Dragon Boat Racing brings the excitement of an ancient sport to Colorado

CDBF 2011 is over, and the winners are…. Check out the list of medalists at the 11th Annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival!

The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival has established Dragon Boat Racing in Denver during the past decade, by introducing Coloradans to the exciting sport. It’s a unique summertime competition that dozens of teams now look forward to every year.

It’s also an ancient sport, with its origins in China over 2,000 years ago. While paying respect to the roots of Dragon Boat Racing, CDBF is committed to the future of the sport, and has established a separate non-profit organization, the Dragonboat Racing Association of Colorado (DRACO) to network and promote Dragon Boat Racing and train enthusiasts year-round.

The races had humble beginnings. In 2001, the first CDBF featured just 16 teams — all adults, no youth teams. Over the years we’ve added so many teams that we created separate race divisions to manage the competitive levels. Now there are recreational as well as competitive divisions, and separate corporate and youth divisions.

We now own two Taiwan-style Dragon Boats (the ones that use the flag catchers) and two Hong Kong-style boats (the competitive style that’s lower and lighter and faster) so that everyone, including out-of-town and even international teams can compete.

The Races make the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival a one-of-a-kind experience every summer!