Port Dover

I had the pleasant opportunity of accompanying our City’s only touring Dragonboat Racing team, the Warriors of Hope, on a trip to Port Dover and Welland over the weekend. Entered in the Breast Cancer Survivor category on both days the Warriors acquitted themselves very well, both on the water and off, winning their category and one heat (against mixed teams) in Port Dover.

One of the aims of the Warriors is to raise awareness of Breast Cancer and that there can be an active life after breast cancer for women, such as in racing Dragonboats. The city of Port Dover, and other teams who had not seen the breast cancer survivor teams before, welcomed both the Warriors and the Wonder Broads with open arms. On the waters of Silver Lake, a couple of local teams were surprised and left in the wash of the battling women.

The carnation ceremony was new to the spectators at Port Dover, but as I stood beside a young mother with a babe-in-arms, I could only nod my acknowledgment as tears streamed down her face. Cancer touches too many of us.

Sylvia Gray, Warrior extraordinaire, comes from Port Dover and it was a home-coming for her to bring the team to this beautiful little town on Lake Erie. Somehow she did some gentle arm twisting and talked her old school chums into hosting the Warriors for a wine and cheese at their heritage home. Built in 1820 and added to in 1850 and 1870, the home is a veritable working museum with antiques that the Antiques Road Show would love to see.

After the races on Saturday we were invited to a dinner at another friend’s home where the hospitality equalled that of the day before. This time we had Mayor Rita Kalmbach and her husband Emil at our table and got to swap success stories about events that build community spirit. Port Dover is known for its Friday the 13th motorcycle rallies when bikers from across North America gather for the day. Some towns might frown on having 4,000 motorcycles invade their digs, but Port Dover loves them. Many return on July 1st when over a 100,000 visitors arrive for the celebration.

The Mayor gave the team a glowing after-dinner speech saying how impressed she was with their team spirit so in return the Warriors broke the Noise Bylaw by doing their song and chant. Thank you Port Dover.

In Welland the Breast Cancer Survivor teams gathered for the North American Club Crew championships where 58 teams competed. These were not teams made up from the people in the office who wanted a day on the water, but highly trained athletes. The competition on the water was fierce as some of these teams were trying to qualify for the 2006 Club Crew World Championships. Even I had to cheer for the Sudbury team as they stroked out to the start line to the accompaniment of Stompin’ Tom’s “Sudbury Saturday Night.”

The six Breast Cancer Survivor teams were there to qualify their division in the Club Crew Championships, thus gaining important prestige for the Breast Cancer awareness program. Knot A Breast (Hamilton) posted a time of 1:00:26 in the final 200 metre sprint followed by Hope Afloat (Philadelphia), Robust (London), Warriors, Dragon Flies (Port Perry) and Canadians Abreast (national team). In a race where all 6 boats were separated by only six seconds, everyone was cheering them on. Well done team!

(And yes, Sandra, I’ll get a new Warrior shirt before the next race event! I thought that old grey tee shirt had a couple of more years in it…)