Hartford, Connecticut - In its first ever Dragon Boat competition, the 27- person team, Tai Soo Canoe took 3 rd place in Division D on Saturday, September 17, 2005.   The 5 th annual competition was held on the Connecticut River at the Riverfront Terrace, testing a field of fifty teams.

Dragon Boat Racing stems from an ancient Chinese tradition.   The boats used in this race were 40 feet in length, festooned with dragon heads and tails, weighing approximately 800 lbs without the 20 paddlers and drummer.  

For a group of novices, the Tai Soo Canoe team performed with spirit and persistence over the 500 meter course. In their second race of the day, which they won, the team took 28 seconds off their first race time, and in the final race of the day, they had shaved another 8 seconds.

Sporting Hawaiian shirts and leis, there was speculation that the team hailed from Hawaii for the day of racing.   However, sponsored by the Hartford architectural firm, Tai Soo Kim Partners, the team consisted of staff members, their friends and family, who signed on for a day of adventure, fresh air and fun.   At day's end, they were ‘hooked', already discussing next year's team ‘uniform' and spring-time practice.  

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