Sistership, a crew of breast cancer survivors from Calgary, Canada, travelled to New Zealand to participate in the 2023 IBCPC Participatory Dragon Boat Festival at Lake Karāpiro two weeks ago.
Sistership comprised 23 members, including a paralegal assistant to the Calgary Crown prosecutor, a lawyer, a geologist, an engineer, photographers,an event planner, a nurse practitioner, several nurses, a thoroughbred horse breeder, and a retired school principal, who got to meet and compete with other breast cancer survivors.
The team’s slogan, “22 hearts one goal”, refers to their 20 paddlers, one sweep and one drummer during the race and reflects their unity in their mission to raise awareness for breast cancer and to demonstrate that it is no longer a death sentence.
The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the largest women’s sporting events in the world with about 2500 competitors — expected to be a significant boost to the Waipā economy.
The international competition for breast cancer survivors had about 240 teams from 30 countries across all continents.
Usually held once every four years, last year’s racing was delayed due to Covid, with the previous festival taking place in Florence, Italy, in 2018.
Dragon boat paddling has become a rehabilitation therapy for tens of thousands of women and men worldwide who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The Sistership Dragon Boat crew from Calgary, Canada. Photo / Supplied
In the 1990s, a sports medicine specialist named Dr Don McKenzie, from the University of British Columbia in Canada, initiated an international movement called dragon boating for breast cancer survivors.
This movement was aimed at dispelling the myth that upper-body exercise among women who had undergone breast cancer treatment could cause lymphedema.
Just 30 minutes of daily exercise, which increases the heart rate, can halve the chance of developing breast cancer, regardless of whether an individual has had the disease before.
The week-long festival near Cambridge had racing on the final two days with two races on Saturday for Sistership and just one on Sunday due to the wind on Lake Karāpiro (racing was called off at noon).
But it wasn’t all about the dragon boat racing, it was also about living.
The Sistership team fell in love with New Zealand and made the most of the tourist attractions.
They visited Hobbiton and headed to Rotorua to see the geothermal scenery and Maori cultural performances.
However, it was the people who made their experience truly special.
Laura McNeill said people were the highlight of their journey.
She spoke highly of New Zealand and could not thank the locals enough for their kindness and help.
Laura shared that two crew members missed their flights home on Monday due to an accident on the way to Auckland Airport.
The pair were overwhelmed with the generosity they received as their driver stayed at the airport with them to make sure they had a flight home — which Air New Zealand sorted free of charge.
“You expect a certain level of duty but everyone went above and beyond,” said Laura.
“I also really liked your Duck Island icecream — maybe too much.”
For more information on the festival and dragon boating, head to newzealandbcs2023.com.
