By Vivian Medley
Sometimes amazing things are happening in your own backyard but, for whatever reason, you’re simply unaware. Knot A Breast (KAB) is a unique dragon boat team that may very well be one of those things. Far from being the new kid on the block, Knot A Breast has been paddling out of Macassa Bay Yacht Club on the waters of Hamilton Bay for over 25 years. North Enders and longtime team members Vivian Medley and Kathy MacFarlane are excited to introduce you to both dragon boating and the Knot A Breast team. Who knows, they just may become your favourite sports team!
Dragon boating is a sport that is practiced worldwide and has its origins in ancient Chinese culture. The boat is 40 feet long, has colorful painted scales on the sides and, when used in races, dons a dragon head at the front and a tail at the back. There are 20 paddlers who sit in pairs side-by-side, facing forward. They use single bladed paddles to propel themselves and the roughly 250 kg boat forward. No easy feat! There’s also a drummer at the front who keeps the paddlers in rhythm, a steersperson in back who uses a long oar to guide the boat and, of course, a coach who instructs and trains the team. Dragon boaters are adamant that they paddle, they do not row!
Knot A Breast is a Hamilton dragon boat team with a crew of fiercely resilient, determined and strong women who happen to be breast cancer survivors. With close to 70, active paddlers, ages spanning over 40 years (mid-thirties to late seventies) with varying levels of athleticism and experience playing sports, Knot A Breast is clearly not your typical sports team. The only requirement for joining this team is having had a breast cancer diagnosis. And perhaps a sense of adventure!
Imagine, if you can, being on the receiving end of a breast cancer diagnosis. One’s world comes to an abrupt halt and is singularly, laser focussed on doing what needs to be done to fight and survive this disease. And when the weeks or months of treatment are done, then what? How do you move on? Where do you turn? Many may look to join a support group and, thankfully, there are many available. Then imagine learning of a support group where other survivors meet not in an office but on the water; a floating support group, if you will. Where the emphasis is on living your best life following a diagnosis of breast cancer; where your fitness goals are challenged and you are taken to places and levels you never knew possible. Where you’re supported by others who have been in the same boat and with whom you make strong and lasting friendships. Breast cancer survivor dragon boating offers just that. Ask any Knot A Breast team member and they’ll tell you that dragon boating is transformative; it’s physical and mental benefits are truly dramatic and long lasting.
Breast cancer survivor dragon boating originates right here in Canada! It started as a research study in 1995 headed by Dr. Don McKenzie, a sports medicine physician and physiologist in Vancouver. He wanted to challenge the recommendation given to breast cancer survivors that they should avoid repetitive upper body exercise following treatment because it could lead to a chronic and painful condition known as lymphedema. A group of breast cancer survivors bravely volunteered to learn to dragon boat, an activity that requires significant upper body movement. And after 3 months of training there was no rise in the incidence of lymphedema amongst this group! These women continued to paddle, calling themselves A Breast in A Boat and became the first all breast cancer survivor dragon boat team. Since then, the breast cancer survivor dragon boat community has exploded including over 365 teams across 39 countries and 6 continents. It has enriched the lives of thousands and thousands of breast cancer survivors, women and men alike and forever changed the way we view life after breast cancer. Incredible! And Hamilton’s Knot A Breast team is part of this amazing movement.
Currently, the Knot A Breast crew is winding down their indoor winter training – they’ve been diligently working, increasing their strength and cardio at local gyms as well as technique training at an indoor tank in Welland. The countdown is on for the start of on-water training and racing scheduled to begin early May. It’s during these 5 months that you’ll see (and hear!) Knot A Breast practicing on the bay. The team has selected the races for the 2025 season and would love for you to come cheer them on! The first of 7 races is May 24 at Kelso Conservation area in Milton. Be prepared to feel the excitement as you witness a fleet of colorful dragon boats powering through the water and hear the cheers of the crowd!
There is so much more to know about Knot A Breast including how their success and longevity is owed to the generosity of our community and how Knot A Breast is actively involved in giving back to the community. But our space is up, at least for this month. Until next time, visit knotabreast.com or follow us on Facebook. And remember to look and listen for dragons in the North End!
