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Linda's Coaching Tips

We all know that how we are training and the coaching that you are receiving is on the right track. It now comes down to how much you want to become better, what you want to achieve. Ultimately though it is about individual growth and teamwork. So, here are some reminders of what we have been learning and how to improve on what we are doing.To enhance paddling skills, it is essential to comprehend the integration of body mechanics, blade mechanics, and stroke mechanics. This understanding is cru...

Previvor Feedback

Understanding Community Perspectives.  Following our recent webinars exploring whether previvors should be included within the Breast Cancer Paddler (BCP) category—and whether this topic should be brought forward for discussion at the next IBCPC Congress—we have been deeply moved by the thoughtful, candid, and generous feedback shared by our national representatives, regional coordinators and the wider community of breast cancer paddlers.  Many shared this informatio...

Croatia's Story

A New Era of Strength, Sisterhood, and Global PresenceDragonboat Klub Zadar has come a long way since its formation, transforming from a small group of brave beginners into a vibrant, confident, and internationally connected BCS team. What began in 2022 as a bold idea has now become one of Croatia’s most uplifting stories of resilience, teamwork, and community.Today, the team stands proudly as Croatia’s first and pioneering BCS dragon boat club, continuing to grow in both numbers and spirit....

IBCPC Festival Update

The 2026 IBCPC Participatory Dragon Boat Festival will take place from August 24 to August 30, 2026, in Aix-les-Bains, France, on the shores of Lake Bourget. The Congress part of the festival is specifically to be held in the Cinema Complex, Aix les Bains on the 27th August 2026.The IBCPC 2023 Constitution/By Laws can be found on the IBCPC website under documents/governance. The updates that were voted on at the 2023 Congress were added to be current from May 1st, 2023. For transparency and refe...

Lymph Nodes Article

Respectfully reviewed by Meri Gibson.  I read this article with great interest as removal of lymph nodes can be very polarising or, in some cases, thought to be lifesaving. Below is my Executive Summary of this article:Traditional Practice vs. Emerging Evidence: Lymph node removal during cancer surgery has long been standard for staging and preventing metastasis. However, new research shows lymph nodes actively support immune responses, challenging the assumption that their removal is ...

From the President's Desk

Greetings everyone,I am absolutely delighted to share just how positively our refreshed newsletter has been received. Our latest edition achieved a 63% open rate—an extraordinary result compared with the typical 20–30% engagement for newsletters like this. This tells us something important: you are listening, you are engaged, and you value staying connected. Thank you for that.As many of you will notice, this edition contains a substantial amount of information, particularly r...

Pink Phoenix

First BCP Team in the United States Celebrates 30 Season.  Submitted by Meg Kilmer, 2026 President, Pink Phoenix Dragon Boat TeamIn 1997, our founders chose a name that symbolized hope: the pink ribbon of breast cancer awareness and the phoenix rising from the ashes. As Pink Phoenix begins our 30th season on the Willamette River, our hope is renewed and we recommit to our mission - to empower breast cancer survivors through the sport of dragon boating.We aren’t just celebrating at ho...

Breast Cancer Recurrence

Submitted by Meri Gibson.  Ongoing research is unlocking new ways to understand and prevent breast cancer recurrence. Here is a powerful glimpse into groundbreaking findings that could reshape survivorship care. Below is a summary of an article that I read in Science Pulse, it makes for remarkably interesting and exciting research reading. The article itself follows my summary.5-Point SummaryBreast cancer recurrence risk can reach 30% due to dormant tumour cells that evade standard tre...

Boobops Team Story

The Boobops Dragon Boat Team, proudly representing the Bay of Plenty, is celebrating one of its strongest and most inspiring seasons yet. As they prepare for the National Championships at Lake Karāpiro in Cambridge, the team continues to embody the determination, inclusiveness, and unwavering spirit that have made them one of New Zealand’s most respected women’s dragon boat teams.This season has highlighted the Boobops at their finest. Their training programme—rooted in commitment, discip...

Meri's Coaching Tips

Getting back on the waterAs the weather warms up and we start on water sessions again before the paddling season kicks off, there is an undeniable sense of excitement. We are all eager to hit the water, feel the paddle in our hands, and get back into paddling.However, after a winter off or a break from structured training, it's important to understand that jumping back in without proper preparation can lead to setbacks. While it may seem tempting to dive right into long sessions, it is essential...

From the President's Desk

Greetings everyone,As we reach the close of what has been a rather underwhelming New Zealand summer, today feels like a gift. The sun is finally out, the sky is clear, and I’m writing this message to you on a truly beautiful day. It feels like the perfect moment to share some exciting updates.Over the past few months, we’ve taken a close look at how we communicate with you—especially through our newsletter. Thank you to everyone who took part in our recent survey. Your feedback was honest,...

Festival Update

Festivals, festivals and even more festivals! And the biggest one for us is now racing toward us faster than ever. When we first set the date for France 2026, it felt impossibly far away—as though it would never actually arrive. But here we are… counting down the final months, and suddenly it’s all becoming real.The anticipation is building. The nerves. The planning. The endless checklists.Is my uniform ready? Do I have all my gear? Are my tickets sorted? Is the budget on track? What am I ...

