CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolinas has a new sport from old roots to add to its repertoire of offerings.
The first of its kind here in the Tar Heel State, the LGBT dragon boat team, One World Dragon Boat (OWDB), is in the process of organizing and building its crew.
Originating in China over 2,000 years ago, this sport requires synchronization of its 22 individual paddlers to win heats. The team must learn to navigate the challenges of sharing space while depending upon technique and trust.
OWDB’s mission is to remove barriers of discrimination, bigotry and injustice that fragment society and keep people separate from each other.
It hopes to raise positive awareness of the LGBT community through “exposure and inclusion” by providing dragon boat education, training, clinics and festivals for the community at large. In the future, the team expects to be good will ambassadors of the sport while they participate in regional, national and international competitions.
Members will engage in strength and flexibility yoga at the LGBT Community Center of Charlotte, 2508 N Davidson St., on Wednesdays from 7-8 p.m. On Saturdays from 9-10:15 a.m., practice will be held at Ramsey Creek Park, 18441 Nantz Rd., in Cornelius.
info: oneworlddragonboat.org.
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Does your organization or special interest group have events or great information to share with our readers? If so, be sure to send in your information to specialassignments@goqnotes-launch2.newspackstaging.com. In the upcoming months, we’ll feature one of you in our news notes section in each issue. Are you a part of a Meetup, Yahoo or Google group and do you do something that’s really newsworthy? Do you provide a service for the community or hold fundraisers for worthy causes? Do you educate the public about LGBT issues or concerns? Of course, this is only a sampling of things we are interested in. It’s the aim of these pieces to inform, enlighten and educate our readers about what we’re doing here in the Carolinas to champion LGBT rights, as well as offer resources for those who may be interested in what your group is doing.