any dragon boaters out there?

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stronglady
stronglady Member Posts: 130
edited June 2014 in Working on Your Fitness

Hi, ladies.

I'm on a Washington, DC area dragon boat team composed of breast cancer survivors.  I was wondering if anyone else out there is on a team.

-Leslie

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  • Fleurdelis
    Fleurdelis Member Posts: 24
    edited September 2007

    I'm a member of a new BC survivor dragon boat team in Miami-- SOS (Save Our Sisters).  We've only participated in one festival and survivor race so far, against two Canadian teams at the Miami Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival last May.  Below is a picture from the finish of our BCS division race:

    We have another festival coming up in 3 weeks, the South Florida Dragon Boat Festival on Oct. 13, 2007.  What's the name of your team?  How long have you been at it?  Do you travel for races?

    There are lots of BC survivor dragon boat teams, both in the US and abroad.  Below are websites from a few of them:

    http://www.pinkphoenix.org/

    http://breastsahoy.abcn.ca/

    http://www.dragonsabreast.com.au/

    http://www.dragonheartvermont.org/

    http://www.geocities.com/machesticdragons/

    http://www.wonderbroads.org/

    Our team is hoping to get organized in the next year to travel to some events.  Do you have a festival in DC?  If so, when is it?  Maybe we can race!    Fleur

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  • stronglady
    stronglady Member Posts: 130
    edited September 2007

    Hi, Fleurdelis-

    I'm a member of GoPink!DC, Washington DC's BCS breast cancer dragon boat team.  It's our second year, and we can now pretty much fill a boat!  We got the gold in the 200m in Princeton NJ this last weekend, so we're feeling pretty good - it was the first race in which we didn't have to fill the boat in with people from other teams. And for a few members of the team, it was their first race.

    We do travel - this year, to Burlington Vermont (Dragonheart puts on a FABULOUS event for survivors), and twice to Princeton NJ (once for Paddle for Pink, once for this last weekend's Great White North festival).  Many of us have also been to GWN's spring camp in Florida - do you folks attend that camp?

    DC has an annual festival the end of May, and we're hoping to build up the BCS division. We'd love to see you!

    Feel free to PM me if you want.

    -Leslie

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  • althea
    althea Member Posts: 1,595
    edited September 2007

    I used to live in Portland, Oregon, and I was on a dragon boat team years ago.  My team really sucked, but I really didn't care.  I just loved getting on the Willamette River and paddling. 

    I am encouraged that there's teams of bc survivors on dragon boat teams.  Just curious, are there no problems with lymphedema flaring up with all that strain on arms? 

    Do you know if there's a team in south Texas?   

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  • Fleurdelis
    Fleurdelis Member Posts: 24
    edited September 2007

    Leslie - Glad to hear GoPink!DC is going strong.  Unfortunately, my team (SOS) is still new and in the "struggling to fill the boat" phase.  We have enough women if we could manage to get everyone to show up at the same time, but thus far we have not had much success with that.  We just got some new team shirts, paddles and PFDs, and we plan to participate in a local festival in 3 weeks, so hopefully that'll jump start our participation.

    Althea - I don't know any members of the survivor team(s) in S. Texas, but the Texas Dragon Boat Festival in October is planning to devote an entire day to BCS teams.  Check out: http://www.texasdragonboat.com/ for more information.

    Here's some info to answer your question about lymphedema:

    In the past, medical advice has suggested restricting activities that involve strenuous upper body use or repetitive arm motions because of the risk of developing Lymphedema. This advice usually meant drastically changing the lifestyles of many women.  To test this long held medical belief, Dr. Don McKenzie, a University of British Columbia sports medicine physician began an ongoing clinical study in 1995, using the sport of dragon boating as his case study. Dragon boating requires strenuous repetitive upper body motion; it provides the opportunity to work with a large group of women at o­ne time; and, the ALCAN dragon boat festival in Vancouver, o­ne of the largest festivals in North America, provided an opportunity to visibly demonstrate the result of the study. Twenty-five volunteers of different ages and fitness levels participated in a program of progressive weight training and aerobic exercise program and then began a graduated paddling program. This approach was designed to avoid the sprains and strain of unaccustomed exercise and the potential problems of Lymphedema. The women who participated in this hallmark study reported no new cases of Lymphedema and no increase of symptoms for those with pre-existing Lymphedema.

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  • althea
    althea Member Posts: 1,595
    edited September 2007

    Thank you fleur for the link to some texas dragon boaters.  I'm a 4-hour drive from houston, but I'm so glad to hear they have a team. 

    I'm even MORE glad to hear that our bc sisters are not developing lymphedema from dragon boating!!!!  It's been a concern for me.  I live alone and take care of my yard myself.  It's sort of a jungle out there, and I always say a silent prayer that I won't get lymphedema from pruning my palm trees.  Now that I'm 2 years out from surgery, I think about it less, haven't had a problem with it, and now I feel encouraged that I'll remain free of LE. 

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  • stronglady
    stronglady Member Posts: 130
    edited September 2007

    People without lympedema can wear compression sleeves & gloves/gauntlets if they're worrying about developing lymphedema.  Several women on my team (including me) have lymphedema. Those of us with arm lymphedema wear our compression garments or bandages while paddling, as recommended by our lymphedema therapists, and have experienced no flares or worsening of symptoms. As I've said in the lymphedema forum (conversation?), I refuse to let lymphedema make me crazy or rule my life.  My dragon boat team has given me good friends, great exercise, new experiences, and a lot of fun -- well worth the time it takes me to bandage before I get in the boat!

