The annual Dragon Boat Festival took place at Henderson Lake in Lethbridge over the weekend, June 26, 2022 (Photo: LNN)

By Drew Stremick

Lethbridge Dragon Boat Festival celebrates 20 years

Jun 26, 2022 | 5:46 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Lethbridge Dragon Boat Festival celebrated 20 years this weekend at Henderson Lake. This was the first festival held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers say that 48 teams, consisting of over 1,200 athletes made a big splash for the first year back.

John Cometz is the team captain of the University of Lethbridge Fiat Dux team, and he says it’s great to be back on the lake.

“The feel on the water is just amazing,” said Cometz. “I don’t know if you paddle at all, but when you start hitting those strokes that just feel nice and easy, yet are powerful, it’s kind of like what runners call the ‘runner’s high’.”

Dragon Boating is a sport that’s open to all ages and athletic abilities. Cometz says if you know how to swim, you can find a team to paddle with.

“It’s good for anyone. I’ve been on teams that had a younger member [that] was a 14-year-old and our our oldest was 68 on the same team,” Cometz said. “And you’ll have ranges of all kinds of shapes, sizes, ages, everything. It’s good for anyone, of any skill level, you know, as long as you can swim, you’re good to go.”

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Onlookers cheer as dragon boat teams cross the finish line at Henderson Lake in Lethbridge, June 26, 2022. (Photo: LNN)

Diane Randell is the Chair of the Lethbridge Rotary Dragon Boat Festival Organizing Committee, she says the turnout for the first year back since the pandemic has been wonderful.

“I think yesterday exceeded expectations. And I’m getting that sense for today as well. There’s just so many people filling the park and we welcome the families and just anyone. It’s a free event. And I think that that’s important, too, that people can just come and have fun,” Randell said. “We have 19 out of town teams in the balance, our local teams, for a total of 48. And we didn’t know being a transition year what we could expect in terms of teams. And so this is a great place to start and we know it’ll be bigger next year.”

The Abreast of Bridge dragon boat team heads to the starting line at Henderson Lake, June 26, 2022 (Photo: LNN)

Jennifer Yanish is the current President of Abreast of ‘Bridge Dragon Boat Club, and she says the team consists of members who have all been impacted by Breast Cancer.

“We formed 22 years ago, and we were in the first Dragon Boat Festival in 2002. In the beginning, all of the members were breast cancer survivors,” Yanish said. “So, they were either finished treatments, ongoing their treatments when they were paddling, or they may have been a few years from diagnosis, but they all had breast cancer diagnosis in common and learned from research that paddling is great upper body exercise for women who have undergone breast cancer surgeries and treatments.”

Yanish says over the years the club has expanded who can join the team, and mentions that the club is more than just dragon boat racing.

“We always welcome new members,” says Yanish. “In addition to paddling, some of our members get together on Saturdays for walks in the city. We have socials throughout the year, and a few years ago we opened up our team to all women with cancers and not just breast cancer.”

For those who are curious to try dragon boat racing, and want to find a team or learn more, visit the Lethbridge Dragon Boat Festival website.