Steel City Dragons

These dragonboaters dig the water

By Meghan Holohan

“Give me 10 fast. Ten,” Suhail Baloch yells.

Sixteen paddlers pull at the water in unison — all rowers in the dragon boat must paddle in sync. The muscles in my arms, legs, back and stomach burn. I stare at the paddle in front of me to match its strokes.

“We should be doing about 60 in this part,” Baloch barks. Everyone digs furiously at the water to attain our 60 strokes per minute. I tighten my right hand on the neck of the oar. Water from the Allegheny River splashes on me as we pull away from the Fox Chapel Yacht Club.

On this Saturday morning, my husband Jarod and I joined the Steel City Dragons (www.steelcitydragons.org) to dragon boat, a 3,000-year-old form of boating that originated in China. Paddling on a dragon boat differs from kayak or canoe because we have to use our arms and back in an active rather than passive paddle; that is, we must lunge our entire bodies forward to plunge the paddle into the water.

Baloch lets us slow down, but he won’t let us stop until we answer questions correctly. “Name one star in Orion?”

My shoulder feels like it might pull out of the socket, so I say the first thing that comes to my mind, “The North Star.”

“No.”

“Betelgeuse,” the woman in front of me says.

“Yes. Let it ride,” Baloch says. I give silent thanks to Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet who 3,000 years ago found himself unpopular with a new emperor. Wrought with despair, Qu Yuan threw himself in the Mi Lo River. When his followers heard, they boarded fishing boats to find him, beating drums to keep away evil spirits.

Since Qu Yuan’s death, people started dragon boating to honor him. As the sport gained popularity throughout the world, members of teams still beat a drum to ward off evil spirits. The beats keep the pace for the races, too.

When we stop paddling, Baloch straddles the back of the boat, steering it with a long oar. He rows with the competitive team, which travels to races thoroughout North America. Anyone can show up at 10 a.m. on Saturday mornings or Tuesday and Thursday evenings to join the dragons’ recreational paddle.

I feared I would be the person who slacked off, causing the boat to float adrift. Unlike canoeing or kayaking, I if screw up, I have a boatload of people annoyed with me. But I found that it was this group dynamic that I enjoyed most. The team pushed me to paddle harder than I would if I were alone.

Many members of the competitive team started boating just like Jarod and I — as curious rowers. Bob Randolph, a psychologist in the coal mining industry, started boating with Steel City Dragons when some friends brought him to the docks. They learned a few quick strokes, put on life vests and boarded the boat. He hasn’t left the water for long since.

“It was unlike other team sports,” he says. “It’s pretty much up to you to perform as well as you want. It’s a great mindset. Even when you are competitive, it’s very friendly.”

The Steel City Dragons and its cross-town rivals the Pittsburgh Paddlefish (www.threeriversrowing.org) have members ranging in age from 19 to 68. Each group has several teams – a youth team, a breast cancer survivor team, corporate teams, recreational teams and a joint competitive team, TEAM Pittsburgh. From May to October, members can boat with the teams starting at $100, which allows you to boat as often as you want. The Paddlefish hold indoor training in the off season. Both clubs list schedules and fees on their websites.

Despite Meghan Holohan's lack of grace and apparent inability to walk without falling, she participates in a variety of intramural sports, hikes with her dogs, kayaks and generally tries any other outdoor activity she can. Her orthopedic surgeon and acupuncturist thank Meghan for her continuing interest in outdoor activities.