A Bit of History…
In October of 1999, a local breast cancer survivor, Meredith Cosburn was encouraged by her friend (a member of the Toronto “Dragons Abreast” team), to do what she had done to help with her own recovery. Join a dragon boat team! So that’s what Meredith did. She recruited her Liberty Mutual Insurance co-worker Sherry Vaughn and 4 other breast cancer survivors to form the beginnings of a Peterborough dragon boat team. An article in the Peterborough Examiner called for 16 more breast cancer survivors to join them.
But why a Dragon boat Team?
Breast cancer survivor dragon boat paddling began at the University of British Columbia in 1996. Dr. Don McKenzie a professor in the Department of sports medicine and an exercise physiologist, challenged the prevailing medical thinking that woman treated for breast cancer should avoid rigorous upper body exercise for fear of developing lymphoedema, a debilitating and chronic side-effect of treatment. Dr. McKenzie developed a program to determine the impact of exercise on breast cancer survivors, choosing dragon boat paddling as the epitome of strenuous, repetitive upper body exercise. He trained twenty-four breast cancer volunteers in a gym for three months, introduced them to dragon boats and taught them paddling techniques. At the end of the three-month season on the water none of the volunteers had lymphoedema. Not only that, survivors found they were fitter, healthier and happier. They loved the camaraderie and support of their fellow paddlers. They realized Dragon boat paddling could become a means of raising breast cancer awareness and show that survivors could lead normal lives.
By January 2000 the “Peterborough and District Breast Cancer Survivors Drag
on Boat Team” was 27 members strong and they were excited to learn how to paddle. The Team soon adopted the name Survivors Abreast Peterborough.
Fundraising for equipment and raising awareness began right away with a float in the 1999 Santa clause parade, followed by an event at Portage place in January 2000 which included a “loonie toonie walk”, where anyone wishing to donate money would stick their loonies or toonies to the tape on the floor. Donation jars were put in stores, and a hair cut-athon and benefit dance were also organized.
Training got started too! Meredith recruited Len Minty, an experienced paddler as coach. Later, Len and Meredith would inspire the idea of holding dragon boat races on Little Lake. Len was instrumental in getting Peterborough’s Dragon Festival off the ground and served as Festival Race Director for the first 10 years.
During the winter months, thanks to the generosity of the YMCA, Len Minty arranged for the team to start practicing at the side of the pool using special, smaller practice paddles. The team’s goal was to prepare for the real thing – dragon boat races in Pickering and the Toronto area.
“Dragon boat racing is the avenue breast cancer survivors have chosen to get support and to support themselves. It’s a curious choice, but it’s really growing.” ~Quote from Len Minty, Former Survivors Abreast Coach~
The team still needed a boat and Dr. John Rowsom, then chief of surgery at PRHC, was instrumental in helping the team overcome this hurdle. He and three other doctors, Dr. R. Chenoweth, Dr. J. Scott and the late Dr. R. Jaroszonek, each donated $1,000 for a down payment towards a dragon boat. A story about the team published in the Peterborough Examiner sparked enough interest for Liberty Mutual to provide the rest of the money needed to pay for a dragon boat built by Glenn Fallis of Voyageur Canoe. The Holiday Inn then donated wharf space and the Chamber of Commerce offered free parking. Lawyer Bill Lockington volunteered free legal counsel to incorporate the team and operate under the hospital’s umbrella. It truly was a community effort.
“This is a good focal point for breast cancer survivors. You combine the physical fitness advantages, the overall wellness and the rise in awareness for this and it’s a great thing. Quote from “~ Dr. John Rowsom, surgeon at The Medical Centre, Peterborough~
April 30, 2000 was the first time the team actually got in the boat. The community was on board right away and a special dedication was held with a traditional eye-dotting ceremony.
The team’s first race was in Pickering on June 10, 2000. Survivors Abreast finished their very first race (440 meters) in 2 min 39 seconds. To their surprise, Dr Rowsom was waiting for them at the finish line! They were inspired and an idea was percolating…
To raise awareness about breast cancer, Survivors Abreast marked it’s first “Awareness Day” on October 21, 2000 by displaying its dragon boat inside Sears. The very next weekend, the team held it’s first community fundraising event, a pink ribbon ball which raised $21,850 toward diagnostic imaging equipment at the new PRHC breast assessment centre which officially opened in September 2000, one of the first centres in Ontario. And so, the festival goals of Fundraising, Awareness, and Participation were unknowingly being established.
2001 was a big year for Survivors Abreast. The team website was launched and President Meredith Cosburn announced that dragon boat races would take place on Little Lake as part of the 3rd annual Great Kawartha Canoe-A-Thon. The event was called Liberty Mutual’s Day on the Water and was in support of various charities. Survivors Abreast donated $25,000 to the PRHC Breast Assessment Centre.
In 2002 Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival took on a life of its own and hosted its very first official Dragon Boat Festival. $84,509.18 was donated to the PRHC Foundation in support of the Breast Assessment Centre. The event has since grown to be one of our communities’ most anticipated events to kick off the summer.
By 2007 the festival had raised over $1million and the team was awarded a Civic award for community betterment. The new breast assessment centre at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre was completed in 2008 and was named the “Survivors Abreast Breast Assessment Centre”. In 2008 the team also received a Peterborough This Week Philanthropy Award.
In the beginning, the Draggin’ Dawgs dragon boat team was a supporter team made up of spouses, sons, daughters & friends of Survivors Abreast team members who had been touched by breast cancer. For several years, this dedicated group raced in Peterborough’s festival and sometimes travelled to out-of-town festivals with Survivors Abreast, racing or cheering them on from the shore.
Survivors Abreast travelled to Vancouver in 2005 in celebration of the Abreast in a Boat team’s 10th anniversary and of Dr Don Mackenzie who founded the breast cancer paddling movement. This festival proved to be the very first International dragon boat festival for breast cancer paddlers. A second one was held in Australia 2 years later. These led to the formation of the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission (IBCPC), a commission of the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF). A formal bidding process was introduced for the 2010 International festival, and Peterborough was chosen over 2 teams from England, 1 from Italy and 1 from New Zealand.
66 teams came from all over Canada, the US, Australia, England, Italy and South Africa. Survivors Abreast was awarded three Peterborough Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence awards that year. One for tourism, Health and Wellness and Marketing, and one for Promotions. The International festival has been held every 4 years since 2010. Survivors Abreast travelled to Sarasota in 2014, to Italy in 2018 and New Zealand in 2023. We are looking forward to attending the International festival in Aix-Des-Bains France in 2026.
Survivors Abreast has represented Peterborough at regattas near and far….rain or shine. We continue to raise awareness, and give back to our community. 2023 was a record year for Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival, raising $290,025.18! To date, our Festival has donated over $4.2 million dollars to the PRHC Foundation in support of equipment to screen, diagnose and treat cancer at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
Survivors Abreast has grown over the years, and the Festival has evolved…But it’s always been about Hope, Passion, Dedication, Community, Fun and Making a Difference, One Race at a Time.
