Back to Blog

Team Awards

Compiled by Louise Granahan.Does you team have an awards ceremony? Do you recognize teammates who make special contributions to your team at an end of year dinner?Here are some ideas for some serious and silly awards that you might want to hand out to say thank you to teammates and volunteers.Most SpiritedBest fundraiserBest AttitudeBest Practice Attendance AwardEnergizer Bunny (Most Energy)Best rookieIn Sync awardMost Heart for the SportCoach’s Award (good listening, shows a lot of passion)Mo...

Scams

Submitted by Louise Granaham.It is amazing to be able to use technology to follow races, communicate with teammates, get information about regattas, etc.  Sadly, scammers are also a part of technology.  During the New Zealand 2024 Festival, a number of bogus Facebook pages tried to use our feed and then connect with people who were unaware that this was not from the IBCPC. These scams have happened again at the most recent festival in Auckland and at Worlds in Thailand, so there i...

Official Statement

The International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission is a non-political, non-partisan organization.  As such, we will not make any political statements supporting or denouncing any political actions.  The IBCPC has a zero-tolerance policy with regards to racism, classism, ableism, ageism, sexism, trans and homophobia, religious intolerance or any actions that deny human rights to our members.  Any accusations levelled by a member against another member, or a member of the Board ...

Lagon Dragon Belfast

Submitted by Brenda Mulligan. We at Lagan Dragons have been fundraising this year by hosting Pre-Loved Clothes sales. We invited everyone along for a browse, a cuppa and a traybake. We would like to thank everyone who came along to support our fundraising events in Belfast on 23rd March and Lisburn on 20th April. Both events were hugely successful and we would like to thank everyone who donated clothes, baked delicious traybakes and to everyone who came along to replenish their wardrob...

President's Report

Greetings from a warm autumn day in Christchurch New Zealand. We are lucky that the weather is still holding and that dragon boat paddlers are still able to get out on the water in the sunshine. I had a wonderful day with coaching two crews on Saturday morning. The temperature was 3c at the start but by the time the second session had finished we were paddling in warm sunshine. My greatest delight is to be on the water, whether paddling or coaching.I am aware that as our season in the southern h...

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...

Manchester Dragoneers

Submitted by Karen Birch...

Pendragons Abreast, Perth

Submitted by Rose Glassock - Registered Psychologist on behalf of Pendragons Abreast, Penrith – Australia. Dragon boating is good for our mental health!         Positive Psychology can explain why ……Pendragons Abreast, were given the opportunity, as a part of Breast Cancer awareness month to speak at a local physiotherapy and health clinic about the benefits of dragon boating. As a psychologist I thought it would be interesting to discuss the be...

News from Croatia

Submitted by Dubravka Karlovic-Babic, BUBA, president and IBCPC Croatia National RepThe Croatian team (Dragonboat Klub Zadar DBKZ or as we call ourselves Zmajke) had its last water training on November 4th, 2023. Due to inclement sea conditions we decided to take our boats out of the lagoon where we paddle onto the dry land.Luckily, we have free access to the community gym thanks to the city of Zadar department for sports. Hence, we started our dryland /gym training at the beginning of November ...

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...

KC Dragon Boat Festival

In 2019, the KC Pink Warriors started up in Kansas and Missouri, where no other dragon boat teams existed and dragon boat racing was almost unknown. After watching BCP teams worldwide, Kansas City female cancer survivors gathered, trained and built a team with the promise of a sport and community that would transform their lives. Five years later, with 15 festivals under our belt, we are ready to welcome the dragon boat world to Kansas City!GWN and the KC Pink Warriors are proud to present the 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...

Kit Mitsuoka

Twenty years after her breast cancer diagnosis, Kit Mitsuoka is paddling strong, and inspiring others to experience the power of the dragon…including her granddaughter Kailey!“Dragon boating is therapy for me,” said Kit. After her breast cancer diagnosis in 2003, Kit had 20 nodes removed; her arm was always sore, to the point she sometimes couldn’t lift a coffee cup. Then in 2008, her neighbor in Morro Bay, California, Jeanne L’Amoreaux, invited her to paddle with a new dragon boat tea...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

Pink Dragon Ladies, Tampa Bay

Submitted by Liz O’ConnellThe Pink Dragon Ladies® Celebrate 20 Years of Support Through Sport!Tampa Bay’s Pink Dragon Ladies® are marking their 20th anniversary in 2024! As the first cancer survivor team in Florida, they also celebrate the birth of BCP and ACP dragon boat racing in the state. The Pinks have watched the ripple effect as they share what they’ve learned and see new teams sprout up and then inspire other new teams.The team has good reason to celebrate – according to the IB...

Catch-22 Ospreys

Submitted by Paula ZellarsThe Catch-22 Ospreys breast cancer team, located in Vancouver, Washington, recently came together for a lovely French repas-partage as they excitedly began preparing for the IBCPC regatta in Aix-les-Bains.The dinner was held in the lovely home of one of our teammates with the host and hostess looking very chic in their berets.  The atmosphere was quite French with swags of the French triclore on the windows and blue, white, and red napkins and plates in addition to...

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...

Auckland Anniversary Day

Submitted by Katherine Waller Monday, January 29th, 2024, the Auckland Viaduct basin came alive with the vibrant sights and sounds of dragon boat racing as part of the 184th Oceanbridge Auckland Anniversary Day regatta celebrations. There was a lot of excitement being able to get on the water for this event due to the last 3 years being canceled due to Covid and the horrendous weather bomb that hit us last year causing devastating flooding across the city and wider areas.Cindy, one of our m...

News from Ireland

Words by Clodagh Flynn and Marion EganA composite team with members from Medb’s Dragon Warriors, Gráine Mhaol Dragons and Nore Dragon Paddlers were on their first adventure of 2024 at the Snow Dragon Festival in France recently. The event involves paddling a 12 crew DB on skis down a slope and across the flat to the finish line. A prestigious event with the President of the IDBF, Chinese Ambassador to France, Sylvain Munier of Dragon Boat Attitude and other dignitaries taking part in the open...

France Bulletin #2

...