CINCY DRAGONFEST AT PADDLEFEST – CANCELLED FOR THIS YEAR.

               

Please join us and take part in the first Cincy Dragonfest at Paddlefest 2013. 

Dragon boating has been around for over 2500 years and is the fastest growing on water team sport in the USA.  A Dragon Boat team consists of 14 to 20 paddlers, a drummer, and a steersperson. It is a unique and exciting team experience that you can do with your friends, family, and co-workers. Our invitation to you is to put together a team and come and take part in this great event. We will provide you with an experienced drummer and steersperson. All you need to do is get 14 to 20 fun-loving paddlers. No experience is necessary, just a great attitude and a willingness to work together. This teambuilding and bonding experience will also help support two great organizations Paddling for Cancer Awareness and Camp Joy. Registration for this event is $400 per team (a team of 20 people, just $20 per person.) All registration proceeds will be split evenly between Paddling for Cancer Awareness, Inc. and Camp Joy. If you would like to find sponsors or raise additional money, you will be able to designate how much of this additional money you would like to donate to each organization.

The Cincy Dragonfest is part of Paddlefest 2013 and takes place on Friday, June 21 and at Lake Como, at Coney Island. The registration deadline is Friday, June 14th.  Any additional money raised can be turned in the day of the event at check in. Check in will begin on June 21 at 3:30pm on Lake Como. At this time you will be given the opportunity to meet with your drummer and steersperson, who can help coach you on the art of Dragon Boat Paddling. This is a bracket elimination race. Each team will participate in a minimum of 2-200 meter races and a maximum of 5. An awards ceremony will take place around 8:00pm, after all the races are over.

The Paddlefest Waiver Form must be signed by all team members and submitted by 4:30 p.m. on June 21, 2013. Only paddlers with wrist bands will be able to participate.  To fill this out ahead of time visit www.paddlefest waiver.org.

Registration Deadline is May 20, 2013. (Late registrations may be processed to field 16 teams, however the Cincy Dragonfest Committee reserves the right to refuse team entries.)

The Team Registration Fee is $400.00.  Teams can be 14 to 20 participants.  Registration will close at 16 total teams. Each team member may participate in 2 practice sessions prior to the event at A.J.JollyLake. Additional team practices may be scheduled at additional cost. Visit www.kythoroughbreasts.org for practice schedule times.

Payment Check/Money Orders are payable to Paddling for Cancer Awareness, Inc. EIN 26-3552805

DragonFest Registration Form 2013-PDF

Mail registration forms and payment to:

The Kentucky Thorough-Breasts
P.O. Box 76213
Highland Heights, Kentucky 41076

Teams and individual team members are encouraged to use this event to raise additional money.  CampJoy’s Cancer Program and Kentucky Thorough-Breasts will share in the proceeds. Additional fund raising money can be turned in at check- in on June 21st and you are able to designate Paddling for Cancer Awareness or Camp Joy as the recipient of this additional money.

Check in will begin on June 21st at 2:30 pm at Lake Como, Coney Island, at which time you can meet with your coach and drummer.  The Races will begin promptly at 5:00 pm with an awards ceremony to follow.

We (the participating team) understand that final team qualifications are subject to the approval of the Cincy Dragonfest Committee and they reserve the right to make changes to the venue in consideration of time and safety. All race times and results are determined by the race officials and their decision is final.  This is a bracket elimination race.  Each team will participate in a minimum of 2 races and a maximum of 5. 

Awards will be given to the winner of the race as well as the team that raises the most additional money.

For more information on Paddlefest or the Dragon Boat Race please visit:  

For questions, please call or email Adam Cassi Program Manager for Leadership and Development – Camp Joy 937-289-2031 ext 293 or email – adamcassi@camp-joy.org

This is a fantastic opportunity for team building, fun, and excitement and lots of fun while supporting a great cause. So get a team together and join us!

Paddlefest and Dragon Boat Races

The origin of dragon boat racing can be traced back to ancient China. The variety of folklore that addresses the genesis of the sport does little to explain how it has survived for over 2500 years, making it the oldest on water team sport in the world. Even more outstanding, dragon boat racing is the fastest growing on water team sport in the USA. The breast cancer survivor (BCS) component serves only to accelerate the growth of dragon boat festivals around the globe.

The origin of dragon boat racing in the tri-state is a bit easier to document. The concept of dragon boat racing as a part of Paddlefest was first suggested as a means to attract more people to the Serpentine Wall and keep the paddlers there after they got off the river. This idea seemed to churn in the collective unconscious of the Paddlefest Committee for several years and resurfaced with war canoe races between the ice breakers and the public landing.

It was about this time that one of the committee members, Julie Heenan, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Julie’s oncologist suggested to her caregivers to encourage her to engage in some kind of project or activity to help take her mind off the disease and the aggressive chemo treatments. In response, one of the war canoes was painted pink and Julie filled it and the other two 32’ canoes with breast cancer survivors, their family members and caregivers.The pink canoe became the flag ship of Paddlefest.

Unfortunately, the treatment given to many women with breast cancer leads to a lower quality of life and the threat of a very painful side effect known as lymphedema. Women are told not to lift babies, carry groceries, run vacuum cleaners, get shots or have blood pressure taken from the affected arm.

That’s a pretty dire prognosis for a paddler.

This also bothered a sports physician and kayaker, Dr. Don McKenzie M.D. fromVancouver, B.C. He conducted a landmark study that proved that the repetitive motion required of dragon boat paddlers was actually beneficial to breast cancer survivors. A Health Educator from Three Rivers District Health Department stumbled upon this research and discovered the growing number of breast cancer survivors that were forming dragon boat teams including a team in Indiana and two inOhio. He wrote a grant to the Komen Foundation to purchase a dragon boat and help form the Blue Grass State’s first BCS team, the Kentucky Thorough-Breast “Surviving in Sync”.

The team’s first race began under the Purple People Bridge along the Serpentine Wall during Paddlefest 2009. With the help of Paddlefest they created their very own festival atA.J.JollyLakein 2010. The Kentucky Thorough Breast BCS Team took first place in their division at the International Breast Cancer Survivor Dragon Boat Festival in Windsor,Ontarioin 2011 and this year the Kentucky Thorough Breast team will host the first Paddlefest Dragon Boat Festival onLakeComoat Paddlefest 2012.

For more information on the tri-states own BCS dragon boat team visit www.kythoroughbreasts.org.