Recently, members of the Rhodes College community came together to form a team to participate in the third annual Memphis Dragon Boat Festival, held at Shelby Farms Park on May 31. The event, which coincided with the traditional Chinese Duanwu Festival this year, brought together 28 teams from across the Memphis area to celebrate teamwork, culture, and spirited competition on the water.
Rooted in more than 2,000 years of Chinese tradition, dragon boat racing honors the legacy of poet Qu Yuan and is widely recognized today as a symbol of collective strength and cultural celebration. The Memphis festival, hosted by the Memphis Chinese Community Center each spring, draws participants representing schools, research institutes, nonprofits, local businesses, and community organizations. It has become a unique space where athleticism and multicultural exchange come together.
Teams are made up of 17 to 20 members, who propel a decorated, canoe-like vessel as fast as possible. A drummer on the vessel helps to keep paddle strokes of the crew in unison.
Rhodes’ team, affectionately named Oar-some Lynx, was composed of current faculty and staff (Han Li, Richie Trenthem, Brooke Mangione, Ivy Schweinzger, Cara Djonko-Moore, Elisha Vego, Courtney Collins, and Eric Henager); Alicia Henager, the wife of Eric Henager; Marsha Walton, professor emerita of psychology; and current students and recent graduates (Eleanor Ellsworth ’25, Nalvi Tran ’25, Lydia Han ’25, Scarlett Nguyen ’24, Bhavesh Kotta ’26, Michelle Xue ’27, Yihan Li ’25, Hai Nguyen ’25, Jana Elabiad ’26, Ray Leung ’27, and Aditya Seetharaman ’26).
“Although it was the college’s first entry into the competition, the team trained hard and raced with enthusiasm and unity,” said captain Dr. Han Li, professor of Chinese Studies at Rhodes. “When we sent out the call for participants in late April, we weren’t sure we’d have enough people. But the response was incredible—and we couldn’t have asked for a more committed, joyful group to represent Rhodes.”