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NewsHamilton Super 12 - 2011
Tauranga Super 12 – 2011
Unfortunately the wind was taken out of our sails as soon as we reached the venue we realised the old boats would be in use and would snag our beautiful new shirts on their high sides! So photos taken, off they came and on went the old shirts instead. That aside, once again Boobops did us all proud, with an excellently organised event. All the breast cancer survivor teams again received a wonderful basket of goodies which was very much appreciated by the team. We took part in two races before the breast cancer race. Boobops took first place by a boats length and Pink Dragons just beat Busting to the line for second place. The race was then followed by a very moving flower ceremony. The beautiful roses were provided by one of Boobops own team members from her garden.
One more race bought the days racing to an end for us and it was time to pack up and set off for the long drive home. It had been another successful day’s paddling and I think the team would all agree that we’re very lucky to have the opportunity to take part in such a wonderful sport! Splash & Dash Super 12 Westhaven – 2011
There was lots of excited chatter as we greeted old team buddies and welcomed some new ones. Today was all about having fun with rules also relaxed a little, hence we were joined by one or two members from other teams to make up our numbers.
All the races were short and sweet approx 250m with three boats per race, perfect for the start of the season as some of us had limbs and muscles that were a bit out of practice! Nationals -Blue Lake Rotorua 2011
We worked our way through the heats keeping a careful watch on our times and how we might ‘fine tune’ before the breast cancer final. This race is always such an important one for us as a team and as always we put our heart and soul into it. It wasn’t enough however, and we came third and another bronze medal for the collection. The disappointment of another year without a gold medal was soon put aside as the boats rafted up together for the flower ceremony and we gave a few moments of thought and prayer for our paddling angels and then cast our flowers onto the lake.
This year there were two new race categories to enter – a 250 metre sprint and a 2 kilometre race. The 250 metre sprint should have After a wonderful breakfast sponsored and organised by NZBCF for all the breast cancer survivor teams we left Rotorua tired, and I hope, with some good memories of a great weekend despite the rain. Lets hope next time we return it will be to a glorious day of sunshine – fingers crossed!!! Regionals - Lake Pupuke 2011
“I have been lucky, really lucky, I had been asked if I could paddle for the regionals at Lake Pupuke. Could a day be more perfect? I didn’t know what to expect, but by now I have so much faith in my team that I would brave anything as long as I was in the same boat as them. By now, I have known a bit more of each of their journeys and I am so inspired by the courage and strength that each one has that I feel its a privilege to be able to paddle with one… so paddling with 19 of the most awesome women I have come across is something amazing. Our team completed six races and I received my first bronze medal, not just the first medal for dragon boating, but the first in my whole life! The races were tough but the ‘Flower Ceremony’ was tougher. Today at my first flower ceremony I found it profoundly moving and strengthening. I wish more women would have the luck to learn from my pink sisters as I have. Six races to complete on a day was tough and if I thought that racing in a breast cancer survivor team was wishy-washy, I was wrong, You could cut the air with a knife, and gritty determination ruled all the teams. Our competition was awesome, truly worthy of respect, and the underlying emotion for all of us was “ We’re all in the same boat”. Tauranga Super 12 – Tauriko Lake - 2011
Our first two races were against non-breast cancer teams and although we paddled our hearts out we are very rarely a match for these teams as they always include big burley male paddlers with strong arm muscles and today was no exception! During the morning, to our delight, Boobops organised and delivered beautiful baskets of morning tea for the breast cancer teams, full of all kinds of goodies to eat. Thank you so much! It was obvious from the way everyone was tucking in that it was really appreciated! This breast cancer race was particularly poignant for us as a few days previously we had lost a dear member of our paddling team, Leonie to breast cancer. We paddled the race for her and as the boats rafted up for the flower ceremony our thoughts and hearts were for our paddling angel and all the others who had gone before. We paddled well the rest of the day and we made it into a final, but alas for all our effort we took fourth place. However, we didn’t go home feeling despondent, we’d had a wonderful day hosted by Boobops who’d made us feel so very welcome, a big THANK YOU once again for all their efforts. Auckland Anniversary Day - Super 16 Regatta 2011
