'Dragon' Sharon set for Florence boat festival
CASTLEBAR local Sharon McDonnell, from the Gráinne Mhaol Dragon boat club in Castlebar, plans to travel and take part in the IBCPC Dragon Boat Festival in Florence, Italy, in July 2018.
The International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission (IBCPC) Dragon Boat Festival is held every four years under the auspices of the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission. The festival is an international non-competitive participatory event targeting breast cancer survivors teams who engage in dragon boat activities as post-operative rehabilitation.
The Irish team - the Wild Atlantic Warriors - will be participating in the IBCPC regatta in Florence and Sharon is delighted to be a part of it.
Sharon, who is a breast cancer survivor and mother of 17-year-old Flynn, has been an active member of the Gráinne Mhaol Dragon boat club for the last few years. She says the impact on her physical, mental and social wellbeing couldn’t be measured and she is delighted to be part of the team.
The link between dragon boating – an activity that started in China over 2,000 years ago – and breast cancer may not be obvious, but dragon boat teams made up of people who’ve had breast cancer have been growing in popularity since the movement began in Canada in 1996. Set up to challenge the conventional wisdom that after treatment, women should avoid upper body exercise for fear of developing lymphoedema, the dragon boat movement has since spread internationally and is active in Castlebar.
Sharon and her fellow dragons, led by Louise Rodgers, can be seen on Lough Lannagh on Saturday mornings and Tuesday evenings. It really is an experience to hear the drum on the boat keeping time for the dragons to row and see the boat being paddled across the lake.
Said Louise: “The Gráinne Mhaol dragons wish Sharon all the best in Florence, representing not only the Wild Atlantic Warriors but her own club in Castlebar.”
To take part in the festival, Sharon needs to raise funds. Any extra funds raised will go towards the Gráinne Mhaol Dragon boat club.
“Getting breast cancer was a shock and a journey I never expected to have to face,” said Sharon, who prior to this would never have seen herself out rowing a boat. “So when opportunities like being a part of the Wild Atlantic Warrior team arise, it is one I wouldn’t even consider passing up. Life is for living and I plan to bring all I can to be a valuable member of the team.”
Sharon’s first fundraiser is a table quiz that will take place on Thursday, September 28, in Castlebar Tennis Club at 8 p.m. Tables of four are €40 and there'll be great questions, craic and fun on the night. All are welcome and all support is greatly appreciated.
Contact Sharon on (086) 4563634 for further details.