cancer division.
August Festivals
August took the Dragon Divas to Vermont, Iowa and Wisconsin. Dragonheart Vermont’s Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival has been on the Diva’s radar for several years. The crew was excited to compete in Burlington August 3-4 for the first time. The Divas paddled two 500-meter races on Saturday against three other BCS teams, coming away with the gold medal. Sunday racing started early with 200-meter sprints, and six teams in the BCS division. Two challenging preliminary races earned the Diva crew a spot in the BCS final. They pulled out all the stops in the final, winning a second gold medal.
The Dragon Divas returned to Fort Dodge, IA, for the 33rd Annual Badger Lake Dragon Boat Bash on August 10. The Dragon Divas received a great deal of support from the Fort Dodge dragon boating community in the team’s early days, and this festival is a favorite. Fast 300-meter racing earned the Divas BCS division gold. An award for Best Shirt Design was an added bonus.
The Dragon Divas attended the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival on August 23-24 in Superior, WI. The Divas raced 400 meters against two Canadian BCS teams, winning the heat, but narrowly missing qualification for the Women’s Final. Overall, the Drivas placed 16 out of 43 teams at the festival.