    Fleurdelis - a lot of times, new teams who can't fill a boat yet can 'borrow' from other BCS teams at a festival who have extra paddlers.  So if you register for a festival, you can get in touch w/ the other teams to see if that would work.  At my first festival, there were women from three teams in the boat - it was fun getting to know each other. 

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  • evilelf
    evilelf Member Posts: 1,066
    edited October 2007

    Hi there, I received the magazine Women and Cancer a few weeks back, read the article about dragon boat racing,

    I checked the email site out, contacted Beverly in Atlanta on Thursday, On Sunday I drove to Gainesville GA,

    practiced for 2 1/2-3 hours then drove back home (3Hrs)

    THEN the next Saturday drove to Peachtree City GA for a RACE, there were 21 boats (one of which was WORLD GYM and all of their buff and brawn)

    WE WON, got the GOLD, a bunch of almost middle aged breast cancer survivors plus a couple of hubbys and kids thrown in for good luck 

    IT WAS AWESOME, EXHILERATING and FUN FUN FUN.

    Our season is over but we'll keep on practicing till it's too cold,

    then will resume in Feb for our race season in April

    peace out

    vera

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  • evilelf
    evilelf Member Posts: 1,066
    edited October 2007

    I posted out on moving beyond cancer our win.

    It's been a while since I've visited and everything has changed a little/lot

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  • Fleurdelis
    Fleurdelis Member Posts: 24
    edited October 2007

    My team just got cool new pink paddles, so we look good, even if we're still learning the sport.  Cool 

    Save Our Sisters

    We have a year and a half to get our act together because we just found out that the National Championship in the dragon boat BCS division will be in Miami in 2009, along with the dragon boat World Cup.  Maybe I'll get to meet you all then! 

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  • Fleurdelis
    Fleurdelis Member Posts: 24
    edited October 2007

    Well, now I have two dragon boat video clips to share.  Check out http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_288122552.html  and  http://video.ap.org/v/Legacy.aspx?partner=en-ap&g=1bfc82ea-8c72-4014-a3b7-9ae332d4a4ae&f=FLMIH&mk=en-ap   My dragon boat team has received a lot of local news coverage lately since it's breast cancer awareness month.  Paddles up!

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  • lucyemmons
    lucyemmons Member Posts: 43
    edited October 2007

    hey evilelf  i live in Alpharetta and go to Turning Poimt for PT    I know Beverly and the rest of the girls.  I'm glad to hear you come up for the Dragon Boat Festival.  I hope to join in the spring when i am stronger.   My surgery was in January and i still have problems so I am looking forward to spring.  Jan and Jill and all the girls at Turning Point tell me how much fun it is.   Hope to see you there next spring.

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  • stronglady
    stronglady Member Posts: 130
    edited October 2007

    So glad you folks are out on the water! Fleur- the video of your team made it around the BCS dragon boat team 'network' and I saw it that way.  Awesome!

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  • evilelf
    evilelf Member Posts: 1,066
    edited October 2007

    Hollyann, did they show you the utube finish???

    It was awesome and can't wait for you to join us,,,,

    we practiced yesterday and my whole body is sore but it's a good sore...

    I can't wait to meet you so I won't be the newbie anymore

    peace

    vera

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  • seasparrow
    seasparrow Member Posts: 7
    edited November 2007

    I'm a dragon boater want to be!  I don't have a team locally, but am working to find out how to get one started.  It's my new passion (obsession); it's all I talk about.  I've paddled once, and can't wait for a chance to do it again!

    SMobre

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  • yellowrose
    yellowrose Member Posts: 886
    edited September 2010

    Does anyone know if there is a dragon boat team in Central Texas or how to get info on team locations?

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited November 2007

    Hey, all you Dragon Boaters, isn't there some central listing where anyone interested can find out about local groups? Does "Abreast in a Boat" (is that the right name?!) have a listing somewhere?

    Help, help!

    Thanks,

    Binney 

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  • seasparrow
    seasparrow Member Posts: 7
    edited November 2007

    These are the sites I use:

    www.gwndragonboat.com

    www.usdbf.com

      

    www.dragon-boats.com

    I've gotten a lot of good information from them.

    And you really must read, How to Ride a Dragon by Michele Tocher.

    smobre

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited November 2007

    Thanks, smobre, that's a big help!

    Binney 

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  • maryannecb
    maryannecb Member Posts: 1,453
    edited November 2007

    I have been dragon boating for two years. It is awesome. We have women from 35-70 on our team, in various stages. My team alos serves as my local support.

    Check out our site. We will be hosting our second festival in July/08.

    Fists up!

    www.capebreastoners.ca

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  • maryannecb
    maryannecb Member Posts: 1,453
    edited November 2007

    Arrrrgh, just tried my link and the server is down...

    Fists up!

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  • evilelf
    evilelf Member Posts: 1,066
    edited November 2007

    Here's a site that you can log on to

    http://www.hopeafloatusa.org/links

    It's a blast and a great work out,,, you use your whole body and feel it the next couple of days...

    I love it~!~!~!

    Good luck to you

    Peace

     Vera

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