Saint Martin’s Dragon Boat Festival to celebrate community,
competition and tradition
March 30, 2011
LACEY, WASHINGTON — Paddles up! The sixth annual Saint
Martin’s University Dragon
Boat Festival will take place Saturday, April 30, 9 a.m. to
5 p.m., at the Port Plaza, Port of Olympia, in Olympia,
Washington. The festival, presented by Saint Martin’s University
in cooperation with the Washington Dragon Boat Association, is
free and open to the public.
This year’s dragon boat lineup features the paddling talent
of 32 local and regional teams from several colleges,
universities, high schools, school districts, government
agencies and community organizations. With local rivalries now a
festival tradition, the cities of Tumwater and Olympia will be
returning to vie for dragon boat bragging rights. More than
4,000 spectators from throughout the Pacific Northwest are
expected to attend the daylong competition.
“The Saint Martin’s University Dragon Boat Festival has
become a significant event, not just for Olympia but for the
Puget Sound region,” says Roy F. Heynderickx, Ph.D., president
of Saint Martin’s University. “The enthusiasm this festival
generates is a reflection of the great community spirit that
thrives in the Pacific Northwest.”
This year’s event kicks off at 9 a.m. with the “Dotting of
the Eye” ceremony, a blessing of the dragon boats, a lion dance
and a procession of the teams. The races
consist of three heats and three divisions, beginning at 10 a.m.
and continuing until 3:30 p.m. The closing and awards will begin
at 4 p.m.
Olympia-based radio station 94.5 ROXY will be broadcasting
live from the festival.
“With every year, the popularity of the Dragon Boat Festival
increases,” says Josephine Yung, Saint Martin’s vice president
of international programs and development. “Saint Martin’s is
proud to bring together community members for this unique,
ancient form of competition.”
Dragon boat racing dates back to fourth-century China,
commemorating famed poet Qu Yuan, who threw himself in the Milo
River to protest the political turmoil and suffering of the
people at that time. Today, dragon boat races are an opportunity
to celebrate culture and community.
Saint Martin’s University has been actively involved in
education and cultural exchanges with China since 1995. Each
year, members of Saint Martin’s faculty travel to China to teach
international business, accounting and general education
courses. Saint Martin’s students regularly participate in China
study tours and internship opportunities in Shanghai, Hong Kong
and Zhuhai. In addition, about 40 students from China are
currently studying at Saint Martin’s University.
The Dragon Boat Challenge is supported by a number of
organizations throughout the Puget Sound area and beyond,
including: 94.5 ROXY; KVOS TV; the cities of Lacey, Olympia and
Tumwater; the Port of Olympia; the Olympia Area Chinese
Fellowship; the Olympia Lacey Tumwater Visitor and Convention
Bureau; the Thurston County Chamber; the Thurston County
Economic Development Council; the U.S. Commerce Service,
Seattle; the Washington China Relations Council; and the
Washington State Department of Commerce. In addition, many
individuals including students from Saint Martin’s University
have made contributions to make this year’s festival possible.
For more information about this event, visit www.stmartin.edu/dragonboat
or contact the Office of International Programs and Development
at 360-438-4521.
Saint Martin’s University is an independent four-year,
Catholic, coeducational university located on a 380-acre wooded
campus in Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic
Order of Saint Benedict, the University is one of 18 Benedictine
colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, and
the only one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s
University prepares students for successful lives through its 21
majors and six graduate programs spanning the liberal arts,
business, education and engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes
1,250 students from many ethnic and religious backgrounds to its
main campus, and 650 more to its extension campuses located at
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Everett College, Centralia College,
and Tacoma Community College.
For further information:
Jennifer Fellinger
Vice president, marketing and communications
Saint Martin’s University
360-438-4332
jfellinger@stmartin.edu
www.stmartin.edu