CLEVELAND — Julia Chen practices the sport that she loves often as the president of the Cleveland Dragon Boat Association.

What You Need To Know

  • The Cleveland Dragon Boat Festival took place Sept. 18, 2022
  • The festival honored those diagnosed with breast cancer at a rose ceremony

  • Julia Chen said the movement of the paddling helps survivors with their overall health

“Dragon boating is 20 people on a boat," Chen said. "You have a bench partner and it's all about core."

She raced in the Cleveland dragon Boat Festival at Black River Landing in Lorain, Ohio.

“We build up endurance, timing, speed, all for one day,” Chen said.

Chen added that dragon boat racing is an inclusive and supportive sport that welcomes participants of all ages and skill levels. She said the sport originally began in China thousands of years ago. Now, it’s particularly popular with people diagnosed with breast cancer around the world.

“The movement of the paddling has helped the women with their mental health [and] physical health,” Chen said.

It’s part of the reason why she paddles.

“Actually, my godmother was a breast cancer survivor. That's why I’ve been paddling,” Chen said. “She has since passed, so I keep going.”

Each time she gets in a dragon boat, Chen said she honors her godmother, Helen Yih.

 “I do it all the time, every day,” Chen said.