Bosom Buddies of Nova Scotia Breast Cancer Survivor Dragon Boat Team is a group of breast cancer survivors who have decided to become real examples of their mandate by living an active, fun, powerful, upbeat and vigorous life after breast cancer.
Bosom Buddies are committed to supporting and caring for each other and realizing our vision to help others understand that a happy healthy lifestyle, combined with awesome support, can take away the fear and give hope for the future. We enjoy each other's camaraderie and companionship during our paddling season from April to October, and at the gym and pool as we take part in off- season training also under the direction of our coach, Trena Josey. We hold various social functions throughout the year as well as participating in local community events. We fundraise each year and are now preparing for our 9th Annual Artful Garden held at Century House in Blandford, NS on August 8, 2010.
Our team paddles competitively in festivals throughout the Atlantic Region and across Canada on a yearly basis. We spent the past year fundraising, training, preparing and looking forward to participating in the International Dragon Boat Festival 2010 for Breast Cancer Survivors. This event is held every three to four years and this year was held in Peterborough, Ontario from June 11-13, 2010. This year we are attending the Cape Breton Dragon Boat Festival 2010 in Sydney, NS and the Saint John Dragon Boat Festival in Saint John, NB. We will be taking part in the Kiwanis festival on Lake Banook again this year.
We had the pleasure of meeting and competing with 74 teams from Australia, England, Italy, South Africa, United States and teams from across Canada. Thirty-eight of our members enjoyed this wonderful festival. Each participating crew consists of 20 paddlers, a drummer and one steers person, so those who didn't paddle in our competitive boat had the opportunity to paddle with a team from Australia and with Canadian's Abreast to complete their crews. Although we are all very competitive, we paddle with a spirit and heart, no matter which boat we are in. Under the guidance and encouragement of our Coach, Trena Josey, our recorded time was 5th out of 74 teams. We are very proud of our placement considering our competition and the fact that a lot of teams are able to practice all year round.
The weekend was well worth the hard work of training and fundraising and far exceeded everyone's expectations. The support of the whole City of Peterborough was very evident throughout the whole weekend but especially on Friday during the "Paint Peterborough Pink" parade. People lined the streets and cheered on over 2,000 breast cancer survivors as they paraded eight city blocks to the event site where they were treated to a barbeque hosted by the Mayor and then the opening ceremonies. We all felt like Olympians as each team paraded behind their official festival banner, Country and Provincial flags. Seeing people cheering us on, holding signs, wearing pink and just the emotion on people's faces throughout the crowds was very overwhelming. Even the traffic police were sporting pink wigs and gloves. Saturday's rain could not dampen the spirits of enthusiastic paddlers from around the world and Sunday's sun warmed our hearts, as we remembered our sisters who have lost their battle with this dreadful disease in our Pink Carnation Ceremony. The weekend ended with closing ceremonies and fond farewells. This event provided everyone with an experience that will leave wonderful memories and lasting friendships that would not otherwise have come about.
Some of our team members have paddled in International Festivals in Singapore in 2003 and in Australia in 2007. We are all sisters in this journey and look forward to competing in 2014, wherever that may take us, when we are able to once again meet those from past festivals and rekindle friendships enjoying our health and remembering those we have lost. There is life after a breast cancer diagnosis.
We offer all breast cancer survivors the opportunity to join our team and paddle with us on Lake Banook and the Mahone Bay on the South Shore of NS. To find out more about our team and for information on joining, go to our website at www.bosombuddies.ca and Interested in Joining.
Paddles Up!
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