Submitted by Vivian Medley
Hamilton and area dragon boat team, Knot A Breast (KAB) is back practicing on the waters of Hamilton Bay. After six long months of land training, this seventy-member (and counting!) team of breast cancer survivors, paddling out of Macassa Bay Yacht Club, is roaring to get back into their dragon boats and make some serious waves. While it’s a cycle that has been repeated since the team’s beginning in 1998, this season’s return to the water is especially exciting as KAB is training to race in France this August. Oui, France!! Oh là, là!
You may wonder how Knot A Breast secured a berth in a dragon boat competition in Europe this summer. The truth is that this festival is an inclusive event, open to all three hundred and twenty breast cancer teams across thirty-seven countries around the world. It is part of the global, participatory, non-competitive dragon boat events that were started in 2010 under the auspices of the International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission (IBCPC). The first IBCPC festival was held not far from here in Peterborough, Ontario and included seventy-five teams. In subsequent years, it was held in Sarasota, USA, Florence, Italy, Cambridge, New Zealand and soon France. With each successive event, it has grown and this year there are over one hundred and forty teams registered.
In the breast cancer survivor dragon boat arena, these IBCPC events are playfully likened to the Olympics because they are held every four years (with a small disruption of one year during COVID) and include a stunning Parade of Nations and a grand Opening and Closing Ceremony. Quite unlike the Olympics, however, every team in the IBCPC dragon boat festival is awarded the same medal. There are no Gold, Silver or Bronze medal performance distinctions. It is promoted as a participatory event not a competitive event. But we’ll return to that momentarily.
The upcoming festival in France will include over four thousand and five-hundred breast cancer survivors from twenty-five different countries. These paddlers will all converge in the small town of Aix-les-Bains in Southern France to race on the glacial waters of Lac du Bourget. Imagine: thousands and thousands of people – all breast cancer survivors – all congregated in one small town of thirty-three thousand residents – to participate in this physically demanding, global sporting event. Celebrating life. Demonstrating that there is life after a breast cancer diagnosis. Rejoicing in the camaraderie which transcends borders and languages. Their presence in town will be bold and inspirational and their energy will be palpable. As a past participant in these international events, I get goose bumps just thinking about it.
Knot A Breast has two crews registered for France. The crew of one boat are experienced paddlers who recently underwent a competitive selection process among their teammates including physical testing to earn their seat on the boat. The crew of the second boat are intermediate and newer paddlers, two of whom have yet to paddle on a dragon boat! Every single KAB teammate, regardless of crew assignment, will paddle to the best of her ability and is excited, proud and eagerly waiting to be a part of this global event. Those teammates who will be paddling in their first IBCPC dragon boat event cannot possibly fully appreciate what an unforgettable and memorable experience awaits them; truly an experience of a lifetime! And returning paddlers are stoked to once again be a part of this meaningful and exhilarating event!
Now back to the non-competitive aspect of these festivals. Races in IBCPC festivals are timed and teams are seeded based on those times. As a result, there is definitely an undercurrent of competitiveness. There is no question that some of the over one hundred and forty teams that will be at the 2026 event in France will be ‘in it to win it’. They will participate with intense determination, commitment and a focus on achieving victory. In keeping with that fact, you should be aware that Knot A Breast participated in the first three IBCPC festivals (2010, 2014, and 2018) and earned the bragging rights for the fastest performances in each of these three consecutive events. Macassa Bay Yacht Club, proud long-time sponsors of KAB, recognized their performance by hanging a banner on their clubhouse that reads “Where World Champions Come Together to Train”. With that kind of track record and local acclaim, you better believe that one of the two KAB crews will be keeping a very close eye on the clock during races in France!
Until then, thoughts of savouring a croissant and pastry along with a café au lait at a small outdoor café or a baguette with some local cheese and a glass of wine (but only after the Closing Ceremonies!) will help to fuel the fire of KAB over the next three and a half months as they train down by the Bay, where dreams of France are never far away.
Be sure to follow the 2026 season of Knot A Breast on Instagram and Facebook.
