Red River Dragon Boat Festival Team Sign-Up Deadline Is Approaching

The Dragon Boats head back to the Red River next month, and you're running out of time to get your team registered. The deadline is tomorrow! Red River Dragon Boat Festival Chairman John Coutret tells KEEL News he's expecting around 25 teams, including several from out of town.

"We've got one from Lafayette, Cajun Invasion," Coutret says. "And then from Houston, we have Houston Heat. We also have the Austin Coolers and the Dallas Delight."

In case you're wondering what dragon boats are, they're basically 41-foot-long canoes. "We have someone in the front who beats a drum to keep the pace, we've got 20 people paddling, and then we have someone in the back who's steering the boat and helping to coach everybody," Coutret says. "It's a sport that goes back into ancient Chinese history."

And Coutret says you don't have to be a super-elite athlete to participate in the races. Gather up your team and get yourselves signed up by visiting the Rotary Club of Shreveport's website. The 2013 Red River Dragon Boat Festival is going on Saturday, September 14th.