Dragon boat competition in Orlando pairs police with teens

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County Sheriff's deputies, Orlando police officers and a few adventurous teens continued to work together in the 14th year of the Dueling Dragons mentoring program.

We spoke with Kaylee Johnson, 16, who competed in Saturday's competition at Lake Fairview.

“When I grow up I want to be a police officer, so this is really teaching me a lot,” she said.

According to Orange County Sheriff John Mina, the goal of the program is to inspire these teens and make them feel comfortable around the police.

“I’ve seen the change, I’ve heard the stories, I’ve talked to these kids who didn’t like law enforcement when they first started, and now they’re like, ‘These guys aren’t that bad.’ It’s also an opportunity for the officers to learn about the lives of some of the members of the communities they serve,” Mina said.

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The Dueling Dragons program was founded by community leader Andrea Eliscu, who won the endorsement of Orlando Police Chief Val Demings, the first woman to lead the department.

“About 15 years ago, there was a lot of media coverage of police officers shooting black men and young black men and I felt like there had to be another solution,” Eliscu said.

If you're not familiar with dragon boats, they look like giant canoes; 41 feet long, 635 pounds empty, and capable of holding 21 people. Everyone has to be in sync to keep the boat moving.

In this program, paddlers are selected through their participation in Orlando Parks and Rec community centers, including Rosemont, Englewood, Jackson, Mercy Drive and Parramore Kidz Zone. Kaylee told us she looks forward to one day becoming one of the officers in this program.

“We all have a great time together, just hanging out, laughing, playing games, snacking, everything,” she said.

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