We were up against some strong opposition as all teams taking part were non-breast cancer apart from Busting with Life. Three boats took part in most races and you could say we were very consistent throughout the day, taking 3rd place in each of our rounds (yes that does mean we were last) until our final that is! Our final consisted of three all woman teams; two breast cancer, Pink Dragons and Busting with Life and Jaffettes, a non-breast cancer team. We’ve never managed to beat Busting yet but today we paddled our socks off and we did it!! It was a close race but the result was Jaffettes took first place by a fraction of a second. Even though we didn’t win it was still a good result for us. It was a great day not just for the paddlers but also for all the spectators who came to watch, including supporters for family and friends that cheered us on. I’m sure we all hope this will become an annual event on the Auckland dragon boat calendar from now on. Wenderholm Funday Regatta - 11 Dec 2010 Another fun day was had at The Wenderholm Beach Regatta. The weather stayed dry and we all stayed entertained. The first of 3 races before lunch had us all paddling our hearts out over the 500m distance. With warm water and not too choppy waves we got third. Third was very much the result of the day as we battled against Random Jaffa women, Busting with life and White Tigers to name but a few in our subsequent races. Beach races are always fun, as to finish teams have to beach their boat in the shallows whilst one of the team scrambles out and races to a marker on the sand. We tied third in our second race when Yvonne’s mad dash up the beach was to close to call with our competitors. Lunch was our Christmas picnic and as usual when women get together with shared lunch there was far too much food. Some of it was even good for us! Fun and games started after lunch. Soupu made a spirited attempt at the sack race and the kids all had a great time with the jandal toss and the special visit from Santa with his lolly bag. Races after lunch were the Le Mans style. Toni (our newest recruit) had to stay on dry land and race to the boat before we could all push off and start paddling. The races were 250m with a turn half way. Soupu kept us all in line and no capsizes were reported! Another great day of paddling for us and a great pre-Christmas get together for us all. Hamilton Super 12 – 4th Dec 2010The team gathered early on Saturday morning to the promise of fine weather for racing. As the day progressed the clouds broke and the sun produced a sweltering hot day that sent most of us seeking some shade when we weren’t actually on the water. Our first race of the day gave us a tremendous boost as we took first place. It was however, the only win of the day for us and unfortunately a bit of a bad start in our second race, but these things happen! We raced well throughout the day and didn’t have the misfortune that one of the teams had, as the hooter sounded at the race start – they capsized leaving all twelve paddlers, a sweep, a caller and their boat at the start line! This delayed the race programme slightly as they were toed back to shore accompanied by cheering from the onlookers.We went into the breast cancer final with confidence and as ever it was a close call with Busting with Life taking first place by a fraction of a second and Pink Dragons and Boobops tying second place. Immediately after the race the boats rafted up for a flower ceremony. It was a great day enjoyed by all, now we need to go back to the drawing board to see how we can improve before the start of the 2011 regattas. Dragons Abreast Regatta – Darling Harbour Sydney TripOctober 2010
Friday afternoon and Saturday is free time to see some of the sights or catch up on shopping at some of the markets. Some of us manage both and by the end of Saturday we have just about shopped ourselves out! Saturday evening we have our pre-race meeting and get down to the serious business of why we are here. Later, some of us watch the All Blacks v Wallabies match only to be totally demoralised when the Aussies beat us in the last few seconds of the game. Oh well, I suppose we have to let them win sometimes!
Lining up for the start of the final is a very tense time, but once that hooter sounds, we just put everything we possibly can into the race. Final outcome: 1st DA Melbourne – 1.17.270, 2nd DA Geelong -1.18.010, 3rd Busting with Life -1.18.870 - Well done Busting!!, 4th Pink Dragons (by 0.3 sec) - 1.19.200 - Well done us!!
To round off the weekend we go out to Wagamama for our team dinner on Sunday evening followed by drinks and nibbles in one of the apartments. After saying our goodbyes at Auckland airport on Monday we take home our memories. Everyone agrees that they had an amazing time in Sydney. We’ve had an experience that we will always remember and we hope, one day, we may be able to repeat it. A big ‘THANK YOU’ to everyone who put in the hard work raising funds and organising the trip, it was a huge success.
Flippin' Freezin' Super 12 - 2010
As there weren’t enough breast cancer teams members to have two teams some of our team joined Busting to create ‘pink busts’. We watched as they got through the waves and made a respectable time of 23 mins when the other boats were finishing at about 18 mins. Not bad for paddlers who hadn’t all paddled that far before. Next came our team races. The boats were quickly loaded and we got ready on the start line. We were off pulling away as fast as we could manage, two reaches later and we had finished. It was all over so quickly and at 250m’s only half our normal race distance. two more races followed and we used them to get our technique right as we practiced our starts. By the last race we felt good and back in action as a team after a long winter break. A good day was had by all and a useful re-bonding exercise was started. Roll on the start of the season! Thank you to our SponsorsAnother successful evening was organised by Team Captain Paula at Hammerheads Restaurant to thank our sponsors who have supported our team throughout 2009/2010 with their generosity. Without their support Pink Dragons would not have been able to have participated in events throughout the dragon boating season and purchased much needed equipment.
