Hundreds of dragon boat enthusiasts from as far away as Dubuque, Iowa converged in downtown Wallaceburg Saturday morning for the 15th annual Sydenham Challenge Dragon Boat Festival.
Organizer and event co-founder Brian Armitage said some 30 teams of more than 20 members came out for fun, camaraderie and to raise funds for the local Breast Buddies team and the Chatham-Kent United Way.
“There are a lot of breast cancer survivors among the paddlers as well as friends, family and supporters,” he said. “Some take the competition aspect more seriously than others but for everyone, the real purpose is to show that they’re not going to be beaten by cancer.”
Armitage has a personal stake in the event as his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer several years ago. “We learned that the paddling action was very therapeutic and it was about that time that dragon boat races began popping up around North America.
“We’re self-sustaining due to a tremendous group of volunteers who work very hard to ensure the participants are treated well and we remember the reason we’re here,” he said.
More than 40 races were held but the event came to a standstill for the traditional breast cancer flower ceremony in which flowers, often carnations, are tossed into the water to remember those who have been claimed by the disease.
The event’s A division was won by the Bolting Turtles who defeated Hope floats by a less than a two-tenths of a second over the Sydenham River mooring basis course.
North River Line defeated Pink’s Nipples & Ripples in the B final while Bethel Buddies won over Inclusion Rules in the C flight. Southwest Dragons took the title in the D division over Le buzz de St.-Michel.
Preliminary figures show the event raised more than $18,000.
