The Dragon Divas

The 2008 boat has arrived; we are ready to paddle!

June 25, 2008

Beginning in April, the Dragon Divas completed a six week warm-up at HealthEast Optimum Rehabilitation in Maplewood. We had between 15 and 22 people participating each week. Our warm-up consisted of upper and lower body strengthening exercises, as well as core strengthening, and was lead by several HealthEast physical therapists who are part of the team. We also were given instruction packets guide us in exercises at home during the course of the week. We finished each session with yoga which helped us to feel relaxed, refreshed and in much better balance as we headed home.

Our 2008 Dragon boat arrived from Iowa on Saturday, May 31 towed by two of our great supporters from Iowa, Linda and Tom. She was pulled across White Bear Lake to her summer home at the dock of Robin and Bob.

We have a different boat this year; her name is "Moo." Her body was repainted over the winter with red and black scales. The work on Moo’s head and face had not been completed before she arrived, so she is currently undergoing a facelift by a talented friend of a team member. We can’t wait to show her off!

We had our first 2008 practice on June 4 at White Bear Lake. There were 15 participants on board, half of whom were "newbies" (new members). Our stern again this year is Ron. He has more than 10 years of experience and gets us on and off the lake safely. He directs us in our paddling, while teaching us the language and logistics of the sport. He has a great sense of humor, a necessity when trying to direct a boat full of women. We would not be where we are without Ron!

Our first night out lasted about an hour and a half. We had a good workout and a lot of laughs. We were all still smiling as we were getting off the boat, although I don’t know how sore we’d be the next day.

The Dragon Divas is a dragon boat team made up primarily of breast cancer survivors, whose main mission is to show that you can be strong and healthy despite this diagnosis. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we are able to be a team, rent the boat and participate in racing festivals. We would like to acknowledge the continued support given by St. John's Hospital and HealthEast Cancer Care. It allows us to continue to pursue our mission and continue on our path towards health and healing. We praise you loudly!