Back to Blog

From the Desk of the Editor

Submitted by Louise GranahanAs I write this from Canada’s frozen north, it is frustrating to know that it will be many more months before I can get back on the water. In the meantime, I lift weights, do cardio and make plans for France!As your Communications Director, I am responsible for updating the Facebook page, responding to correspondence, editing the newsletter and attending regular IBCPC Board of Directors meetings. The Board meets about once a month. Lately, we have also been working ...

Chemo Savvy

Submitted by Brenda Millan (Chemo Savvy)Celebrating off the Water2023 was a very busy year for Chemo Savvy. We had a much-awaited clinic with Kamini Jain in the spring. Two local festivals (in Winnipeg), a bus trip to Bemidji, Minnesota (got to hang out with a wonderful local BCS team), and a pre-pandemic planned trip to Montreal for the Quebec Cup.As a team we like to party and are known for our dance parties (even on zoom if necessary). This December we got together to celebrate the holidays a...

New Constellation

Submitted by Mariana Fernandez Semhan and Mathilda YahniSaben una cosa, cuando miro al agua, automáticamente miro al cielo y me pregunto: ¿el cielo quiere ostentar una nueva constelación al agua o el agua se ondula insistente para llamar la atención del cielo? Cielo, agua, agua, cielo.Como sea, en este ritual entre el agua y el cielo existe un lugar sagrado. Una constelación perdida sin nombre. Un lugar festivo y caudaloso. Un sitio bullicioso custodiado por un dragón, donde se reúnen un ...

Hurricane Paradragons

Submitted by Wendy GroseNew team on view from your flight to London!Introducing the Hurricane Paragons DBC from Staines, London a couple of miles south of Heathrow airport.We are a newish team that paddle at Silver Lakes under the flight path of Heathrow airport, our training often gets interrupted as we can’t hear our coach from the noise of the planes taking off from the airport. The lovely lake is owned by British Airways and we have the benefits of a lovely club house where we have club su...

Pink Phoenix Portland

Submitted by Adele Honeyman, Health & Fitness ChairPre-season Fitness Challenge - Pink Phoenix Portland, Oregon USAPink Phoenix Portland Oregon USA has created a simple pre-season Fitness Challenge to encourage the team to get motivated and increase fitness levels and strength in preparation for the upcoming season.Fitness Challenge Goal: Workout for 30 minutes, 3-5 times per week, over a 6-week period.Team members are encouraged to get into the gym or at home and do a workout, which could i...

Dragons Abreast Tasmania Hobart

Written and submitted by Sonja Preston, member of DATHFun, Fitness and Friendship in Tasmania, AustraliaDragons Abreast Tasmania Hobart (DATH) was the first dragon boating club in Tasmania. Now there are seven clubs.  Tasmania is a small island with a big heart, 455km off the south east coast of Australia.We’ve come a long way in the past 21 years from when a small group of breast cancer survivors decided to start a club. For the first 12 months (while waiting to get a boat) they practise...

President's Report

Submitted by Meri GibsonWell, it has been another amazing three months since our last newsletter.We are lucky in New Zealand now as we right in the heart of the dragon boat season and everybody has some great regattas to attend. I have through injury been ordered by my surgeon completely out for the season, but I am living my life for vicariously by going to as many events as I can to cheer on my team and other teams.I was fortunate enough to go to Hawkes Bay to see the beautiful new boat “Kah...

14th IDBF CCWC 2024

The International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) and the Italian Dragon Boat Federation (FIDB), cordially invite all crews from clubs affiliated to IDBF Members to participate in the 14th IDBF Club Crew World Championships (CCWC) in Ravenna, Italy from the 3rd to the 8th of September 2024. Key dates:IDBF registration system opens - 15 January 2024Provisional entries close - 18 February 2024 Confirmed entries close - 18 May 2024Final team names submission - 30 June 2024...

Chile

Submitted by Paula FariasIn Chile we have worked tirelessly to achieve our dreams.  Today we have 16 teams that have started with almost nothing, only the desire to rehabilitate ourselves by practicing this sport.One of the dreams we had for years with the founder of the pink movement in Chile, Monica Hernandez, was the realization of a Dragon Boat Festival, where we could bring together the ancient Chinese traditions with our sporting activities.Our love and commitment for what we do is be...

Dragon Strong

Respectfully submitted by Ellen Jacobs, DCD Group Fitness InstructorThe Derby City Dragons staying Dragon Strong during the off-seasonLouisville, Kentucky’s Derby City Dragons are staying Dragon Strong during the off-season with workouts available via zoom and in-person at several community partner venues including Gilda’s Club, The Thrive Center, Anchorage Presbyterian Church and when the weather permits, the Louisville Community boathouse.Our team has 3 certified fitness instructors. Ellen...

Manchester Dragoneers

Submitted by Karen Birch...

Prince Salty

Submitted by: Heike Auel, Ladybugs GermanyLadybugs Germany: A pink tractor to support early diagnosis of breast cancerThe Ladybugs have celebrated a very special ‘pink’ event. And when I say ‘special’, that’s saying something, because … the Ladybugs, a German pink paddling team located near Dortmund, have already achieved a lot of special things. One of it: Publishing, "Are you ready? Attention! Go!", a book about pink paddling and the Ladybugs.This time, just a few days before Chris...

Dragonesse Avigliana

Submitted by Paola Zaccagni“It always seems impossible until it is realized”. This has been our motto during these months of non-stopping work to prepare for our Tenth Anniversary.Finally, our dream took place on October 6th, 7th and 8th, 2023. “The Dragonesse Avigliana” gave life to a fantastic pink party to celebrate their tenth anniversary.Many friends came from everywhere in Italy. People from Sardegna, Lazio, Veneto, and Lombardia regions, joined us to celebrate.Many people who beli...

