PADDLES UP – little did I know when I first heard that command in 2010 the impact that Dragon Boating would have on my life. All positive improvements at a time in life when I felt I was heading into the downslope of my abilities, physical health and mental stamina. Yep. I was quite beaten up at that point.Cancer is never a road that is traveled easily. Life does change forever in the few seconds it takes for the words to sink in. Post treatments, Dragon Boating was the best decision I ever made (with a heap of kudos to my then husband – for making sure I made it to the first practice, with a large cup of java in hand) when it comes to my personal wellness.All of the wisdom provided to me for decades about the benefit of consistent physical movement finally resonated into ownership within my mental commitment. I am reasonably blessed with a modicum of intelligence, I think. I knew for so long and could recite the benefits of exercise. Of being outdoors. Never had I been able to put this knowledge into real action. Never too old to learn.Here I am on Gabriola Island. Post a few more curves. I had moved here when I visited on a regular basis in support of my best friend. This place called to me. Being an Aussie by birth, the water and all that is created positively by exposing myself to Dragon Boating, had cemented my desire to continue Dragon Boating on Gabriola. Feeling somewhat flush at the time, I found a boat for sale and bought it. Yeah. I had been told that the former Gabriola Dragon Boat Team had disbanded some 10 years prior, mainly due to the lack of access to a boat for practising.If you go to the Silva Bay Resort & Marina it is quite hard to ignore the 48′ long yellow banana style boat that has been moored there since last May. This last year has been a difficult struggle trying to get to the place where I could launch (so to speak) the opportunity for a new Dragon Boat Team on Gabriola. I know that the Gabriola Recreation Department has 20 Paddles waiting for new paddlers. Surely most people on this amazing Island have access to a Personal Flotation Device – we have what we need to get moving. Paddles Up. Take her away………
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