The San Francisco Bay Area 4A Dragon Boat Team will be participating in the July 2001 Hawaii Dragon Boat Race. The 4A SFBAC has decided to pay for the entry fee of the local team composed mostly of members of the 4A.

The group is led by Team Captain Terry Kuramoto. Terry has been member of the 4A for several years, and a Director of the 1999-2000 SFBAC Board. Terry and other veteran 4A paddlers like Kitty Wong, Frances Zelaya, Andy Wilson, and Les Thompson have formed the core group of the team.

This trip will be the team's second time to participate in the Hawaii Race, and is one of several Dragon Boat Races that 4A members have participated in. Since its formation five years ago, the team has entered friendly competitions held in the Bay Area and Hawaii. 4A SFBAC has always supported the team by supplementing its budget in registration fees. Other expenses come out of the team members' own pockets, and support from AT&T Business Groups.

The Dragon Boat Festivals around the world is traditionally celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Together with Chinese New Year and Mid Autumn Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival forms one of the three major Chinese Holidays. Dragon Boat Festival is highlighted by Dragon Boat Races in which competing teams drive their boats forward rowing to the rhythm of pounding drums. This lively and colorful tradition has continued unbroken for centuries to the present day. (This information is taken from the California Dragon Boat Association).

We wish Terry and the team good luck, and have fun in Hawaii!

— Vicente Noble