Cooper Union Alumni at the Dragon Boat Race - August 8, 2009
- Johnny Wong ME'03

Each summer, members of the Con Edison Electric Dragons gather together at the lake in Flushing Meadow Park to practice.  For six years, I have dedicated my Saturday mornings in the summer to the sport of dragon boating.  In that time, I have watched the team grow from twelve dedicated members to over forty dedicated members, with many members of the team composed of Cooper Union alumni.

A dragon boat is essentially a long human-powered canoe consisting of two rows of paddlers seated in pairs, a steersman on the stern and a drummer on the bow.  Many people, like me, are continually drawn to the sport of dragon boating because of the camaraderie that is fostered amongst the participants.  Teamwork is absolutely critical on a dragon boat.  The entire team must act as a single entity when paddling.  The more synchronized a team is, the faster the boat will move. However, achieving that synchronization is much more difficult than it sounds.

Cooper Union alumni have always had a strong representation on the Dragon Boat Team.  This year's members included Jack Chen CE'99, Jackson Koo ME'03, Alex Lin ME'03, Jane Shin ME'99, and myself.  Each year, our team participates in the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York.  Although we didn't win this year, we did compete fiercely against other corporate teams including National Grid, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan Chase.  We look forward to next year!