Local Cancer Survivors to Race Dragons in World Championships!

Just one of four US all cancer survivor dragon boat clubs, and the only New England club selected, Wellness Warriors faces off against other survivor athletes in the 14th International Dragon Boat Federation World Club Crew Championships in Ravenna, Italy, September 2024.

We are cancer thrivers. We are men and women of all ages who are surviving all types of cancers, and many continue to undergo treatment for their cancer. Wellness Warriors’ survivor athletes are police officers, teachers, nurses, musicians, artists, veterans, volunteers, and retirees. We are the young mother of a child with special needs, a physician-researcher with a promising career cut short, an audiologist, a television producer, a psychologist, a veterinarian, a physical therapist, a university program manager, a Girl Scout Troop Leader. Wellness Warriors, our floating dragon boat support group, has allowed us to thrive, earning us berths in the world championship races in 2020 and 2024.

Why we dragon boat? Dragon boating is a full-body sport that emphasizes communal strength, endurance and synchronization. For cancer survivors, it is a way to recover strength and regain physical confidence after treatment while bonding with other survivors. Wellness Warriors shows people touched by cancer that there is much life to live after diagnosis, giving hope and inspiration for the future. Wellness Warriors challenges us to get stronger together both mentally and physically through the sport of dragon boat.

How to see Wellness Warriors in action! Wellness Warriors helps all cancer survivors find their
inner athlete, whether or not they choose to race. For those who thrive on competition, Wellness Warriors competes on and off the water year round. Our winter training is fierce, from intensive indoor paddling work on rowing machines fitted with paddles, to weight training and even a paddle camp coached by coaches of the US Dragon Boat team. Our first water race of the 2024 season will be in June at the Boston Dragon Boat Festival. This season our survivor athletes have much to work toward with the upcoming Club Crew World Championships.

To learn more about Wellness Warriors find us at www.wellnesswarriorsboston.org and follow us on FB and Spoutible: @WWBostonDB or Instagram: wwbostondb

Contact Kathleen Schnaidt, President, copresident@wellnesswarriorsboston.org