For the second time in history, George Mason High School will have a team in the eleventh D.C. Dragon Boat Festival. This is not an official school activity, but rather a team organized by interested students of the Chinese Culture Club that has been approved by the school board.
The team will have three training sessions given by the National Capital Area Women's Paddling Association and the D.D. Dragon Boat Club. There they will work on their technique and skill to help them win the race.
The festival will take place May 19-20 on the Potomac River at the Thompson Boat Center in Georgetown. The festival is held in honor of Chu Yuan, a respected poet and politician of ancient China. Out of anguish he committed suicide by drowning himself because he'd lost the trust of the king, bad officials had come to power in his homeland, and invaders weakened his country. Many people rushed in their boats to save him, but they were too late. The paddlers racing in the dragon boats for the festival are symbolic for those who hurried to save Chu Yuan.
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