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Dragon Boat Festival Brings About Successful Team Building

Dragon Boat Festival Brings About Successful Team Building

Source:Wang Chien-yu

Participating in the annual boat races is a unique chance to connect with local cultures for most foreigners. It is also an opportunity to build social connections and successful team dynamics that enhance your fighting spirit.

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Dragon Boat Festival Brings About Successful Team Building

By Dimitri Bruyas
web only

Team spirit is not only a phrase reserved for high schools during homecoming week, but also a concept that equally belongs in the workplace. This willingness to cooperate as part of a team was also the watchword for all participants in this year’s Dragon Boat Festival, including university students and professors, as well as staff from private corporations and public institutions from home and abroad.

Team spirit is not always an automatic trait though. Teams have to work hard to increase the feeling of pride and loyalty that exists among their members and that makes them want to do their best during the races.

Successful team building is therefore a starting point for building your team and the main trigger for members to paddle at full speed in a synchronized way.

Building Social Connections

From the outset, most participants pointed out that the traditional competition helped them make some friends and build up social connections, like Triston Eng from Malaysia who joined the race for the third time this year. “It’s an opportunity to socialize with other people who enjoy outdoor activities too,” he said.

Wang Chien-yu, left, convener of the Little Plum Golden Years Dragon Boat Team, and team member Triston Eng, right, from Malaysia, wave ahead of the next race on June 17, 2018. To Eng, the Dragon Boat Festival is an opportunity to socialize with other people who enjoy outdoor activities too. (Courtesy of Dimitri Bruyas)

The races and weekly training were also a chance for participants to work out and gain a sense of value and identity for being part of the same team. “I thought the race might be easy as the distance to cover is merely 500 meters,” added the dedicated member of the Little Plum Golden Years Dragon Boat Team. “I have now realized how hard it is to coordinate teamwork and manage my effort while rowing.”

Creating Team Dynamics

Leanne Sturman and Raul Salvador agree on the importance of training to create “great team dynamics.” The members of the teams under the Mandarin Training Center have been practicing since mid-March with the same spirit in mind. “This is a painful but rewarding experience,” said Sturman, 23, about her team’s training -- five days a week for the last three months. “We are an international team, so we could feel the combining of different nationalities; but everyone had an open mind,” added the U.S. student.

Leanne Sturman, right, and Raul Salvador are members of the teams under the Mandarin Training Center. They have been practicing since mid-March for their first participation in the boat race. (Courtesy of Dimitri Bruyas)

Heading from Spain, Salvador, 28, further emphasized the importance of practice in building the team, and the team spirit that goes with it. Rowing was especially significant and a bit daunting for a beginner like him, however. “Our biggest challenge was to row together in a synchronized way,” he went on. “Then, we learned to paddle against the river flow,” which he called equally “difficult.” Despite the challenges, Sturman and Salvador already vowed to continue with the team sport in the future. “We enjoy it a lot,” they said.

Team members of the Mandarin Training Center lift their paddles to thank their supports following their race on June 17, 2018. (Courtesy of the Mandarin Training Center)

Training Fighting Spirit

Social connections and team dynamics are crucial to win a Dragon Boat race, but this is not enough. You also need to train your fighting spirit with mind and body fitness, explained Nick Cincotta, convener of the Black Tide team.

Members of the Black Tide team smile ahead of their next race on June 17, 2018. (Courtesy of the Black Tide team)

The U.S. citizen, who has been living in Taiwan for nine years and was participating in the race for the third time, remarked that the wooden boats are heavy and difficult to maneuver. “You also have to use the wooden paddles provided by the organizers,” he said.

To overcome these challenges, Cincotta and the 35 members of his team, aged between 20 and 50, train indoor and outdoor all year long. “Everybody can join in,” he added. “All you need is the right practice.” To the team’s convener, proper fitness for members of all walks of life contributes to their willingness to compete or to do things that are difficult.

Bond to the Same Ship

On top of that, fun provides the glue that connects members of the same team, according to Erdem Taraev from Ulan-Ude, a city in East Siberia, Russia, who travelled to Taipei with his 20 teammates to join this year’s competition. “We are having fun; this is our biggest expectation,” he said after his boat took the second place in Sunday morning race. Still, he added that the Unreal Team is focused on winning the next challenge and “breaking stereotypes about Russian people.”

The members from Unreal Team gather for a group picture ahead of their next race on June 17, 2018. All participants come from Ulan-Ude, a city in East Siberia, Russia. (Courtesy of Dimitri Bruyas)

That is the main lesson learnt by most foreigners in this year’s Taipei International Dragon Boat Championship held at Dajia Riverside Park between June 16 and June 18. They strove to push themselves and their team to the next level. All participants also learned something much more difficult that will come in handy throughout their (future) careers: successful team building. A very important skill valued by all organizations.  

Edited by Sharon Tseng


About the Author

Dimitri Bruyas is a seasoned reporter, commentator and news editor based in Taiwan. He is also an illustrator, photographer and art book publisher who writes on subjects ranging from business to modern art, design, fine dining and architecture. His work has been published throughout the Asia Pacific region, as well as in Europe and the United States.


This article is reproduced under the kind permission of Dimitri Bruyas. It presents the opinion or perspective of the original author, which does not represent the standpoint of CommonWealth magazine.


Additional Reading

Dimitri Bruyas: Taiwan Architecture Seeks Global Exposure
The Mazu Pilgrimage Experience
Chinese Taipei Cheerleading: Teamwork and Tenacity Takes Taiwan to The Top
Best Travel Spots for #Taiwanders

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