A returning to calming waters has been a long time coming for the Dragons of Hope team.
The ladies dipped their paddles in the water Thursday night for the first time in three years as they prepare to head to Vancouver for the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival.
The lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions meant the return of events for the ladies.
The event features teams from all over with the commonality being breast cancer.
Coach Saira VanderWees tells Acadia News that the boat will have one seat empty as lead pacer Dianne Pruys succumbed to breast cancer in July of 2020.
Dragons of Hope photo courtesy of Saira VanderWees
“She was a really treasured woman on our boat, and unfortunately with breast cancer, from time to time we do lose some of our paddlers (to it),” added VanderWees. “This is someone who the ladies paddled with for many many years and (she passed) after we came back from Italy. It was a really tough loss. We will have some flowers on the boat on her seat, which will commemorate her spirit. We will also have a plaque at the front of the boat that will pay homage to the women who we have lost to breast cancer.”
The team took part in the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission (IBCPC) Dragon Boat Festival in July of 2018.
“I know we will be travelling to Superior, Wisconsin for a dragon boat festival competition there at the end of August,” mentioned VanderWees. “We usually try to take part in a couple of events per year. Every four years there is usually a big competition, like the one in (Florence) Italy, so we always fundraise and plan to attend the international event.”
The Dragons hit the Boulevard Lake Thursday night and will be in Vancouver from June 24th to the 26th.
