Did you know that Ithaca has a Dragon Boat Club? Dragon boat racing is a 2,500-year-old tradition that started in China and is still going strong today. Rowers compete in large boats with decorative dragon heads and tails on them and drummers keeping a beat for the rowers.

The Ithaca Dragon Boat Club practices on Cayuga Lake and competes at races throughout the Northeast, including the Finger Lakes International Dragon Boat Festival. Ithaca College staff member Joe Schlimmer has trained on and off with the club, and this year he tried out for and made the U.S. team. He traveled to Thailand with the team this past August to compete at the International Dragon Boat Federation World Championships in Thailand and won four medals.