Dragon Fight on the Isebekkanal

With tremendous dedication, the KLU and Macromedia teams prepared for four weeks in several training runs to compete with the experienced top dogs on the Hochschulsport Hamburg/Finanzamt team. In a total of six 175-meter boat races on the Isebekkanal, the favorite ultimately maintained the upper hand. KLU and Macromedia ended up tying for second place.

Of course, no one, including the defeated teams, was disappointed. Because from the outset, the event premiere at the Hochschulsport Hamburg boat house on the Isekai was themed “bring people together” – a friendly encounter between various universities and dragon boat athletes in the Hanseatic city. A total of 50 paddlers, professors, alumni, current students, PhD candidates, and staff from various departments across three institutions joined in, and over the course of the approximately two-hour competition, dozens of spectators cheered them on from the dock.

“We’re delighted that this event resonated so well, and it was obviously fun for all participants and guests,” KLU Sports Affairs Manager Johannes Dietz said, satisfied afterwards. Dietz had been planning the regatta for more than four months with the water sports officials at Hochschulsport Hamburg.

Hamburg’s Pollman Stiftung, a long-time supporter of water sports activities at KLU, financed the event. At the award ceremony hosted by Pollman Chairman Eberhard Hofmann and KLU President Thomas Strothotte, Hofmann commended the community character of the event in particular, again in the spirit of its slogan “bring people together.” With similar conviviality, guests wound down the event at a barbecue.