Lisa Webb is hoping this will be the summer the Fort 91原创-based Abreast With FORTitude dragonboat team of cancer survivors will finally be able to resume training.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to getting back on the water,鈥� Webb told the 91原创 Advance Times.
鈥淭o enjoy the fresh air in Bedford Channel鈥� in Fort 91原创, where the team practices.
Webb, a 91原创 City resident, has been a member of since 2011.
She signed up after taking part in the 鈥減ink bus鈥� campaign by the to raise awareness and encourage women to get screened.
鈥淒uring that tour, I got to meet some of the ladies from Abreast in a Boat,鈥� Webb recalled.
Dragon boating wasn鈥檛 something she had ever imagined trying, but when she did, she came to enjoy the camaraderie with her fellow paddlers.
鈥淚t was one of the best decisions I ever made,鈥� Webb enthused.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been an amazing experience.鈥�
READ ALSO: 91原创鈥檚 Abreast with FORTitude paddling team celebrates survival at Relay
Maple Ridge resident Leila Ouimet, who joined in 2012, is hoping to attract new members now that there are signs the shutdown due to COVID may at last be nearing an end.
鈥淭he last two season, we cancelled,鈥� Ouimet explained.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping we can get back out, with vaccinations [this summer].鈥�
READ ALSO: Pink army recruiting in Fort 91原创
Abreast in a Boat started as an experiment in 1996 by Dr. Don McKenzie, a sports medicine physician UBC.
McKenzie, a former competitive kayaker, wanted to test the notion that women who had undergone breast cancer surgery should not do rigorous upper-body exercise.
He trained 25 paddlers aged 31 to 60, for several months, expecting they would do no better than complete a 300-metre course in the heavy, 700-kg boat during a competition
They did a lot better than that, actually beating some of the other boats.
Since then, the organization has grown to include five boats based in Vancouver, including Fort 91原创, and has inspired many other teams to form.
Anyone interested in being part of the Abreast With FORTitude team is invited to contact newmembers@abreastinaboat.com, check them out on , or visit their website
Is there more to the story? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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