CanSurvive Wellington - Golden Girls on The Way to Italy
The Wellington dragon boat team of breast cancer survivors, CanSurvive, added to three gold medal winning performances
at the North Island Regional Dragon Boat Regatta in Auckland last weekend, to clinch the coverted 500 metre Gold Medal
Breast Cancer Survive title at the NZDBA National Championships in Ashburton this past weekend.
‘We are going from strength to strength this season’ says team Chairwoman Iona Elwood- Smith ‘This win was just another
one of our goals achieved, as we prepare for the International Breast Cancer world event to be held in Florence, Italy
in July.’
This highly successful Wellington team led by Lower Hutt Coach Jacob de Feijter, hit the line in an extremely tight
finish ahead of their sister teams from Christchurch - Abreast of Life and Tauranga – Boobops, and Busting with Life
from Auckland, winning the Breast Cancer Survivor National Shield.
Cansurvive logged the fastest time on the water, ahead of all the Open Women’s teams, over 2 kilometres in the Auckland
regionals. Coach Jacob de Feijter noted how proud he was that this Wellington team, with an average age of 60 years old,
can perform just as strongly as their much younger paddling competitors. ‘These golden girls continue to prove to young
dragon boaters that you can be highly competitive and feisty no matter what your age.’ he said.
CanSurvive followed - up with Silver medals in both the Breast Cancer Survivor Division 200m and 2 kilometre events.
The fierce competition between all New Zealand breast cancer survivor teams in the sport, encourages them all to step up
their training goals each year, and continue to paddle through teh winter months to improve on strength and fitness.
“This year’s Nationals was such exciting racing and a perfect build up for our bid to race at the International Breast
Cancer Paddlers Commission event in Florence where 120 teams from around the world will come together to paddle”
explained Iona Elwood-Smith.
Survivor dragon boat teams across the country encourage new paddlers to join the sport as part of a positive
rehabilitation following breast cancer treatment.
ENDS