• We participate in the fierce, fast, furious sport of Dragon Boat racing with a competitive spirit.  In doing so, we promote breast cancer awareness and the early detection of breast cancer in younger women and men.

• Our Club invites breast cancer survivors – both female and male – and their supporters to join us in the Dragon Boat Association, registered as Dragon Boat SA, as one of their 10 clubs in South Australia.

• Dragon Boat paddling was first introduced to breast cancer survivors in 1996 in Vancouver, Canada.  Dr Don Mackenzie from the Sports Institute of Vancouver took a group of survivors out on the water in a dragon boat.  The exercise of paddling helped reduce lymphodema (the swelling of the arm after surgery) and their participation in this sport gave the women inspiration to celebrate life.

Our founding members of ASA Inc are the “originals” of the first breast cancer survivor team in South Australia in 2001.  We also have a male breast cancer survivor in our Club (1% of all diagnosed breast cancer occurs in males).

We have helped motivate and inspire the first Malaysian teams of survivors to paddle in dragon boats in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

Some of our paddlers have traveled to compete in Rome, Cape Town, Penang, and Vancouver, Singapore and nationally in Queensland, ACT and Victoria over the last 5 years, with a swag of medals to their credit.

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Australia, we participate in breast cancer awareness events to promote our cause.

We support the scientific work of Dr Sally Stephenson at the QEH’s SA Medical Research Trust in their search for a cure for breast cancer.  Sally has also paddled in our boat as a supporter.

We train on West Lakes at “The Aquatic Reserve”, Bower Road, 2-3 times a week all year round.  Our allocated training times are Tuesdays and Thursdays 6.00 – 7.00 pm and Saturdays 3.00 – 4.00 pm.

In 1995 Dr Don Mackenzie, a Sports Medicine Physician at the University of British Columbia, started researching the issue of rehabilitation following diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.  Current opinion had prevailed that the avoidance of strenuous exercise was necessary to prevent lymphodema, or swelling of the arm where lymph nodes had been removed.  Dr Mackenzie believed that upper body exercise had a role in recovery from breast cancer and lymphodema because it could improve range of motion and reverse muscle atrophy, activate skeletal muscle (which may help pump lymph), and stimulate the immune system.

To test his theories he formed a dragon boat team - Abreast in a Boat – in Vancouver in February 1996.  The only criteria for joining were cancer diagnosis in the breast:  age, athletic ability and paddling experience were not considered.

Dragon boating was chosen for several reasons.  It is a strenuous, repetitive upper body activity.  It is non-weight bearing and therefore associated with a lower risk of injury than weight dependant activities such as running.  It uses predominantly upper extremity and trunk muscles, and the improvement in strength has a carry-over effect to day-to-day activity.  The training intensity can be varied simply by pulling harder.

That first team had their first look at a dragon boat in April, trained twice weekly on the water through April, May and June and then competed in their first race at the Vancouver Festival in late June 1996. 

The findings were compelling.  The paddlers showed a marked improvement in both physical and mental health.  Several women reported improved range of motion of their shoulders and there were no cases of lymphodema.  To other people with breast cancer, the women paddlers have become role models, giving inspiration to lead full and active lives.

Today in 2007, that first team has grown to over 100 worldwide - in Canada, USA, a team in every state of Australia and teams in Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Italy, South Africa, Dubai, India, Poland and the United Kingdom – all reaching out to other women (and men) and offering them a message of hope and support.