Pinkies in Canada
The IPS met each other over dinner one night, practised together on the water for an hour the next day, and raced together in 4 races over the next two days, winning 2 of those races and coming 3rd in another. A special race was the Sandy Smith Global Race, in memory of a woman who was instrumental in helping establish teams all over the world. It is an honour to participate in this race, in crews comprised of members of different teams from around the world. Our own Leonie was chosen from the IPS team, and her boat won the race. Could that be Leonie’s paddling, or the efforts of the male breast cancer survivor in her boat? After the race, 10 boats rafted together for the Flower Ceremony. During this moving event, a choir sang, and a formation of marchers bearing a long swathe of pink fabric created the international Pink Ribbon symbol. When the paddlers in the boats cast their flowers into the water, the remaining paddlers from 75 teams from around the world, who lined the lakeshore, followed suit, in a shower of pink carnations.
Pink Ribbon Breakfast
Nationals Lake Hood 2010
Lake Pupuke Regionals 2010
Wenderholm Super 12 Regatta - 2010
Hamilton Super 12 Regatta - 2009A Rookie's take on their first regatta
I have to say that I started feeling very nervous before getting into the boat as from the shoreline it looked like a long course. As it was my first time I had no idea what to expect as up until the regatta I had just been concentrating on perfecting the correct paddling technique, then all of a sudden here I was with a team at the start line and then we were racing! It actually felt like we were hardly moving and then the race was over. The greatest shock of all shocks was that we came second. I was shaking as I left the boat but so very exhilarated and all I could think about was how I could improve in the next race. Race two, three and four came and went so quickly and then race 5 was announced asking all spectators to support all 5 breast cancer survivor teams and everyone came to the shore line. It was a great race and we came third. As we all came back to the shore line the boats came together for a minutes silence for those that could not join us. The most amazing thing of all is the respect and admiration that all the fellow competitors show towards the breast cancer survivors. A great day but oh my goodness I had better work on my fitness level. Rookie - Dianne Hansen
Mid Winter Super 12 Fun Regatta
The day was all about having fun and we certainly did that! With the help of a few novice friends, two husbands, a son-in-law and a couple of paddlers seconded from other teams we managed to do ourselves proud, giving the other teams a run for their money.
After the racing we all gathered at Swashbucklers restaurant for a well earned drink and fish and chip platters. Everyone had a great day and as you can see our youngest supporter, Rosie, had a great day too!
2008 - 2009 Season
Dragon Boat Talk in Whangerei
After liaising with Robin, the local Whangarei Leader ran an article ahead of the meeting, which gave some publicity for the event. 15 women attended, and the feedback afterwards was very positive. A woman volunteered to coach the team, and other ideas flowed about sponsorship, and boat storage. The NZDBA has offered the use of one of the old boats and a set of paddles. With such keenness and support, the formation of a Northland team is looking very promising. Coach's Corner
After our first training, it was pretty clear from the girls and the message was loud and clear, “Don't make our trainings easy”, and I didn't. 2009 was a learning curve for me as I got to know the team, and the team got used to my training sessions. I promised them at the beginning of the season, they would get medals; what colour would be up to them. My other goal was to get to know everyone's name by the end of the season! Thanks to Graeme’s coaching over the years, I didn't have to do much with the girls, just a bit of tweaking here and there, and the use of Fred the sea anchor. We ended this season on a high with two Silver Medals, and I am so proud of what the girls have achieved in our first year together, and the girls are all looking fit and fantastic and we are all looking forward to 2010, as we have unfinished business to take care of. Bring it on!!!!End of Season Party
We were honoured to welcome most of our other sponsors – Alan Clarke from Abano, Andy and Sue Stuart from Pink Bins, Tony Jeanes from Koru Media, Sue Waugh who illustrated our two successful fundraising books, Heather Shotter from the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation, and Rose Love from our website designer Zeald.Com. Team support comes in many ways, one of which was to provide Rescue Boat services when the official boat was unavailable. Without these willing partners of team members, we would not have been allowed out on the water for training, so we expressed our appreciation for their help. Our Coach, Sooupu, was presented with a Coach of The Year certificate, and a gift voucher from Paula to return to Hammerheads with his wife and daughter for a relaxing meal together.. Team captain, Yvonne’s, last duty for the season was to award the Team Member of the Year trophy, to Sally Miller and Sue Heyes. Ascot Radiology Pink Dragons have had a wonderful six months together and are looking forward to the camaraderie, joy, and hard work of another season after the break. Nationals at Rotorua
