The local breast cancer dragon boat team, Sunshine Dragons Abreast, has returned after an exciting dragon boat event in Cambridge, New Zealand, April 12 to 16.
There were more than 2,000 paddlers, all breast cancer survivors, in teams from all over the world. Seven women from the Sunshine Coast were joined by 14 other paddlers from the Island, Greater Vancouver and Alberta.
The races took place on Lake Karapiro at the Olympic rowing facility. The wind was a factor on the final day of races, but from combined times in the 500 m races, Sunshine Dragons Abreast ranked 41 out of 74 teams. Coach Amanda List and the paddlers were very pleased with the results, especially since there had been few opportunities for the group to practice together. Some of the teams of the 33 who ranked below SDA were from Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Austria, the United States and Canada.
The international event takes place every five years, and SDA has participated in all previous festivals including Florence, Italy in 2018.
SDA is one of the teams in the Sunshine Coast Dragon Boat Club and they practice in Porpoise Bay. If you are interested in paddling, the website is scdragonboatclub.com.
