On your Mark, Get Set, ROW: YMCA Dragon Boat Team Challenge

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - The community is invited out to cheer on their favorite teams as the South Montgomery County YMCA, Aon HEWITT and The Woodlands Township host the 16th Annual YMCA Dragon Boat Team Challenge. The charity event is scheduled for September 25 – 28, Northshore Park and Lake Woodlands. Admission is free for spectators.

Celebrating 16 years of popularity and rowing, the first Dragon Boat Team Challenge was sold out with 40 teams, 5 brackets and 2 Dragon Boats. This year, the event has been sold out for months with 117 teams, 8 brackets and 4 Dragon Boats.

This unique team building event is designed to build community spirit among corporations, civic groups and community organizations. The activities are designed to bring individuals together to achieve a single goal – To Have FUN! They achieve this by becoming a team and working together as a synchronized unit. It’s much more than “beating the other team.” It is the camaraderie, visiting and playing with old friends, meeting new friends, hard work and feeling good about it. At the YMCA, Everybody Plays and Everybody Wins.

The Dragon Boat Races are the main event. Dragon boats are forty foot long, extremely colorful dragon headed canoes and weigh over 1800 pounds. In addition to the dragon boat races, each team will have the opportunity to participate in five other fun team-building activities. These activities will vary and will include problem-solving, non-athletic as well as physically challenging. There will be Something for Everyone regardless of their fitness level or athletic abilities!

Why we ROW – So Dreams Can GROW. YMCA Dragon Boat is a charity event benefitting YMCA Annual Campaign. Thanks to our generous sponsors, hundreds and hundreds of at risk youth can participate in YMCA Youth Development and Leadership Programs at no charge throughout the year. The Y is committed to being available to all regardless of families’ financial resources. Thank you to our community sponsors: Aon Hewitt, The Woodlands Township, Cru Logistics, CB&I, GE Oil & Gas, Entergy, Repsol, Talisman-Energy, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital, Apache, Alcoa Oil & Gas, Chevron Phillips, Excelerate Energy, FMC Technologies, Flint Hills Resources, Harbor America, Newpark Resources, Oxbow, San Jacinto River Authority, TWFG, CHI St. Luke’s Lakeside & St. Luke’s The Woodlands Hospital, UFM, Waste Connections, Woodforest National Bank, Kroger, Canongate Golf, Chick-fil-A on Lake Woodlands, Which Wich and McAlister’s Deli.

More than 115 teams will be participating over the 4 day weekend. Teams will be competing 8am – Noon and 2:00 – 6:00pm, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Come join the fun and laughter, cheer on your favorite team, watch adults having FUN working together as a team and witness dragon boat racing on Lake Woodlands! Admission is Free for spectators but just a reminder there are no special activities available for spectators.

For more information please call 281-367-9622 or visit the website.