Berkeley Racing Canoe Center

1442a Walnut St. #243

Berkeley CA 94709
www.BerkeleyRCC.Org

The Berkeley Racing Canoe Center (BRCC) was formed to promote racing canoe activities in the Berkeley and East Bay areas. The Center focuses on dragon boat racing and small outrigger canoes. The San Francisco Bay Area is home to many people of pacific islander descent, and outrigger canoes are a natural choice of recreation and sport. Over twenty outrigger events are held each year in the greater Bay Area.

Dragon boat festivals are an integral part of Chinese culture, and they are held in Asia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and North America. The festival is traditionally held on the 5^th day of the 5^th lunar month (May 31, 2006), as a means to honor the Dragon and bring fertility to agricultural land. The festival also draws from the legend of Qu Yuan, a court official who campaigned against government corruption. Despite (or because of) his efforts, his homeland was invaded by a rival state. In despair, Qu Yuan threw himself in the river, and it is said that fisherman raced to find his body.

Dragon boat racing is an increasingly popular water sport, currently under consideration as a demonstration sport for the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, China. The sport of dragon boat racing has wide cross-over appeal, with broad community support, and events attract many spectators. Teams are composed of men and women from club organizations, colleges, public service groups and corporations, and boys and girls from high school and youth clubs. Recently, dragon boat teams have been formed from breast cancer survivors and sight-impaired paddlers. Dragon boat racing encourages team work and allows people of different abilities to meet new challenges. In North America there are approximately 50,000 participants in this exciting team sport. Over fifty-five festivals and race events are held each year in the United States. The Annual San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival draws almost 100 teams and an attendance of approximately 10,000 people.

Members of the DragonMax dragon boat team are active in the BRCC board and with the coaching and development of youth teams. BRCC sponsors several dragon boat teams:

Skyline High School Youth Team: This school club activity started in 2004, with weekly practices on Friday after school.

Berkeley High School/East Bay Asian Youth Center R.I.S.E: This team activity started in 2004, with practices on Thursday after school.

DragonMax: This team sports a roster of over 60 members who come from the cities of Berkeley and Oakland and the counties of Alameda, San Francisco and Contra Costa. DragonMax and the Berkeley Dragons (City of Berkeley) merged in 2002, and they have raced in Long Beach, CA, Vancouver, B.C., Portland, OR and Honolulu, Hawaii. Team members have also traveled to China to participate in dragon boat races. DragonMax typically enters one to four teams per race event, which may include a Master's Team and a Women's Team. DragonMax practices every Saturday during the year, adding two weekday practices during the racing season (March through September). This season, the team plans to attend races in Portland, OR, Long Beach, CA, Honolulu, HI, and San Francisco, CA in addition to smaller local races.

The BRCC dragon boats are used several days a week for team practices, enjoying visibility within the Berkeley Marina and in the San Francisco Bay when weather permits. The BRCC also sponsors dragon boat weekend cruises for family, friends and the general public during the off-season (October through February), and during WaveChaser events and the Berkeley Aquatic Festival and the City of Berkeley's July 4^th Festival.

The Berkeley Marina is nestled amongst a variety of activities and businesses, including Shorebird Park and public parks, Berkeley Yacht Club, the Double Tree Hotel, Skates Restaurant, H's Lordships Restaurant and recreational and residential boat berths.

The BRCC is a California non-profit corporation with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Your generous support of our programs is tax deductible. .