St. Paul's Dragon Divas: How dragon boat racing became medicine for breast cancer survivors
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A local dragon boat racing team is making waves as they get ready to compete on the international stage, showing how their sport is more than just a race.
Training for the international dragon boat festival
What we know:
The Dragon Divas, a St. Paul-based breast cancer support group, trained on Lake Gervais Wednesday with 44 women on the water, which is about a quarter of the team.
Each practice session is a demanding workout, with every paddle stroke generating dozens of pounds of force and plenty of sweat.
"It's definitely a workout. It's not for the faint of heart," said Beka Gonzalez-Olson, a member of the Dragon Divas.
The team is made up of a steering person and a drummer, plus 20 paddlers per boat, moving in sync to accelerate across the lake.
"It's not a matter of you going faster. It's being basically in sync as a team. And that's really how you make things move," said Gonzalez-Olson.
"Dragon boat racing, to me, it's like the ultimate team sport," said Kerry Crain, another Dragon Diva.
Most of the women joined the team after their breast cancer treatment, looking for a new community and a way to stay active.
"We say the cost of entry to this team is exorbitant, but once you're here, it's worth it. I mean, it, absolutely worth it," said Ali Joglekar, who now coaches and steers the boat.
Practices on Lake Gervais are guided by a drummer up front, calling out commands and keeping the paddlers in time.
"Keep breathing," can be heard as encouragement from the front of the boat.
The importance of teamwork and support
Why you should care:
The women credit their recovery and strength to the support they find in each other. For the Dragon Divas, dragon boat racing is more than just a sport — it’s a metaphor for breast cancer survival.
"Because the best recovery is when you're not doing this alone," said Crain.
The team travels to festivals across the region and, every four years, around the world.
Their next big trip will take them to France in August for the international festival, but for now, their focus is on practice and the peace they find on the water.
The Dragon Divas say most members had never heard of dragon boat racing until they were searching for life after breast cancer.
Joglekar was inspired by photos from the 2018 international festival and decided to join after her own diagnosis.
"I was like, this is incredible, but what is dragon boating? So I Googled it," said Joglekar.
The group’s journey is about more than competition — it’s about healing, camaraderie and proving what’s possible after cancer.
What's next:
We’ll hear a lot more from the Dragon Divas on Sunday night, including how dragon boat racing flipped the science of breast cancer recovery.