Saturday 28th March marked the end of the seasons paddling with the Nationals being held at the Blue Lake Rotorua and what a stunning venue it was! The team assembled in very good spirits on Friday evening with great enthusiasm for the next days racing. Saturday morning meant an early breakfast for the team before driving to the venue. With a chilly start to the day the weather was pretty kind to us. Great racing for our team throughout the day meant we had 2nd choice of lanes for the Breast Cancer Final. It was an awesome race but we couldn’t quite pull off first place with Busting with Life pipping us at the post once again for gold, Pink Dragons taking silver and Abreast of Life taking the bronze. Once the race was over the breast cancer teams rafted up their boats for the flower ceremony and it was one of the most moving we’ve taken part in. The boats gently drifted towards the shore where many of the corporate teams were lined up alongside supporters. As the boats came to a halt the boys from the crew loading volunteers surprised us with a moving tribute to the breast cancer paddlers with their haka. The prize giving and After Party was a noisy and happy one with a great deal of celebrating by all. Sunday morning NZBCDBC organised a wonderful breakfast for all the breast cancer teams and a chance to mingle with other paddlers before the end of another great season! We'll be back next season with only one thing on our minds GOLD!!! Lake Pupuke
Saturday14th March was the North Shore City Dragon Boat Festival at Lake Pupuke, Takapuna. The team gathered together to a fine but rather chilly start to the day and as ever, full of enthusiasm for the days racing ahead. Rain dampened the day for a while but it didn't dampen our spirits! The 580 metre course was taken in our stride and the Breast Cancer Final produced one of our closest finishes yet with Busting with Life and a nail biting wait for the final results. Only a fraction of a second meant Busting took the gold, Pink Dragons the silver and Boobops taking the bronze. ROTORUA HERE WE COME!!!! Tauranga Super 12 RegattaSaturday 14th February
The team started the weekend off by gathering together on Friday for a great social evening. Lots of fun and a few drinks over a shared dinner kick-started the weekend on a good note.
Our team consisted of 5 rookies, 8 experienced paddlers and 2 team members with broken wrists! Racing went well throughout the day giving us third place in the breast cancer final. The day came to a close with prize giving followed by a much needed rest before heading off for a team meal at a local restaurant. We’re all looking forward now to the next regatta in Auckland! Book Sales
To kick start the sales and to take advantage of Christmas we spent four days at Milford Shopping Centre with team members manning a stall. It was great talking to people about Pink Dragons and what the team is all about. We're definitely on track to make much needed funds for both the team and Kenzie's Gift through the sale of the books. Christmas BBQ
After lunch some of us relaxed while others burnt off a few calories exploring the grounds and taking in some of the bush walks surrounding the house. It was a great opportunity to get together off the water and have fun and to get to know some of the Rookies a little better. Thanks to Lisa for the opportunity it couldn’t have been a better end to 2008 training! Hamilton Super 12 Regatta - 2008
November 29th saw the first regatta for the season the Hamilton super 12. Hamilton provided it’s best possible weather for the day and what a day we had! Most of our Rookies came along to sample first hand what it’s like to paddle under race conditions. The feed back from them was that it was ‘awesome’. We raced throughout the day along side both corporate and breast cancer teams and as usual there was great support shown for all the breast cancer teams. A minutes silence was held before the Breast cancer final in remembrance of all those who had lost their lives to the disease. In the final Boobops took first place closely followed by Busting with Life with Pink Dragons taking third . Altogether it was a very successful day and we look forward to the 2009 regattas. 2007/2008 Season wrap-up
From Tracey Richardson - Rookie Paddler
The 2007/2008 dragon boating season was one of improvement and friendship for the Pink Dragons. I was one of five rookies to join the team at the beginning of the season and was blown away by the warmth and support from the existing team members.
We started the season out with the Tiger Beer Regatta in Auckland in February with five of us getting a taste for the competitive element of the sport. We then braved the wind and rain at the Tauranga Super 12 competition in March and made a fun-weekend of it with team-building activities and the joys of road trips and shared accommodation.
We were thrilled with our performance at the Nationals in Auckland in March and felt the improvement we made throughout the season was due to hard work and good leadership.
