Congratulations to Cooper’s River Resuscitators dragon boat team, who won a silver medal at the 2010 Philadelphia International Dragon Boat Festival on October 23, 2010.
The 25 team members are all Cooper employees and joined the Dragon Boat league two years ago. In 2009, they won a bronze medal for their division.
Dragon Boat Racing, a major sport in many Asian countries, is growing in popularity here in the United States. The tradition originated in China in 278 B.C., when a 4th century statesman, poet and advisor committed suicide by drowning himself in the Milou River. According to legend, local fishermen rushed out to rescue Qu Yuan and, failing that, they banged drums and splashed furiously with their paddles, hoping the uproar would deter dragons and fish from eating his body.
This singular incident evolved into an annual tradition that has been mimicked the world over, as fishing boats were replaced by dragon boats and reenactments were replaced by races. For the Philadelphia Dragon Boat Festival, teams from corporations, schools and community organizations will converge on the river, equipped with World Championship flat water racing canoes. Accessorized with extravagant dragon heads and tails, each canoe accommodates a steersperson, a drummer and a crew of 20 paddlers.
In addition to the River Resuscitators, the River Sirens and River Sisters – two other Cooper connected teams – competed in the event.
The River Sirens are a dragon boat racing team comprised of women who have generously supported Cooper Cancer Institute for the past six years. About three years ago, the River Sirens developed and mentored a Cooper cancer survivor team called the River Sisters. The two teams compete in local dragon boat races and raise money throughout the year to benefit Cooper Cancer Institute.
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