"The thing with dragon boating is the support of a group. You're on the water, and (when) you are with other people who love you and support you, you just seem to do better," he said.

Jones said that he has been involved with the Dragon Boat community and has learned more about Chinese culture.

"It's a wonderful, beautiful culture. I think the beauty of it is 20 people working in unison — that's the teamwork."

Dragon boat racing is now also a popular sport for individuals to practice wellness.

"I'm really enjoying it. It's my first festival. It's my first dragon boat race, and it's been an incredible experience," said John Micale, a member of the Boston 1 Team.

"It's really challenging, but it's also really exciting," he said. "It's also a lot about teamwork. So the team working together is one of the most important things. Timing is really important.

"Part of the reason I'm enjoying it is because of the diversity, cultural diversity of participating," he said. "The more we can bring people together from different backgrounds, different countries, the better place this world will be."