Wenzao Ursuline University’s Office of International and Cross-Strait Cooperation (OICC) led a team of international students to participate in the “2023 Kaohsiung Love River Dragon Boat Festival and Championship.” After competing for the entire day, the Wenzao International Student team came out as second place in the semifinal international mixed coed category.
The Wenzao international students who participated in the competition did not only show spirit of strength in unity, but also had the opportunity to directly experience the traditional culture of Dragon Boat Festival in Taiwan. The students who came together to form the team this year originated from Sweden, Belgium, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia. Each and every one of them referred to the experience as an invaluable learning opportunity.
They were all part of the team formed by Wenzao’s Section of Overseas Student Affairs (SOSA), and had been preparing for the dragon boat championship since May this year. In accordance with the competition regulations of Kaohsiung City’s Dragon Boat Championship, a team of international students should consist of at least 10 members. The international students were incredibly enthusiastic to be a part this rare opportunity, with a number of 20 international students signing up to join. The competing team had 21 members in total, consisting of 14 female international students, 6 male international students, and 1 Taiwanese student.
Professor Richard Cheng, the Head of SOSA, led the section’s group of multilingual volunteers to aid the 21 team members while they were participating in the championship. Professor Jian-Xun Chen (陳建勳) from Wenzao Ursuline University’s Center for Physical Education was also requested to train the competitors and help build unity and chemistry amongst the team members.
The members of the Wenzao Dragon Boat International Students Team used the time in between classes to train at the campus’ Yumei Gym, and even trained at the Love River prior to the competition. During the training, Professor Jian-Xun Chen directed the competing students to hold onto the shoulder of the teammate in front of them with one hand to simulate the rhythm of rowing as practice for moving the paddle inside the water. This method also worked to improve their rhythm of their rowing and team chemistry.
The training went on for two months. In the aftermath, with excellent physical agility and team chemistry borne from practice, the team managed to achieve success. According to the competing international students, being a part of the competition grants them the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the culture of the Dragon Boat Festival, and will remain in their hearts as a beautiful memory of their stay in Taiwan.
