NCAWPA, National Capital Area Women's Paddling Association, established in 1992, first came together as a women's dragon boat team. Now called the DC Dragons, it has evolved to include men's and mixed teams. A non-profit, community-based organization, NCAWPA spearheaded the development of dragon boating and outrigger canoeing both locally and along the East Coast and was a driving force behind the creation of the Eastern Region Dragon Boat Association. We are a co-sponsor of the Washington Dragon Boat Races, the first and only dragon boat race in Washington, DC and we've been a member of the Board of Directors for the Washington, DC Dragon Boat Association since 2001. Dragon boat races are held all over the world. The festival and races originally arose to commemorate Ch'ü Yüan, poet and kinsman of Huai Wang, the ruler of Ch'ü (China) over 2000 year ago. Loved by the people, disliked by his rivals, driven to despair and banished from court, he had thrown himself in the Mi Lo River in Yeuyang, China, to drown. Beating drums and splashing the water furiously with their paddles, the boatmen raced into the river to save him, but failed. This event is re-enacted in the dragon boat race in a series of sprints 250M, 500M and 1000M in length. Intrepid paddlers, the DC Dragons have participated in competitions in Canada, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore, including medalling at the World Dragonboat Championships in Philadelphia, PA in 2001. In addition to the more usual sprint races, the team participated in a 4000M race in 2003. All members of NCAWPA are continually challenged to become top-level competitors in endurance races as well as the sprints. The NCAWPA outrigger crew, NCA Outrigger, was one of the first women's outrigger teams on the East Coast and introduced Hawaiian outrigger canoeing to the National Capital Area in the mid-nineties. In 2000 we hosted the first outrigger canoe race in the nation's capitol, the Washington Monumental, now an annual event. A founding member of the East Coast Outrigger Association (ECORA), NCA Outrigger now has established men's, women's, and co-ed teams and looks to develop youth teams sometime in the near future. Though outrigger canoe has an integral place in the Polynesian culture - it was declared the National Team Sport of Hawaii in 1986 and has been widely practiced in Hawaii and California since the 1950's - it has only recently blossomed as a sport on the East Coast. In just the last several years, the outrigger racing circuit has grown to extend from Connecticut to Florida. Outrigger canoes seat six people. Unlike the sprint races that typify dragon boating, most outrigger races typically cover long distances, 10, 20, 40, or even 100 miles. For longer races, paddlers change in and out over the course of the race with an escort boat in attendance. The NCA Outrigger women's crew has completed the 40-mile Na Wahine O Ke Kai twice, and regularly competes in races in Catalina and San Francisco, CA. Community service is the main focus of NCAWPA. We have trained many hundreds of people in dragon boating and outrigger canoe and built ties within the local community. We actively participate in the Anacostia Environmental Fair, the Lighted Boat Parade, Alexandria Seaport Festival, Anacostia Port Towns Paddlesport Regatta, Near East Regatta, Naval Seas Systems Command Day, and the Tall Ships' event for the Cherry Blossom Festival. NCA has also taken DC Public School children out on the water for Earth Day. Some NCA members have even gone so far as to take the NCA message on the road, running the DC Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis dressed up as reindeer - carrying paddles of course! Despite the fun, one of the most important features to our paddling community is "ohana" - building family - and recognizing the cultural roots that these sports arise from while working to establish ties within the Asian Pacific Islander community. In 2002 we had our first outrigger boat blessing under the guidance of a native Hawaiian bringing a bit of the Islands and the true meaning of the word "Aloha' here to Washington.