To continue years of tradition, NCCU’s IMBA has formed a team of 22 individuals to compete in the annual Dragon Boat Race on June 20th. The race not only promotes an important part of Taiwanese culture, the Dragon Boat Festival, but also unites the IMBA family. This year’s race features 240 teams from Taiwan and other parts of the world, hosting over 6,000 participants. Although NCCU is located in Taiwan, the cultural diversity present within the IMBA team is something truly unique in comparison to other teams.

 
Dragon boat racing takes place throughout East Asia, with competing teams rowing their boats forward to a drumbeat, racing to reach the finish line first. Every year, the IMBA team holds many practices leading up to the big race and tries to optimize the limited time they have together. It often requires steadfast commitment and dedication from all members as practices are held early in the morning and last for a few hours. This year the IMBA team captain, Robert Sun, opened up practices to all students, regardless of whether they were going to compete in the race. Two thirds of the students had participated in at least one practice and some students even prepared dumplings for the team after a practice session, showing the close bond between all students.

 
The fact that the IMBA team will be competing against both local and international teams, as well as many professionals, pushes the team to work hard and exceed the standards of fellow competitors. Robert continues to motivate the team and make regular announcements so that everyone can stay up to date with the latest information. He emphasizes that this is an experience that has and will link the hearts of IMBA students, faculty, and administration together.


The IMBA team is one of the top international teams competing and aims to ultimately win the competition, while still having a great time. The race will be held on June 20th at the Breeze Canal in New Taipei City. Fans and viewers can take the MRT to Luzhou Station, where there will be shuttle buses to take people over to the race.