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Blue Dragon Boat Race Scores La Crosse Wi 2018

Written By Thursday, July 7, 2022 Add Comment Edit

Big Blue Dragon Boat Races

The Big Blue Dragon Boat Festival in Copeland Park.

A seven-year tradition of athleticism and altruism returns Saturday morning, as up to 50 teams of breast-cancer survivors and supporters take on the waters of the Black River for the Big Blue Dragon Boat Festival.

A partnership between Mayo Clinic Health System and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse, the lively race and fundraiser takes participants of many ages and skill levels on a 300-meter journey down the river in grandiose, brightly hued boats of traditional Hong Kong style.

Funds raised by paddlers, some of whom put in several practice schedules to strengthen their arms and find their rhythm, support both the Center for Breast Care and healthy living programs at local Boys & Girls Clubs. During the past six years, the event has brought in $360,000.

The 2019 race will kick off at 8 a.m. in Copeland Park, preceded by a 7:15 a.m. opening ceremony.

Festival attendees are asked to park in Veterans Freedom Park on the opposite side of Black River. Shuttles will be available from the park, as well as departing from the Loggers Stadium, in 15-minute to 30-minute increments between 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The race will be held rain or shine.

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Meet the boats of the Big Blue Dragon Boat Festival in La Crosse

Coinciding with the race, kids crafts, face painting, balloons, caricatures, a bouncy house and magic shows will be held in the park.

A breast-cancer survivor ceremony will be held at noon, featuring 2019 Big Blue Dragon Boat Festival breast cancer survivor ambassador Lisa Mellen. Diagnosed in March 2012 and in remission by the next month, Mellen has paddled since the inaugural race with the all-survivor Mississippi Sisters team.

The ceremony will be followed by division finals throughout the afternoon.

Spectators and supporters are invited to cheer them on, and festival shirts, hats and T-shirts, as well as food from vendors including Prairie Produce, Cabin Coffee and Missy's Ice Cream will be available for purchase. Medals and awards will be presented at 3 p.m.

"Paddling in the festival is a great thing because you are with other survivors," Mellen told the Tribune after her Ambassadorship announcement in March. "You don't feel like a breast-cancer patient, you don't feel like a victim, you are a fighter. You're in that boat and you're fighting together. No one person does it alone."

Lisa Mellen is 2019 Big Blue Dragon Boat Festival breast cancer survivor ambassador

Dragon Boat racing gained popularity with breast-cancer survivors more than 20 years ago, after research by Dr. Don McKenzie of Canada.

As a result of treatments, cancer patients are at risk for lymphedema, swelling often caused by the removal of or damage to lymph nodes.

McKenzie organized a survivor's dragon boat team in 1996, theorizing working the upper body could help with prevention or improve symptoms while the group aspect could offer emotional support and camaraderie. The study proved successful, with none of the participants developing lymphedema, and those with the condition experiencing improvement. The women also felt a mental boost.

Now a rapidly growing water sport, Dragon Boat teams comprised of survivors can be found around the world, and individuals from several states are scheduled to paddle in 20-member teams Saturday.

Breast-cancer survivor Vicki Dunnum of Westby, a second-year member of the Mississippi Sisters team with Mellen, will be joined on the river by daughter Brittany, 22, of Madison for the first time this year, with Brittany joining the Coulee Region Paddlers.

Mother and daughter paddled together last year in a dragon boat race in Iowa, and Brittany accompanied Vicki for a three-day paddling clinic led by seasoned Dragon Boat Racer Lori Freit-Hammes in May to build up her skill.

Lisa Mellen

Lisa Mellen will serve as the 2019 Big Blue Dragon Boat Festival breast cancer survivor ambassador during the annual event on June 22.

"It was just very humbling to be with all these women who were so welcoming and embarrassingly stronger than me," Brittany laughed. "It was really nice to see my mom have so many friends immediately.

"They understand first of all what she had been through and second of all were so supportive because they had families and daughters that supported them, and they really welcomed me as well," Brittany said. "It will be really fun to cheer on my mom and also have the experience to be on a different boat and I'm just so excited."

"It will be very exciting for both of us, to watch her enjoy something I never thought we'd be a part of," Vicki said.

Vicki, 52, had no family history of breast cancer when she was diagnosed in May 2017. The next month, after undergoing surgery, Vicki had her first chemotherapy treatment and her doctor encouraged her to attend the Dragon Boat Festival. Three days post treatment, feeling ill from the chemo and fatigued from the 90-degree, humid weather, Vicki watched the boats speed by and took in the "powerful" survivor's ceremony.

Vickie and Brittany Dunnam

Vickie and Brittany Dunnam

"I was so inspired by being there," Vicki says. "I spoke to my doctor and said, 'Next year, I'm getting on the boat.' I thought, there's no other place I want to be."

Vicki, who sits behind Mellen in the "engine room" of the boat, says the Mississippi Sisters team are like family.

"We laugh that we're all in the same boat, physically and mentally," Vicki says of her fellow survivors. "Everybody's just so welcoming and kind and friendly. We have that one thing in common and a strong bond. It's something none of us wanted to have but this (sisterhood) is a silver lining."

With survivor teams, corporate teams, youth teams and community teams in separate divisions, Vicki and Brittany will not face off against each other, and while Brittany is looking to do her best, Vicki has her eyes fixed on the survivor division prize, having lost "by a hair" to the Dragon Divas in 2018.

"It's like any sport — we have the home field advantage, some of us are really competitive — we really hope to edge them out," Vicki says. "Our goal is to win that gold."

Vicki, who says she "has the bug," plans to participate in the next international race with some of her teammates — Mellen was part of the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission Dragon Boat Festival in Italy. Whether paddler or cheering section, Vicki hopes the every dragon boat race inspires attendees to be proactive about their health.

"Always get a mammogram," Vicki says. "Those health and wellness checks are key."

From Tribune files: Photos from the 2018 Big Blue Dragon Boat Festival in La Crosse

Emily Pyrek can be reached at emily.pyrek@lee.net.

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Source: https://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/big-blue-dragon-boat-festival-returns-saturday-in-la-crosses-copeland-park/article_d8241273-a7a0-5473-bf5e-57b719970538.html

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