Manila City, Philippines －It could have been a rainy whole day affair, but the weather and all the other elements came through last Saturday for a successful 1st Triton-Philippine Collegiate League (PCL) Dragon Boat Cup held at the Baywalk, Roxas Boulevard, Manila Bay.
The Dragon Boat Cup, organized by the PCL in partnership with the internationally seasoned Triton Dragon Boat Racing Team, which featured the best collegiate dragon boat teams and regular teams in the country started off with a Taoist priest blessing the day by performing the eye-dotting ceremony on a dragon boat with Triton President Carol Salonga, PCL Organizer Geraldine Bernardo, International Dragon Boat Federation certified Technical Official Marcia Cristobal, and Philippine Dragon Boat Federation Vice President Aaron Garcia.
At 6 am, the two-pronged event that comprised of 32 heats and 13 regular and collegiate teams formally kicked off, concluding the day by 5pm with triumphant finishers and unforgettable moments.
Here are the winners per race category, courtesy of Triton:
Cebu-based PADS Adaptive Dragon Boat Racing Team and winner of the 2017 Hongkong International Dragonboat Carnival in the Paradragon division, teamed up with the ICanServe Cebu breast cancer survivors to emerge as 4th overall winners.
Free water, eggs, and bananas donated by the Triton members past and present were given away to the competing teams. Food stalls from the likes of Kowloon House, Native Plate, and Pizza Hut, among others dotted the place, while fun activities and side attractions, such as all-day music from up and coming bands, a battle rope challenge, and merchandise booths also kept the venue crawling with fans and spectators.
As part of their 8th year anniversary, which fell exactly on July 1, Triton had planned for this event to be able to give back to the sport that had brought the TRITONes together, as well as to serve fellow paddlers and the entire dragon boat community. Part of the proceeds goes to their chosen charity of orphans and abused children.
Meanwhile, school spirit was also palpable as teams chanted their respective cheers in the PCL collegiate team races. This is in line with the desire to expand to other team sports and individual sports and there are already talks for a repeat event within the year for a more expansive collegiate summer tournament. For inquiries on how to form your collegiate or school club, email Ice Lim at [email protected].
The event was in cooperation with Grosby–Brazilea, Sun Life Financial and Solido. Other sponsors include the Krooberg, MMP Awards Specialist, CIGCI United Printing, Pixel Pro, Mad Hatter and PACE Magazine x Freyo. Special thanks to the MMDA, the City of Manila, Manila Tourism & Cultural Affairs Bureau, Philippine Star and the Philippine Red Cross. Other sponsors who provided in kind support are Pizza Hut, Team Titans, Suy Sing, Native Plate.