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Tashlich Ceremony

Submitted by Matilde YahniRosas del PlataBuenos Aires, ArgentinaThe Nordelta Synagogue, Judaica Norte invited the Rosas del Plata team to participate in the Tashlich ceremony. This was a very special and significant gesture for our team of paddlers of life.This ceremony is a unique opportunity to connect spiritually, reflect on the year that has passed, and renew your spirit for the new year.The Tashlich ceremony is a beautiful ritual that symbolizes leaving behind the bad moments of the past an...

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...

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...

Dragon Boat Terminology

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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 ...

On the Water

By Katherine PeckaOn the WaterOn the dock, there are no sick people.Only paddlers.There are no weak sisters.Only athletes.On the dock, disease is left behind.Waving goodbye as the boat pulls away,Losing its hold meter by meter.In the boat, there is no pain.Only determination.There is no pity.Only encouragement.Bald heads covered with kerchiefs and caps.Scars covered by spandex and bravado,Fear banished by strength.In our hearts, there is no question.Only commitment.There is no looking back.Only ...

DA Melbourne Pink Phoenix

We were thrilled to initiate and conduct Australia’s first-ever Breast Cancer Network Australia PLAY4BCNA Dragons Abreast Pink Sports Day fundraiser on Sat. Sep. 23, 2023. https://pinksportsday.bcna.org.auOur sister clubs DA Gippsland, DA Geelong and DA Bendigo also joined us that weekend to raise funds to support the work of the fantastic BCNA, Australia’s leading breast cancer consumer organisation, working tirelessly to ensure that all Australians who are affected by breast cancer receive...

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...

Colombia 5th Anniversary

The Breast Cancer Survivors Dragon Boat Colombia Foundation celebrated its 5th anniversary on October 7th, 2023, under its motto: "Paddling for life, together, in the same direction" (¨Remando juntos por la vida, en la misma direccion¨).This event celebrated the lives of the women who, over the past five years, have preserved and advanced the legacy of its founder and eternal captain, the late Catalina Palacio Livingston. It was also a tribute to her memory and to her bold vision: to make a ho...

One Pink Pamphlet

Submitted by Anna WintersIt was 2018 and I was sitting waiting for my new lymphedema sleeve to be fitted. I had been recovering from chemotherapy, a mastectomy, followed by radiation and then Diep Flap Reconstruction. At this time, I could barely lift my arm and due to complications from reconstructive surgery I was sort of a mess. I do believe I still had drains in when I sat down and noticed the pink pamphlet on the side table.In bold letters it said “CVI A BREAST OF LIFE DRAGONBOAT TEAM REC...

19th EDBF ECCC of Ravenna

Submitted by Lucia De Ranieri, IBCPC Vice PresidentSince I was appointed as a member of the EDBF Women in Sport Commission, I have been working closely with Paola Pochesci, chairperson of this Commission, and also with EDBF President Schermi, in order to strengthen the collaboration between the IBCPC and EDBF, seeking to promote an interconnection between the two organizations, and contribute to the empowerment of women and gender equality.The 19th EDBF European Club Crew Championship in Ravenna...

WonderBroads

Submitted by SandiThe WonderBroads had a wonderful, successful season celebrating their 20th Anniversary this year. We kicked off the year with an anniversary banquet attended by supporters, sponsors, family and friends.We welcomed new paddlers this season and after participating in races and proudly winning 4 medals, our newbies are hooked on dragon boating!We competed strong this year and ended making a difference in fighting this disease by standing for a cure and better treatments for prolon...

Anastasia Walsh’s Story

Written by Emma Russell, Multimedia Journalist, New Zealand Herald.Anastasia Walsh never expected to be looking death in the eye at age 23.Yet, three months after giving birth to her giggly daughter Esmae, the Martinborough mum was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer."We have been in and out of hospital more times than I care to remember. But I will not let it take life away from me," Walsh told the Herald on Sunday.Now 24, she shared her story as part of October's Breast Cancer Awareness Mon...

From Melissa Adams

From Melissa Adams, Coach: Phoenix Desert Dragons, Arizona, USA.For the first time in history, the 16th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Thailand included the Para dragon’s division. Para dragons include athletes with some form of physical, psychological, neurological, sensory, developmental, or intellectual impairment. Teams represented in this division were from Canada, India, Philippines, and the United States. To say that it was humbling would be an understatement, I was trul...

From the Desk of the President

Meri Gibson, IBCPC Global President.As I write this letter the winter is coming to an end in the southern hemisphere and the summer is coming to an end in the northern hemisphere as we both head towards either spring or fall. The weather has been crazy wherever you are, extreme heat and extreme cold. Let’s hope it is more settled as we roll on into our respective seasons.I have just returned from the IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Pattaya, Thailand what a fantastic adventure th...

