Cancer survivors set paddles for France

Five Marlborough women are preparing to take their paddles to France as they join breast cancer survivors from around the world at the International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission Festival.

The women are part of Simply the Breast, Marlborough’s long running dragon boat team. They will travel as part of Kiwi Pinks Aotearoa NZ, a composite team bringing together wahine toa from five clubs across the country, alongside more than 120 New Zealand paddlers making the journey to France.

Held every three to four years, the IBCPC’s festival will bring together more than 4,500 paddlers from over 320 teams representing 37 countries at Lac du Bourget in Aix-les-Bains from 24 to 30 August.

Simply the Breast, formed in 2007, has grown into a supportive crew of around 20–25 paddlers, including survivors and support paddlers who train on the Wairau River. For organiser and team manager Bridget Ennals, the sport has become central to her life since joining the club in 2018 following her own diagnosis.

“My life is dragon boating,” she said. “I thrive on it, and I know a lot of the other members do, too. The team is like a second family.”

Shared journey
Preparing for an international event during a New Zealand winter has required commitment and creativity. The team trains three times a week and has made good use of Stadium 2000.

With limited daylight and cold conditions, they’ve hired a pool lane and practised while sitting on stools at the water’s edge. Bridget says the “dead water” training has provided an ideal way to refine the team’s technique over winter.

The community has also rallied behind them. Stadium 2000’s support has been invaluable, and fundraising efforts – including a quiz night at the Woodbourne Tavern and raffles at the Home & Garden Show – have helped cover costs.

While the competition includes 500m and 200m races, for the Kiwi Pinks, the festival represents something much bigger. Bridget noted, “It’s about having fun, being in another country doing what we love, and sharing that experience with people who understand the journey we have all been on.”

Bridget says one of the most poignant moments of the festival is the Flower Ceremony, held before the closing event: “We are in boats on the water, we sing, we hold hands, and we have a moment of silence to remember those we have lost, before we each put our flowers in the water and it becomes a sea of flowers.”

The team will also carry a photograph of one member who passed away during the two-year lead-up to the festival, ensuring she is there with them.