SurviveOars are National Champions!

The Central Coast SurviveOars won the National Championship in the All Cancer Paddler small boat division at the United States Dragon Boat Federation (USDBF) Club Crew National Championships in Sarasota, Florida October 17-19. The team won gold medals in all distances: 500 meters 200 meters and 2000 meter races. They earned the opportunity to compete at the 2026 International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) Club Crew World Championships in Hualien, Chinese Taipei.

The crew of 15 men and women, all cancer survivors, trained together for six months to prepare for the race. Nationally recognized coach Tek Li developed a training plan and worked closely with the crew.

“It was an honor to compete with this crew against clubs from all over the country on a national stage,” said team captain Shannon Larrabee. “Our dragon boat community continues to grow, and we are proud to have teams from our small community win major competitions.”

Six breast cancer survivors on the National Champion crew earned their gold medals during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a special time to celebrate survivorship. Breast cancer survivors are a driving force behind the growth of dragon boat racing, since a Canadian study in 1997 proved that participation in the sport provides multiple benefits after cancer treatment. The benefits include reducing the risk of developing lymphedema, and improvement in both physical and emotional health. Many dragon boat competitions now feature  ‘breast cancer paddler’ and ‘all cancer paddler’ racing divisions, in addition to age-based and gender-based divisions. 

Congratulations to all the winners on the National Champion SurviveOars crew: Shannon, Rose Marie, Belin, Dave, Debi, Burt, Dawn, Miki, Kit, Laurie, Bev, Francy, Quentin, Shelley, Terri! Your team and your community are proud of you! 

“ONE HEART, ONE SOUL, ONE TEAM, ONE GOAL”--Shannon Larrabee