There are teams all around the country, with new ones being formed every year. It’s fun, good for you and you’ll meet some great personalities!! On the water trainings at Westhaven on a summer’s morning are magic. It’s open to all ages, body shapes and sizes and fitness levels, it’s inclusive and all about celebrating life, we deserve it!
So what’s in store for the Pink Dragons in 2008/2009? We are excited to be welcoming a new coach; our Team Captain Yvonne Dunn has fitness schedules typed up and ready to go. Currently we’re hibernating but building up for the upcoming season…. anything is possible!!
If you’d like to become a member of the Pink Dragon’s Dragon Boating Team in Auckland please contact Robyn Gamble Ph 630 6423 Tauranga Super 12 Regatta - 2008It was fabulous fun and we rookies loved it. Thanks to Robin for organizing it and thanks to Janet for feeding us and thanks to Tric and Elaine for leading us . The weather was awful, but we were all keen as mustard to get out there.
My room mate was so enthusiastic about the regatta that she got up at 3.45am and was trotting off to the shower thinking it was 6am.
We raced hard, enjoyed our mixing and mingling of positions in the boat (care of Graeme) and were THRILLED to get second in the Breast Cancer final.
Yes, there were some celebratory drinks consumed and Coyote’s bar was rocking for the prize giving on Saturday afternoon. Some of us (no names) hadn’t eaten much, so the alcohol content of each drink was somewhat increased…. We were given towels instead of silver medals… interesting….. One party animal team mate crashed and burned at 7.30pm and was walked back to the hostel before she’d even eaten.
We were rudely awoken at 6.50am the next morning by the wailing fire alarm and all got to check out each others night attire (and the other backpackers) as we stood outside for 15 minutes while the firemen ‘cleared’ the building…..
Did the above involve any of the rookies…..? maybe…… was there mention of a ‘rookie contract and approval process’ being written up…. perhaps……. Did I steal Sue team shirt…. ABSOLUTELY NOT!!
2006/2007 season
By Robin Gamble – our Team Leader
We also found travelling together as a team a great bonding experience. We had so much fun, and ended the paddling season on a high note.
We suffered some withdrawal pangs once our regular contact with each other was put on hold, but we heeded coach Graeme's advice that, for the success of the team, we really needed to take a break over winter.
Our mission is to show our fellow breast cancer survivors that life is for living! After being swept along in the process of diagnosis, surgery, treatment, medication and supervision, we could feel rather helpless. Participation in this physically demanding sport has been empowering. We have benefitted from learning new skills, improving our fitness, feeling positive, and being part of a wonderful support group working together to achieve a goal.
Coaches Corner This season I have seen a group of paddlers grow into a team of paddlers. A team that now knows how to paddle as one unit to the best of their ability. The Tauranga Super 12 regatta was a good warm up and it is fair to say that it showed off a number of our weaknesses. It was however a good team bonding exercise and invaluable to get to where we are now.
At the Auckland regatta our paddling was much improved at times although we were still looking for consistency. Then there was the final and something clicked in the team and we paddled a near perfect race. We also picked up our first ever placing in a regatta with a well-deserved 3rd betting Treasure Chests by a massive 0.62 seconds.
The following weekend it was down to the nationals in Christchurch. My main concern in the lead up to this regatta was again consistency. Race 1, I asked for a good steady paddle and got it along with a reasonable time. Race 2, 3, 4 & 5, Same as above however by race 3 I was now aware that the group of paddlers that made up the team were now a team of paddlers and that nothing was going to stand in their way of pushing hard and achieving the best they could.
There was however nothing else we could have given or done on the day but the team deserve to hold their heads high, stand tall and be very proud of what we have accomplished this year.
Yes a 4th at the nationals can be a hard pill to swallow however there was nothing else we could have done to improve on this on the day. Graeme Roundtree
By an anonymous RookieThe paddling idea was introduced soon after the completion of my treatment and it required some consideration. Surely the healthiest thing to do at this point in my life was to move on and not link up with a ‘breast cancer’ group. However the lure of getting into some regular activity again, saw me turn up at Okahu Bay one Sunday afternoon. I was introduced to Jane, Beth and Maggie – or was that Mary, Sue and Lola and they all had their ‘pink caps’ - hmmmm! This (youngish) guy who introduced himself as the coach was so enthusiastic and I couldn’t for the life of me fathom why he would want to work with a matured group of woman. But he did seem to make some sense when talking about ‘core strength’ (couldn’t wait to see his 6-pack once he shed his winter layers of clothes!!). So there it started and I diligently did my exercises for 2 days!
