DRAGON DIVAS OF SAINT PAUL
Dragon Divas
St. Paul, Minnesota
About Dragon Divas and Dragon Boating
Dragon Divas was founded in 2006 with 8 breast cancer survivors on board, bringing a message of hope that those diagnosed with this disease could return to active lifestyles and enjoy a full life after treatment.
Today with more than 70 members, we embody our message by advocating year-round physical fitness, racing dragon boats at regional events each season, and promoting education and outreach activities through the year. Winning races isn’t our primary goal; instead, we are a unique group of women who enjoy the sport of dragon boat racing to empower each member to improve her personal physical and mental fitness. Dragon Divas is a cohesive, supportive team both on and off the water, committed to promoting awareness of the importance of early breast cancer detection.
Dragon boats are long, colorful vessels adorned with a dragon head at the front and tail at the back, and room for 20 paddlers, a drummer and a stern. Dragon boat racing became connected with breast cancer in 1996 as a result of studies challenging the prevailing medical thinking that women treated for breast cancer should avoid rigorous upper body exercise. The studies not only debunked the myths about exercise, they revealed that participants experienced physical and mental health benefits as a result of dragon boat paddling. There are currently more than 260 Breast Cancer Survivor (BCS) dragon boat racing teams around the world representing 33 countries.
Mission Statement
The mission of Dragon Divas is to demonstrate that a full and active life is possible after a breast cancer diagnosis. Our organization provides an opportunity for members to connect with other breast cancer survivors in a supportive environment to enhance physical, emotional and spiritual health.
We are dedicated to promoting the early detection of breast cancer and raising awareness in the community of the importance of physical fitness in fighting this disease. Through our message and actions, Dragon Divas honor the memory of those who have died from the disease and the blessings they have bestowed on our survivorship.
Core Values
As a team of thriving breast cancer survivors, we live our core values:
· HEALTH: We emphasize the benefits of exercise in living longer and thriving following a diagnosis of breast cancer and demonstrate how to live a life without limits following the diagnosis.
· AWARENESS: We promote awareness in the wider community about the importance of early detection and the benefits of an active lifestyle in fighting this disease.
· SUPPORT: We are dedicated to helping survivors attain their personal well-being in body and spirit. We support and encourage each other’s journey through mentorship and our unique camaraderie.
· REMEMBRANCE: We honor those who have gone before us for what they have taught us about living with and dying from this disease, and what their journey has taught our physicians and researchers about curing this disease.
· TEAMWORK: We pull together as a team to live our values and attain our goals.
· HONESTY & SPORTSMANSHIP: We conduct ourselves with authenticity tempered by compassion in the spirit of love. We demonstrate our spirit by being gracious in victory and defeat.
Our Membership and Geographic Area Served
Through our outreach programs we encourage all breast cancer survivors to live active and vibrant lives throughout St. Paul, Minneapolis, and surrounding communities including western Wisconsin. Each season we participate in Dragon Boat festivals in Minnesota and the broader upper Midwest region.
Every 4 years, the Dragon Divas participate in the International Breast Cancer Survivor Dragon Boat festival where paddlers from around the world gather to celebrate survivorship. We have traveled to Peterborough, Ontario, Sarasota, Florida and most recently Florence, Italy in a spirit of friendly competition with 3,500+ survivors and 125 BCS teams. New Zealand will host the next international festival in 2023, delayed a year due to the pandemic.
Dragon Divas in 2021
In 2021, the Dragon Divas and our beloved dragon boats were back on the water, resuming some time-honored traditions. Our season began on the beach with the blessing of our boats. We celebrated the end of our paddling season with friends and family who have supported us.
Virtual collaboration continued. We zoomed training classes, educational and inspirational webinars, read and discussed at book club, played scrabble. We continued to meet outdoors in safe ways — kayaking, golfing, walking groups and pickle ball games.
We reached out to other breast cancer survivors through the Saint Paul West Side Clinic, offering holiday support. Existing friendships deepened and we welcomed 15 new survivors to the Dragon Divas.
Looking forward
2022 is our 17th season, and the Dragon Divas will be on the water together paddling our boats, Nessie and Blue, while supporting each other and our communities. We warmly welcome new survivors and invite you to get in touch to learn more. Paddles up!
CODE WORD: DIVAS