Ireland News

The Irish dragon boat community was delighted to welcome its newest club, Ballina Dragon Boat Club: Meitheal Abhainn (River Community) was established on May 8th, 2023. Denise Swanick formed a Meitheal to set up the club in a way that is accessible to all. The people of Ballina showed friendship, kindness and generosity in helping to make her vision a reality.We are a novice crew but we are determined to accept and enjoy the challenges and learn the skills of paddling, helming and reading the ...

Dragonheart Vermont Sisters

Submitted by Linda Dyer, Dragonheart Vermont Sisterslindadyer@rocketmail.comThe Dragonheart Vermont Sisters hail from the Northeastern United States. It is a beautiful land of green mountains and deciduous trees that put on a colorful show each fall. People have taken notice of the Sisters’ affinity toward sunflowers. We confess. The Dragonheart VT Sisters LOVE sunflowers!!It all began very organically years ago. Our Dragonheart Vermont club annually hosts the Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festiv...

Brasil Remama

Submitted by Ivanir FerreiraJournalist and volunteer for the Remama Program(English translation follows below)Outubro Rosa brasileiro: evento comemorou 10 anos de atividade e apresentou pesquisas inéditas sobre a importância do exercício físico durante e após o tratamento do câncer de mama.Em outubro, o Programa Remama -SP/Brasil comemorou em alto estilo seus dez anos de atividade, de promoção à vida, conscientização, prevenção e diagnóstico precoce do câncer de mama. Nos dias 06 ...

Dragons Abreast Australia

25th AnniversaryDragons Abreast Australia has turned Breast Cancer Survivors into Breast Cancer thrivers for the past 25 years! The Australian network for Breast Cancer Survivor Dragon Boat paddling is going from strength to strength- just like its members. The power of positivity, optimism, adventure and tenacity are very evident when our groups from all over Australia come together to paddle alongside each other, racing against Breast Cancer.Over the weekend from Friday 29th September to Sunda...

Rosa dos Ventos celebrates 3rd Anniversary

Submitted by by: Lucy Mary R. KuntzOn October 15th, 2023, we organized a very important and special event in Londrina City, Paraná State, Brazil to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the Rosa dos Ventos (Wind Rose) team. In addition to that, we worked to spread awareness of the importance of breast cancer prevention and participating in sports after breast cancer treatment.Rosa dos Ventos members, in partnership with another team in Londrina called MamaMestra Movement, planned and organized this...

Dragons of Hope, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Submitted by Mary-Jean CormierFor Thunder Bay's Dragons of Hope, 'hope' truly is the key. As breast cancer survivor dragon boat teams, we all live in 'hope' that we will live another day, week, month or year, and of course, paddle another race. But in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, it's definitely a good thing that ‘hope’ seems to spring eternal.To start the Dragons of Hope season, the team has to 'hope' for an early thaw so they can start training by the end of May. They 'hope' each winter t...

EDBF European Championships 2023

Report from GermanySome news from Germany about the 19th ECCC in Ravenna, Italy. Two German teams met to compete with teams from all over Europe in the European Club Crew Championships in September. The Küsten Pinkies from Wilhelmshaven chose to charter a bus and drive South for about 20 hours including an unforeseen stopover in Ulm to have their bus fixed. This method of transportation made it possible to not only bring everyones´ paddles, but also the film crew who accompanied the team on it...

AmaBelles, Cape Town, South Africa

Submitted by Eileen van HeldenIn the good old, bad old days of the sailing ships and the spice island trade between Europe and the lands around the Indian Ocean, Cape Town was known as “the Tavern of the Seas” because everyone making the long journey round the tip of Africa would stop here for some R&R.This year we have seen something like this happening when several members of our worldwide sisterhood of BCS paddlers have contacted our team when they knew they were going to visit Cape T...

Sex & Intimacy After Cancer

ABC South West Victoria, AustraliaBy Jean BellWhen Wilma La Greca and John Molinia tried to find sex and intimacy after cancer they say it took some experimentation, an understanding of each other and a change of mindset.The couple has been together for more than a decade. During that time, Mr Molinia had prostate cancer and Hodgkin's lymphoma, while Ms La Greca beat breast cancer."You have to experiment together. It's scary at the start because it's a bit weird and it's not your normal," Ms La ...

Dragon Boat Terminology

...

Dragon Boat Training Ruegen Germany

Ruegen/Germany, September 30 through October 02, 2023Submitted by Itti from Pink Patrol Bochum and Bianca from Pink Paddler DuerenOctober means PinktoberSo again, 55 paddlers from various German cities (Bochum, Datteln, Dueren, Hamburg, Hameln, Kassel, Luenen, Witten, and Wolfsburg) met in Dranske on the German island of Ruegen in the Baltic Sea for a training weekend. It was not only to raise awareness about breast cancer but to continue fighting against this disease in a sporting and entertain...

Dragons Abreast Canberra

Dragons Abreast Canberra has an annual event where they paddle from Grevilea Park where our boats are kept and where the new clubhouse for Dragon Boat ACT is currently under construction, to further down the lake, Lake Burley Griffin, to have a lovely wander through the flowers of Floriade. This annual event in Canberra wasn’t planted during Covid, so it’s great to see it back.I’m not able to paddle at the moment so I was able to meet up with everyone where they moored the boat so that I c...