EXERCISE - BCA's Dragon Boat Team - "Busting Out"

News - June 2010

Busting Out, BCA’s dragon boat team, is now well into the 2010 season.  We have been practicing twice a week at the Rideau Canoe Club since early May and have participated in two incredible festivals so far.  Peterborough hosted 73 breast cancer survivor teams 11-13 June. 

We paraded, paddled and partied with close to 2000 other survivor paddlers and the rain on Saturday did not dampen our spirits.  We posted good times and experienced a sense of joy and accomplishment when we placed first in one of our races.  The sadness we felt at learning of the passing of one of our founding members was offset by the sharing of stories with numerous paddlers from around the world who knew her well.

The next weekend we paddled in the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, the largest in North America.  Once again, a little rain (OK a lot for one race) did nothing to diminish our enthusiasm. 

Dragon boating is a team sport that builds harmony and a feeling of togetherness and as breast cancer survivors our aim is to participate.

We are winners no matter where we place but a group of cancer survivors keeping pace with or even out paddling younger and/or mixed teams sends the message that life can go on after cancer. Placing third in the women’s C division was a delightful bonus.

As a paddler from another team said “cancer touches us all” and in that spirit two elite women’s teams from Chelsea and Philadelphia choose to paddle with Busting Out and raft together in front of the bleachers for the carnation ceremony. 

We are looking forward to festivals in St. Catharines, Stratford and Carleton Place.