On the shores of Shelby Farms Park, a team from Rhodes College recently paddled in the Memphis Dragon Boat Festival. While this year's festival, held on May 31, marked the third such annual event, it was the first time for the college to field a team in the competition. Joining a host of 28 teams, members of the college community showcased their esprit de corps in an athletic contest that seamlessly melded cultural appreciation with the teamwork required in dragon boat racing.
The festival, rooted in age-old Chinese traditions, is hosted annually by the Memphis Chinese Community Center and aims to celebrate both the legendary poet Qu Yuan and the collective tenacity of those willing to take up oars together. Competing teams, usually comprising 17 to 20 members, strive to rhythmically synchronize their strokes to the beat of a drummer, all to move a decorated, canoe-like dragon boat swiftly across the water. The event has swiftly grown to symbolically capture the spirit of cultural exchange and athleticism that resonates throughout Memphis.
Named Oar-some Lynx, the Rhodes College team brought together faculty, staff, alumni, and students. According to a statement released by Rhodes College News, the team included current faculty and staff like Han Li and Richie Trenthem, as well as professor emerita Marsha Walton, and students from various academic years, including Eleanor Ellsworth ’25 and Bhavesh Kotta ’26, among others.
The captain of Rhodes' Oar-some Lynx, Dr. Han Li, echoed the sentiments of accomplishment and unity following their debut performance. "Although it was the college’s first entry into the competition, the team trained hard and raced with enthusiasm and unity," Li told Rhodes College News. Their participation marked not just an athletic venture but also an alignment with the vibrant Chinese festival that seeks to draw communities closer into appreciation of both past and present cultural narratives.
