On September 29th, in an event benefitting the White River Alliance, a non-profit coalition focused on improving and protecting water resources in Central Indiana, KERAMIDA teamed up with Plews, Shadley, Racher, and Braun (PSRB) to race Dragon Boats on the White River near the IUPUI campus. The inaugural Dragon Boat Race was part of the 8th Annual White River Festival aimed at increasing awareness on issues relating to the White River in Indianapolis.

Dragon boat racing originated over 2000 years ago in China where the tradition remains strong, and it’s popularity in the West has been growing since the 1970s. The ultimate team sport, dragon boats are 46-foot long vessels propelled by a coordinated crew of 22 – 20 paddlers, a drummer who keeps the pace, and a steerer who guides the craft. (thewhiteriveralliance.org)

Dragon boat races have gained popularity for women recovering from breast cancer and this race was co-sponsored by Indy’s own SurviveOars, a breast cancer survivor team with headquarters at Geist Reservoir.

KERAMIDA was part of a twenty-person team and paddled the Dragon Boat to the cadence set by a volunteer drummer. The KERAMIDA contingent in the coalition of the City of Carmel, PSRB, and KERAMIDA consisted of Jamie Warren, Tim Higgins, Jay Nickel, and John Young. Our team came in a very respectable 3rd place out of 19 teams!