At the recent Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival, held June 21 and June 22 in Vancouver, a special division was created to honour the 30th anniversary of breast cancer survivor dragon boating.
The event paid tribute to the women who launched the movement in 1996, when 25 breast cancer survivors formed Abreast in a Boat under the guidance of Dr. Don McKenzie.
His aim was to challenge the widespread belief that upper body exercise could trigger lymphedema in breast cancer survivors.
Three decades later, a few of those original paddlers are still active on the water, and many more are living full, rewarding lives.
Four members of the Kootenay Robusters Dragon Boat Team joined in the milestone celebration by competing as part of Pink Sisters International, a composite crew made up of breast cancer survivors from across North America.
With just one on-water practice before the races began, the team dove into the two-day festival focused not on medals, but on connection, celebration, and survivorship.
Though the team did not take home any race medals, the paddlers agreed that they had already won the most meaningful race: overcoming cancer.
The weekend also provided a chance to form new friendships and take part in an evening of celebration and dancing hosted by six Abreast in a Boat teams.
The four Robusters who participated bring over 100 years of breast cancer survivorship between them.
They continue to embrace dragon boating as a lifelong sport, and as a source of strength, community, and joy.
The Robusters hold regular practices at the Robuster Dragon’s Den, located east of the provincial park at the south end of Christina Lake.
Practices take place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6 p.m., and Sunday mornings at 9 a.m.
Each session typically lasts about 90 minutes.
Learn more at KootenayRobusters.com.
Kootenay Robusters
The Kootenay Robusters are a non-profit dragon boat team made up of breast cancer survivors and their supporters, united by a shared mission to promote physical, emotional, and mental wellness through paddling.
Founded in early 2001, the team began as the vision of a Trail-based nurse and breast cancer survivor who, inspired by the pioneering Abreast In A Boat team, set out to create a similar group in the Kootenays.
Starting with no equipment, no experience, and the nearest lake miles away, a group of women from Trail, Castlegar, Rossland, Christina Lake, and Grand Forks came together with a single goal: to race in Vancouver’s dragon boat festival.
After leasing a boat and launching their training on Christina Lake, the Robusters made their competitive debut with only one month of paddling behind them.
By fall, they were racing in Kelowna and earned second place in the Breast Cancer Challenge.
The link between dragon boating and breast cancer awareness dates back to a 1996 Vancouver study led by Dr. Don McKenzie.
At the time, conventional wisdom warned that upper body exercise could cause lymphedema, a common complication of breast cancer.
Dr. McKenzie’s research proved otherwise, sparking a global movement.
Today, more than 50 survivor teams around the world paddle in solidarity, strength, and support.
For the Kootenay Robusters, dragon boating is more than a sport, it’s a way to challenge limits, build community, and share the empowering message that there is life after breast cancer.