IBCPC Values Statement

As part of our ongoing reflection on who we are and what we stand for, we conducted an unscientific piece of research asking you “what values are important to you” and invited our members to share the values that matter most to them within the IBCPC community. Your thoughtful contributions shaped the development of this values statement below which we believe truly reflects your collective voice and the meaningful role IBCPC plays in your lives.1. ConnectionWe are united by movement and str...

IBCPC Merchandise

Submitted by Meri Gibson, IBCPC Global President.  IBCPC is thrilled to announce our merchandise partnership with Regatta Sport.Regatta Sport Is a Canadian company who manufacture their merchandise in Canada. They will be well known to many of you, particularly in the northern hemisphere, as they have produced clothing merchandise for the USA national team, the Canadian national team, and were also the merchandise partner at the recent IDBF world championships in Brandenburg Germany.&n...

Editor's Report

Submitted by Louise Granahan.  Yesterday, I took part in a ritual performed by Canadians from coast to coast.  I switched over my clothes.  Summer clothes went into storage in the basement, and the winter gear moved upstairs.  I said a fond farewell to my paddling clothes until April, when they will once again resurface. With the change of the clocks, darkness has descended again, and I must now think of something else to do to take the place of paddling, just as te...

Busting Out Ottawa

Submitted by Jennifer Greene.  From paddles to petals, our team made waves on land! Busting Out paddlers surprised teammate Nikki Bedard with a wedding-day paddle arch that turned heads in downtown Ottawa.On Saturday, September 20, 2025, in downtown Ottawa, 25 members of the Busting Out Ottawa Dragon Boat Club gathered outside the Lord Elgin hotel to create a stunning paddle arch in celebration of teammate Nikki Bedard’s wedding at the National Arts Centre across the street. The...

Indy SurviveOars Pink Paddle Party

Yee-Haw! The Indy SurviveOars held their annual Gala fundraiser known as the Pink Paddle Party on October 17, 2025. This year’s theme was Saddle Up & Give Cancer the Boot! Over 260 sponsors, donors and guests brought out their cowboy hats and fancy boots for a rustic and fun evening of dinner, line dancing, exciting silent and live auctions, delicious dessert dash and a chance to win $1000 worth in gift cards all to celebrate and raise funds for the Indy SurviveOars dragon boat team from I...

Dragons Abreast Australia

Submitted by Sharon Cooper, Board Member, Dragons Abreast Australia (DAA).   The pink paddles were out in full force at the Australian Masters Games in Canberra from 18th – 20th October 2025, with Dragons Abreast Australia (DAA) members coming together from across Australia to race, connect, and celebrate everything that makes our community so special. The banks of Lake Burley Griffin was the perfect setting for   the breast cancer paddlers to enjoy three days of conne...

Doha Wireless Warriors

The Doha Wireless Warriors started 12 years ago in Doha, Qatar after its founder, Sandee Thompson, was recovering from a bilateral mastectomy for a recurrence of breast cancer. What started as a once weekly paddle of survivors and supporters in a rented boat soon turned into three and sometimes seven days a week worth of sessions in our own two boats… Accidentally…. inadvertently….we’ve become a force to be reckoned with in our community. We do a lot of awareness-building workshops and t...

IDBF World Championships

Submitted by Meri Gibson.  Following the success of the inclusion of the breast cancer paddler category in the IDBF world Championships in Brandenberg, Germany this year, we assessed the ruling we introduced into the IDBF Rules of racing. We felt it would be pertinent to slightly change the wording so that it removed the need to have an annual diagnosis because as we know it is not a disease that ever goes away, it is a diagnosis for life. We also wanted to remove the need to confirm a...

Continents Collaborating

Submitted by JoAnn Moore, IBCPC Southeast USA Representative.  We caught a rare glimpse of three of our IBCPC Representatives, JoAnn Moore of North America, Wendy Grose of Northern Europe, and Orit Ziv-Ackerman of Southeast Asia brainstorming at the Cyprus International Dragon Boat Regatta, October 11-12, 2025...

Global Health Award!

Submitted by Meri Gibson, IBCPC Global President.  I am deeply honoured and surprised to have been given this recognition. Whilst it is me that is being honoured it is a global effort from everyone that this recognition has come about. Our story is spreading so quickly around the globe and it is super exciting to be part of this adventure every single day. “ EXERCISE IS MEDICINE.” ...

Letter to IDBF re Festival Timing

An open letter to the IDBF regarding concerns about the timing of the Club Crew World Championships in 2026.This overlaps with the dates of our 2026 IBCPC Participatory Dragon Boat Festival and poses significant challenges for our members.Please download below to read:...

Countries Going to IBCPC France 2026

Submitted by Meri Gibson, IBCPC Global President.  Some of you have been asking which countries and the names of teams that are attending the festival in 2026. As some teams are still reshuffling their numbers and team names and with the dates announced for the IDBF club crew world championships there has been some further movement of team numbers. We did not want to publish the team names just yet until that is totally finalised, however we are very happy to share with you the countri...

Congratulations

Submitted by Meri Gibson, IBCPC Global President.  The board of IBCPC wishes to congratulate IDBF President Claudio Schermi on his election to the board of AIMS. This is a four year term and we are sure that in his term Claudio will be campaigning for the inclusion of Dragon boating as an Olympic sport. IDBF NEWS RELEASE:IDBF President Claudio Schermi Elected to AIMS Council for a Four-Year TermOctober 30, 2025News Release (#2025-14)Lausanne, Switzerland – 27 October 2025. The A...