First Regatta! Takapuna loomed before I even felt we were out of nappies. Three words to describe that day. Wet, intimidating, frustrating. But we PD’s stuck together and there was a sense of some team bonding happening AND I got a pink cap. So nice to get back to training on the Tuesday night afterwards with all the familiar faces.
First Real Regatta! Auckland. Now this was really nervous energy stuff. The first race was awesome and so good to get out of the way. According to Graham we were OK. I don’t think OK stacks up in any of our books and we really wanted to prove to ourselves (and the other breast cancer teams) that we are a force to be reckoned with. The first breast cancer race came and went and the entrenched timing and technique was evidently not on our boat for that one - photos prove we were not within kuwee of the other three teams. Gutted! (I was quietly confident that we would ‘kick ass’!)
To add insult to injury, I experienced my first flower ceremony. WOW! I don’t think ‘How Great Thou Art’ was the best choice of words to paddle down the viaduct with but, AJ, how great thou art for standing up and speaking so well on our behalf. It was so amazing to be a part of this and having my family there to share the occasion was incredibly special. The final was very uplifting (always welcome when you’re talking breasts, especially ours) and was proof that we were past the crawling and able to stand on our own feet and ‘mix it’ with the other bc teams. A triumph for Pink Dragons.
Team gathering in Christchurch prior to the Nationals
Robin’s Dragon Boating in Canada
In July of this year I visited Victoria, BC Canada, to spend time with my daughter, her fiance, and my extended family. When making my plans I noticed the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival coincided with my dates, so happily marked the event in my diary, intending to enjoy a great couple of days of entertainment.
As an afterthought, I contacted the local breast cancer survivor team, The Island Breaststrokers, to ask if I might meet some of them, and watch their training from the shore, promising to cheer them on on the day. My contact turned out to be the most charming, friendly and hospitable woman who became my “buddy”, Clare. “Don’t just stand and watch”, said Clare. “We often have a spare seat on the boat. Come paddle with us”.
Well, you know, one thing leads to another…
Robin second paddler from right enjoying the Gorge Festival on board with the Island Breaststrokers
I attended two training sessions with the Island Breaststrokers, and managed to keep up with their powerful paddlers, which was a great relief, as I had been in hibernation from dragon boating in New Zealand for several months, since our own season finished at the end of March. After the second training session, I was asked “So what are you doing on Saturday?” Unknown to me, an annual One Day festival is held at The Gorge (a waterway which forms part of Victoria Harbour), one week before the 2 day festival I planned to attend, and my “New Best Friends” were a paddler short. The diary was consulted, a few plans were changed, and I presented myself for duty at the appointed hour. “No pressure”, but I learned The Island Breaststrokers were the world champions in the Breast Cancer Division at Singapore in 2006! We easily beat the other 5 breast cancer teams to win MY FIRST GOLD MEDAL. With that race under our belts, we then competed in the Women’s Open Division and picked up a bronze medal. I was delivered home, damp, but on a high, having assisted the IBS team to their fastest time, ever, in a Breast Cancer Survivors Grand Final. The home-coming Olympic athletes at Auckland airport weren’t the only people with a bunch of medals clanking around their necks!
The following weekend, the IBS expected to muster a full crew, but had suggested I ask the festival organisers to find me another team to paddle with. Thus, chameleon-like, I dressed in the colours of The Pink Piston Paddlers from Salmon Arm, BC, and acquired another set of New Best Friends. Again, I was impressed by their friendliness and their genuine interest in a visitor from New Zealand. I picture a bridge between NZ and Canada, across which Kiwis and Canucks cross easily into each other’s countries, finding kindred spirits in both places. It seems every Canadian I meet has either been to NZ, has had a life-long dream to visit, or knows someone living in NZ. I was the happy recipient of souvenir t shirts, team pins, photos of my new teams, and a beautiful medal given to every breast cancer paddler, sponsored by the BC Cancer Foundation of Vancouver Island.
The summer weather was brilliantly fine, the atmosphere of the Festival venue was electric, with the crowds of competitors and spectators milling amongst the tents of vendors and the stages of the entertainers. We did our Warm Ups to music, and were all marshalled for our races in a most methodical way.
