Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital's Dragon Boat team finished in second place at the Natchitoches Dragon Boat Races April 13, 2019.
BJACH finishes second in Natchitoches Dragon Boat races
By Kathy Ports
BJACH Public Affairs Officer
April 19, 2019
NATCHITOCHES, La. — Despite the rain, thunder and a lightening delay, Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital’s Dragon Boat team rowed to second place victory in the Fourth Annual Natchitoches Dragon Boat Races April 13.
The potential for severe weather forced race organizers to shorten the schedule in hopes of beating the approaching storms.
Originally 23 teams were registered, but only 15 showed up to battle the river, impending rain and intense thunderstorms that were approaching fast.
Many of the participating teams were headquartered in or around Natchitoches, BJACH being the only out of town entry. Time, distance and duty prevented BJACH from getting extra practices during race week but the team rallied at 7 p.m. April 12 to practice, under the coaching of five-time world championship rowing coach and retired Marine Lt. Col. Lee Cerozac. Cerozac had just returned from China after coaching Australia, Canada and China Dragon Boar rowing teams in an international competition. The Australian men’s team took first place, while the American women’s team placed fourth in the competition.
During the opening ceremony, Natchitoches Mayor Lee Posey said BJACH’s spirit and costumes were already the best and they definitely had the People’s Choice Award.
BJACH’s team — all volunteers — included Soldiers, Col. Marla Ferguson, MEDDAC commander, acting command sergeant major 1st Sgt. Norman Pickens, Department of the Army civilians and Family members.
Although the intermittent rain hampered some of the events, the “awakening of the sleeping dragon” by painting eyes on the decorative dragonhead pieces before they are mounted to the front of each boat took place. Spc. Austin Ke, a nutrition technician at BJACH’s Dining Facility, painted the eye for BJACH.
Dragon Boat races date back centuries with its roots tied to an ancient folklore of contending villages, that have been held for more than 2,000 years throughout southern China. Traditional dragon boat racing coincides with the 5th day of the 5th Chinese lunar month — varying from late May to June on the modern Gregorian calendar.
Each boat has 20 paddlers — 12 male and 8 female — and one drummer, whose drumbeats are considered the heartbeat of the dragon boat. The drummer leads the paddlers throughout the races using rhythmic drum beats to indicate the frequency and synchronicity of the paddlers’ strokes — basically the cadences — picking up or accelerating the pace.
Today, Dragon Boat races are held around the world.
The dragon boats are owned by 22 Dragons, a Canadian company.