It’s been a busy season for the Pink Dragons team and ending on a high with us finally winning a gold medal at this year’s National Championships at Blue Lake Rotorua. A number of new paddlers joined us throughout the season with a couple joining only weeks before Regionals and Nationals! Without all our new members we would not have been able to achieve our success this season. Our success is not only measured by the medals won but by the friendship and support given to those new paddlers, often only having just completed their treatment and trying to pick up their lives once again.
We’ve been fortunate this year to enjoy most of our regattas with the very best of whether, except for Rotorua that had us shivering from head to toe for the majority of the day! Apart from the usual programme of events we also had the privilege to take part this year in the Make a Wish Foundation’s fund raiser regatta held at Gulf Harbour. A fantastic event that we hope will be repeated next year. The ADBA raised $500 for their wonderful charity that helps sick children’s wishes to come true.
Dragon boat teams always need more funding to compete in their sport and as well as funding from our sponsors, to whom we are eternally grateful, we enjoyed a fund raising event of our own in the form of a quiz night earlier in the year. There were raffles and spot prizes to be won as well as supper supplied for all participating teams. Our next fund raiser will be another Ballentynes fashion night with some of the Pinkies having a go at modelling the outfits themselves. This has been a huge success in the past and lots of fun too!
With the approach of winter paddling starting up again soon at Westhaven, we are once again reaching out to anyone who has had or is going through breast cancer treatment. If you think dragon boating might be for you go to our website www.pinkdragons.org.nz to find out what we’re all about and please do contact us!
Finally I would just like to add a quote from one of our new paddlers.
‘As a "newbie" it was great to come home with a gold medal but for me personally being with a group of women that have shared experiences it is something I will treasure for life.’
It’s been a great season and looking forward to the next!
Written by Chris Johnson
Pink Dragons Team Member