The Pink Piston Paddlers made up for their lack of experience (being a team of only 3 seasons) by being colourful, not only in their peacock blue and orange dragon emblazoned shirts, but by their humour and penchant for bursting into song or chant at the drop of a hat. Quite the entertainers. We didn’t win any medals, but we enjoyed our races, giving our best efforts to finish a creditable fourth in the Breast Cancer Grand Final.
The night before the Victoria Festival, all the breast cancer teams were hosted to a lovely meal organised by the Island Breaststrokers. There were raffles, skits and dancing, along with a “trade table”. Raising funds is a universal goal for all teams, and I made a few mental notes of ideas I could bring home to the Pink Dragons.
Oh, and I also had a marvellous visit with my family!
http://www.islandbreaststrokers.com/
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I think it would be fair to say that most of the team came prepared for a reasonably warm sunny day’s racing at the Lake today. No-one could have guessed how unpredictable the weather would be! Gusts of wind began to pick up in the morning and so did the gazebos! 
There was quite an excited buzz amongst the team on Friday evening as individuals arrived at the accommodation and were issued with their long awaited new team racing shirts. Lots of discussion and thought had gone into the design of these shirts and here they were at last to be premiered at tomorrow’s regatta!
As the Pinkies assembled for our first fun dragon boat regatta of the new season there were some very grey clouds gathering overhead. Would they dampen our enthusiasm today or would our keenness to paddle after a long break override a shower or two?
We were pre-warned that the forecast for the Nationals would be rain and we were not disappointed! Most of the team arrived at various times on Friday and after an early night we woke Saturday to a dry morning and were teased with a ray of hope, soon to be dashed, as we arrived at the lake and the first of the rain dampened our day. Rain or shine however cannot take away from the sheer magic of this lake and whatever the weather it’s a privilege to be part of this event!
been a breeze for us BUT – we panicked and our paddling turned to s*!t. Oh well we’ll learn by our mistakes. On the other hand we entered the 2k race with no expectation other than to paddle at a steady pace and finish it. But as we got into the rhythm we began to pick up the pace and suddenly it was game on! We were racing for a place and we got a well deserved third – not bad considering we were up against teams that were non-breast cancer too! We were pretty proud of ourselves as I don’t think any of us thought we had anything left at the end of the day to give to that race, but it just shows that when that adrenaline kicks in anything is possible.
The lake put on its best glistening sparkle for us as the sun shone down on it for the Regionals and produced a great days’ racing for all. We had yet another close Breast Cancer Final placing Pink Dragons in 3rd place, Boobops 2nd and another victory for Busting with life in 1st place. It was a chance also for two of our newest members to experience the challenge of competitive racing. Here’s how Manju writes about her first experience.
This year the Super 12 regatta was held for the first time at the beautiful setting of the Tauriko manmade Lakes, a superb location just a short distance out of Tauranga. The Boobops team did a magnificent job of organising the event and the day was blessed with heaps of sunshine to aid, what was to be a day of good paddling, fun and great camaraderie.
Friday morning, October 29th, the Pink Dragons are gathering at the airport check-in, excitedly anticipating their first international regatta as a full team. We’ve been planning and training for this for months, including some cold winter mornings. The Air NZ crew make an announcement, wishing our team well this weekend. On arrival at Sydney we make quite an impression as we troop through the airport in our uniform, pink paddle bags slung over our shoulders, people curious as to what we’re carrying in those bags! We are questioned by many people and wished ‘good luck’ en route from the airport to our apartments. 
Sunday – this is it, it’s what we came for! It is a perfect day for paddling on Darling Harbour, the venue and the atmosphere is amazing. We wait quite a while for our first heat but finally it’s time for the warm up, line-up, team photo, line-up again and off we go to boat loading. Now everyone is nervous. We don’t have our familiar sweep and coach, Sooupu to guide us through the race. Brenda, our Aussie sweep, is lovely, but she speaks a different language! It is a tricky start, with calls that we don’t quite understand and suddenly it’s all go. Once we’re on our way we know what to do and we come second! 
Following the Breast Cancer Survivors Final, eight boats of breast cancer survivors raft up together in the harbour to remember all those who have not shared our good fortune to survive, and the many who are undergoing treatment. We throw handfuls of pink rose petals onto the water then let the boats drift apart. Each paddler takes up their paddle and the boats follow one behind the other for a circuit of honour round the harbour. The only sound is the gentle tap-paddling rhythm of each crew. Then the cheering begins and follows us back to the pontoons. It is very emotional.
