TACOMA NAGAS AKA NAGA WATER SERPENTS The Tacoma Naga’s originated back in 2005, since the 2nd Bon Om Tuk – Asian American Water Festival. With keeping the tradition and customs: Naga became the team name. With friends and family from Bellingham to Olympia and cities in between, and as far as Eastern Washington the team was born. They strive at working hard at practices to become that premiere team outside of the Bon Om Tuk - Water Festival going up against top contenders from Portland, OR and Canada at race venues in Salem, OR, Kent, WA, and Portland, OR. They participate in the dragon boat races in Tacoma and also venture out to do races in Pateros/Spokane/Olympia, Washington as well. They took 3rd place at Bon Om Tuk in 2007. They've also taken 1st place at other races such as the Washington Dragon Boat Association Freedom 4th of July Dragon Boat Festival Race in 2007 and Salem World Beat Dragon Boat Festival in Salem, Oregon for the Governor's bracket with some members of WDBA. The Tacoma Nagas had also went head to head with the Shanghai Maritime University team from Shanghai, China at the 2008 Saint Martin's University Dragon Boat Festival with a neck to neck finish. At the Bon Om Tuk Dragon Boat Festival, the Tacoma Nagas came in 3rd Place. The Tacoma Nagas went on winning 1st Place in the B Division at the 2008 Portland Dragon Boat Race and 2nd Place at the 2008 Maritime Fest Dragon Boat Festival, hosted by Tacoma Dragon Boat Association. www.tacomanagas.org www.myspace.com/team_nagas TEAM XTREME Team Xtreme strive to be champions! They are comprised of competitive and recreational paddlers training to compete in local dragon boat races and possibly other races in the Pacific Northwest. Their Team is committed and highly motivated in making their team the community's ideal role model team for all other dragon boat racers in Seattle-Puget Sound! Promoting the sport while encouraging physical fitness is what they are all about. They are unique and a mixed cast with experienced and novice paddlers who have a common goal: teamwork, leadership and working hard. They took 2nd place at the Bon Om Tuk event in 2007. Notable race performances they've done was at the 2006 Bon Om Tuk on a 250 meter run clocking in at .59 seconds. In the 2008 Bon Om Tuk Dragon Boat Festival, Team Xtreme took 2nd Place second year in a row. www.myspace.com/xxtremeteam KHMER KROM DRAGONS The Khmer Krom (southern Khmers) Dragon boat team are comprised of experience paddlers young and old. They strive to keep the Khmer culture and traditions alive here in the states and overseas especially in an area once known as lower/southern Cambodia or Kampuchea Krom since the days before the rise of the Khmer Empire but now presently part of southern Vietnam. Their other community from the city of Philadelphia are well known for their 1st place victory in the IDBF Race of 2001 in Philadelphia, PA, which was the inspiration in forming the Khmer Krom Dragon Boat team in Washington state. They also ventured to do other international races in Rome, Italy and Toronto, Canada and have done well there as well. The Khmer Krom Dragons took 3rd place at Bon Om Tuk in 2005 and 1st place in 2006. They've also won 1st place at other races such as Washington Dragon Boat Association Freedom 4th of July Dragon Boat Festival Race and Dragons on the Foss Dragon Boat Festival during Tacoma's Maritime Fest in September. In the 2008 Bon Om Tuk Dragon Boat Festival, the Khmer Krom Dragons took 1st Place in the A Division, which is the second time they've captured that crown. They also took 1st Place at the 2008 Maritime Fest Dragon Boat Festival hosted by the Tacoma Dragon Boat Association. www.myspace.com/khmerkromdragons KHMER KROM DRAGONS JR. TEAM The Khmer Krom Dragons Jr. team took 2nd Place in the Jr. Division at the 2008 Maritime Fest Dragon Boat Festival, hosted by the Tacoma Dragon Boat Association held yearly in September. At the 2009 Kent Cornucopia Dragon Boat Race, which was their first race this year, the Khmer Krom Jr. team took 3rd Place. www.myspace.com/khmerkromdragons SPITFIRE SAKE & SPITFIRE SAKE JR. They made their first appearance at the Bon Om Tuk Water Festival event in 2007. A team that represents the Khmer/Laos community on the east side in Kirkland, WA. They are one of the main voices towards wanting to continue the Bon Om Tuk (Festival of Boat Races) event so that we can continue our traditions especially the dragon boat race tradition. Back home in South East Asia, dragon boat racing is also known as the traditional long boat races, which happens annually through out the year and varies by regions. Spitfire's new training grounds are at Lake Washington, which the adult and jr. team are now under the wings of Team Sake of Seattle, WA. Keep your eyes out for this contending team on the water this year! On land, keep your ears open for the sound of the drums and the traditional multiple flute instrument called Khen to be a source of entertainment for all event attendees. TSUNAMIS NAGAS (JR. SQUAD) This group is a mix of students from various high schools that participate in the Tacoma Metro Parks recreation program, which is a community outreach program called "SHERPAS". They participate and volunteer at events that goes on in the city of Tacoma, such as for example, ETHNIC FEST. Most of them have done some recreational water sports such as kayaking and canoeing before and hiking in the mountains. For the majority of the team, this will be their first year participating in the International Dragon Boat Festival (Bon Om Tuk Dragon Boat Festival) with only 2 members returning back from last year.