Oliver Chen

“I started dragon boat back in my freshman year of high school mostly because my friend had asked me to. I was the new kid in school and beyond a handful of people, I didn't have many other friends just yet. So for me, joining dragon boat would help me meet more people and find a friend group to be a part of during high school. But even then, I didn't really know why I was on the team or in the sport until after my first race, which was where I fully appreciated all the hard work and dedication that was put into preparing for races. 

My favorite memory has to be the 2019 Tempe race. It was the last Tempe race where I would race with Riverside before graduating from college. RSD's performance at that race was particularly impressive for me because we had faced an extremely tough season so far and the results of the race sort of gave us reassurance that all the hardship and struggles we faced were well worth the rewards. But also that race brought a lot of the alumni from my high school team together again. Being with them again reminded me of where I came from and why I had initially picked up this sport in the beginning.”

[Oliver Chen (Walnut, California, USA), paddler and steerer on Riverside Surging Dragons.]

068