It took all our will power to get up early on a cold weekend morning but once we got to Westhaven the sun was shining and the teams were ready for action and we all caught the mood. The first set of races was the long 3.5km under the Harbour bridge and back. It looked like hard work as we watched from the shore as the teams fought the current and their own tiredness. The fun started as the boats had to manouvre around the bridge supports. It was tight turn between the White Tigers and Lion but Soupu steered the team round on the inside with no collision or upset.
Paula, (owner of Hammerheads) as a sponsor herself, put on yet another wonderful spread of food and drink for us as we gathered for what has become an annual event in our Pink Dragon calendar. Robin, our Team Leader, offered thanks to our sponsors for their continuing support and presented them with a team photo. Paula announced that the Team Member of the Year trophy this year would go to Sue Jenness – well done Sue!
Pink Dragon Team Captain Paula, very kindly hosted a pink ribbon breakfast/lunch for Pink Dragon team members and friends. The aim of the event was to raise funds for the Cancer Society by purchasing a ticket and merchandise supplied by them. Paula came up with some interesting food and drink ideas and it was good to get together with team members again. Paula picked a brilliant day and we relaxed out on her deck in the sunshine catching up whilst eating our nibbles and sipping our pink bubbles! Thank you Paula it was great idea.
On arrival at Ashburton the team all met up for a shared meal on Friday evening, a bit of a chat and a few drinks after travelling down throughout the day on different flights. We started out to Lake Hood early morning, and oh my goodness, it was FREEZING!! We spent the whole day trying to keep warm. Such a shame, as the location was perfect but it was so cold it was difficult to really appreciate it. We shivered our way through the races and kept a determined team spirit going as we paddled to the start line for the Breast Cancer final. Another close race, with Pink Dragons coming in fourth, but will only make us more determined to do better next year! After a very touching Flower Ceremony paddlers from other dragon boat teams honoured the breast cancer teams by performing a Huka for us. Saturday evening’s medal ceremony was followed by lots of partying! Sunday morning NZBCF sponsored a wonderful breakfast at The Lake House overlooking Lake Hood and was a fantastic finish to what had been a great weekend – pity about the weather!
What an amazing venue and what a fun packed day was had by all! The racing started in the morning with boats paddling out from the shore and racing back in to the beach, with the caller jumping off the boat and sprinting to the finish part way up the beach. In the afternoon the format changed with a paddler from each team sprinting down the beach and jumping into the boat as the team started to paddle away, racing toward the marker bouy, turning and racing back to the beach with the caller jumping off the boat and again sprinting to the finish. It proved to be a lot of fun. There was a long break mid-day with each team bringing a shared lunch, followed by fun and games - sack races, jandal throwing and tug-o-war - pity the rope snapped twice!! By the end of the day everyone was exhausted but they all had a great day's racing.
Well I have done it! My first Dragon Boat Regatta since joining the Pink Dragons a month ago. 
On Saturday 5th September some of the Pink Dragons team turned out, along with a few friends, for a fun regatta held at West Haven. The weather was definitely on our side with a cloudless blue sky creating a back drop for our wonderful city scape. It was a little chilly to say the least early in the day but we soon got warmed up as we started the racing. 
On Monday, June 22, Leonie and Robin travelled to Whangarei to speak about Breast Cancer Survivor Dragon Boating. Last year, an approach was made to the NZBCDBC seeking guidance on the formation of a BCS team in Northland. Robin collaborated with Sue Baker and Kathy Paterson of the Breast Cancer Support Northland Trust to arrange a meeting of interested people to attend a talk given by Robin and Leonie.
At the end of 2008 Dragon boat season, Yvonne, team catain, approached me and wanted to know if I was interested to coach "The Pink Dragons". I had to seriously think about it, because here they are, a team of Breast Cancer Survivors, who have already been through a lot. The question I wanted to know was, “how far can I push them”? 
The crowd of black and pink uniforms and excited chatter was further enlivened by pink ribbons and the clink of silver medals as the Pink Dragons gathered for the last time this season. Our generous sponsor, Hammerheads Restaurant & Bar, hosted by team member Paula Sheahan, provided the nibbles and drinks.
It was an early start to Saturday in readiness for the races ahead. There was some drizzly rain to start with but thankfully the sky cleared and gave us a brilliant day for racing (unlike last year!). 
November 2008 saw the launch of our book 'Percy the Pink Dragon Boat' Sales have gone incredibly well so far and the feed back from people has been very positive.
To celebrate the end of 2008 some of the team and their partners got together for a BBQ hosted by one of our rookies. The location was fantastic as was the weather. Everybody helped out providing the food and drink making for a wonderful spread. 
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