Dragon Boat Race

The Vitasoy dragon boat racing team started off the season right with a victory at the Boston Dragon Boat Festival on the Charles River.

In their first year sponsored by Vitasoy, the team cruised through the early heats before claiming the trophy on June 13.

Vitasoy was more than happy to be represented by such an outstanding group of athletes. Being active in the community, supporting healthy lifestyles and promoting local Chinese culture are all important to the company’s mission.

While the festival has ancient roots, Vitasoy went modern to deliver up to the minute information through Facebook and Twitter. The company website has been redesigned to better interact with our community and stay active in their everyday lives.

Team captain and coach Keith Tsui showed both a deep knowledge of the Chinese mythology surrounding the dragon boat festival and its current incarnation as a modern sport. The sport has roots that date back more than 2,000 years to Qu Yuan, a Chinese scholar and minister whose death is commemorated with the Dragon Boat Festival. In the modern era, the festival has been turned into more of a competitive sport, with events around the world.

Tsui has competed in the sport since high school, and as a self-funded athlete competing in the United States and Canada, Tsui was grateful for all the support his team received from Vitasoy.

“This year we tried to get more funding, and our sponsorship representative talked with Vitasoy and they were interested and since we raced in Boston a lot they decided to give us a go,” Tsui explained. “It’s been going pretty well, they’ve been giving us a lot of products and giving us support. Most of us are self-funded, so we pay our own way for everything.  It’s good to have a little help and we appreciate it.”

The club is looking towards several future races in Ithaca, Hartford, New York City and Montreal, and Tsui has sights set high for his crew of racers.