The Spirit Abreast Dragon Boat Team is no stranger to battle and that goes beyond the competitions on the water. All the members have all fought breast cancer and survived.

“It’s a time for people maybe interested in joining the team to come out and try it, it’s also a time for us to tell them about the team” says team member Julie Houlker. “We’re a sports team, but we’re also a support group.”

The team trains on Cultus Lake and generally competes from March to September. Most of the team is made up breast cancer survivors but they do have some associate members who have joined the team to help fill out the ranks. “A full boat is 20 paddlers, a drummer and a steersperson” Houlker says.

Spirit Abreast hopes to find some more breast cancer survivors to join in the hopes of having a team made up entirely of women who have battled breast cancer.

The team competes in a number of events around B.C. such as False Creek in May, Nanaimo and Harrison Lake in July, Cultus Lake in August and Penticton in September.

To view the team’s practice schedule click here >>

To visit the Spirit Abreast Dragon Boat Team website click here >>>

Spirit Abreast