ADBCSG officially launches dragon boat recently
Posted Jul 22, 2010 By Theresa Fritz
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Tweet ThisEMC Sports - Paddles hit the water June 27 as the Arnprior and District Breast Cancer Support group's new dragon boat was officially launched into White Lake.
A large crowd gathered at the White Lake Marina to see the dragon boat team - known as the Prior Chest Nuts - launch their vessel. While they have had the boat for several weeks, the ceremonial launching was held to acknowledge the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant, which made it all possible.
The Arnprior and District Breast Cancer Support Group received a grant in the amount of $28,200 to purchase the dragon boat.
Bringing greetings at the event were McNab/Braeside mayor Mary Campbell, Arnprior mayor Terry Gibeau and Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP John Yakabuski, who presented the group with a certificate and plaque from the Trillium Foundation.
"The seed for the Dragon Boat was planted by L.A. Schmidt of the Dunrobin Dames, when she asked the Arnprior and District Breast Cancer Support Group to come out in their boat in August 2006 to try paddling. This created a great desire to paddle, but we didn't know where to start," recalled breast cancer support group vice-president, survivor and paddler Ola Armstrong. "Then in August 2009, Elta (Watt - breast cancer support group president) got a call from two women who now call Arnprior home. What a truly lucky day that was for us. Both breast cancer survivors and both paddlers and both with tons of energy and knowledge."
Those survivors and paddlers - Jeanette Grant from of Guelph and Lorna Walkins from Ottawa - met with Armstrong and Watt at a coffee shop in Arnprior and they promised the local group would get its own dragon boat.
"I want to thank these two dynamic women who really made all our dreams come true. Without them it never would have happened. Jeanette and Lorna, you have made 20 breast cancer survivors believe you can," Armstrong concluded.
The dragon boat was built in Toronto by a master dragon boat builder. The Prior Chest Nuts have christened the boat 'Kahlua' in honour of the gentleman who made it and after the group's beverage of choice.
It was Vancouver-based doctor, Dr. Don MacKenzie, who started paddling for women who were survivors of breast cancer. Up until 1996, it was believed that women who had undergone breast surgery should not do upper body exercise.
This concept went against the grain of what MacKenzie believed and he tested his belief on a group of women who paddled, versus a group who didn't, after surgery. His findings revealed the group who paddled after surgery had a 55 per cent less recurrence rate. There are now 100 breast cancer survivor dragon boat teams in the world in 50 countries.
Armstrong noted the White Lake Marina is allowing the group to store its dragon boat there free of charge.
The group hopes to compete in events such as the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival in 2011.
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