What it is to be a Breast Cancer Dragon Boater

AnonPicture this: You're at a Dragon Boat competition, sizing up your opponents, and silently predicting your chances of victory. But during this intense atmosphere, there's a team that might catch you off guard. They're a group of women, ranging in age from 35 to 80, all pretty and dressed in a lot of pink, but not to be underestimated. Who are they? Well, they're the breast cancer dragon boat teams, and they're here to prove that they're forces to be reckoned with.At first glance, you might mi...

What Surviving Cancer Taught Me

Dr Liz O’Riordan: "I’m a breast cancer surgeon – this is what surviving cancer myself taught me" Daily Telegraph UKBy Rosamund DeanAs a breast surgeon, Dr Liz O’Riordan is well acquainted with worst-case scenarios. So, when she discovered a lump on her breast in 2010, her initial reaction was terror. “I remember howling on the sofa: ‘I’ll be dead in a year,’” she says. “I thought it was the end of the world.” To her relief, the lump was a benign cyst. In 2014, she noticed a...

Waves of Hope

Waves Of Hope had an official ribbon cutting for our sign at Minnedosa Lake in Minnedosa, Manitoba where we practice.We are sure we have the biggest pink sign around. SSome gals travel 2 hours to practice.We hope this will catch everyone’s eye and aid in our recruitment efforts!!!...

News from Sistership, Canada

To celebrate our 25th Anniversary of paddling after breast cancer we launched a TikTok channel and a LinkedIn page.http://www.linkedin.com/in/sistership-dragonboat-assosciation-25-years-stronghttps://www.tiktok.com/@sistershipdbI am a rookie paddler, just fresh from my journey with cancer and I can say that paddling with this team in this sport has changed my life. It keeps healing. We are fierce and we have a fabulous message.Take good care,Paddles Up!Hope to hear from you!JenNews from Sistersh...

Reach for Recovery (Australia)

There are many organisations that support breast cancer survivors. This is one of them and may be of interest to people.I am the President of Reach to Recovery International (RRI), which serves as an umbrella organisation for other organisations and individuals working in their own countries and communities to improve the quality of life of individuals affected by breast cancer including families. We do this through peer support, advocacy, and peer navigation.We have members throughout the world...

Updates from Around the Globe

News from CanadaCanadian Dragon Boat Championships - July 20-24, 2023, Welland, Ontario, Canada.IBCPC Board Member and Rowbust Team Captain Perspective - Linda KuskaI first must CONGRATULATE all the BCS teams who came to the 2023 Canadian Dragon Boat Championships! It was a very exciting few days of racing and for many of you, the first time competing at Nationals!BCS Standard Boat Division:Canal Dragons Hope Floats - Welland, OntarioDragons Abreast - Toronto, OntarioH2O Seincr'eau - Montreal, Q...

Updates from Brazil

The “Encontro Estadual de Remadoras Rosa do Paraná”, which took place on April 13, 14 and 15, 2023, in Curitiba city, only became possible and viable due to the commitment and responsibility of the leader’s team of the ROSA DOS VENTOS (Londrina city), FLOR DE LOTUS (Foz do Iguaçu citu) and CANOHÁ (Curitiba city).The teams from the state of Paraná met in advance, virtually, and made a commitment to hold this event, with the following objective: to build a solid foundation for training D...

Angels Abreast

The Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival 2023 celebrated its 20th anniversary of the festival where the Angels Abreast team was integral in the beginning of the Nanaimo Festival.We hosted a Friday night dinner for all the Survivor teams with food, music, and dancing! One special event at the dinner is to celebrate first year survivors and every year after, circling around the years of survival with many tears and feeling of sisterhood.The Survivor Challenge took place on Saturday where all survivors rac...

News from the WonderBroads

The WonderBroads of Windsor and Essex County celebrated their 20-year anniversary with a party on July 8th.All team members, supporters and contributors to the team were invited to join in the festivities.We had our dragon boat at the site and started by having some of our new members and our Coach dot the eyes of the dragon.Our Assistant Coach and a founding member, Peggy Hurley, along with a few other founding members spoke about our early beginnings and our 20-year journey as a team.We rememb...

Updates from Europe

Go Europe Pink Dragons 1st edition or: Teamwork to make a (COVID) dream come true.Let´s go back in time… Don´t we all remember the year 2020 when many countries didn't allow meeting in person due to the pandemic? When people were restricted to staying at home? These times of lockdown were the beginning of a dream, and this dream has become reality 3 years later with a composite team of pink paddlers united from various European teams supported by some pink friends from Israel and the US.When...