Sport not only serves to improve the physique, but it is also a spur to breathe courage and vitality. They know that better than anyone the 37 members of the Málaga Dragon Boat BCS Sports Association who practice rowing. They all have one thing in common: they are breast cancer survivors. Once the disease is overcome, getting on the boat and, as one, rowing to glide through the water makes them stronger, helps them physically and mentally and helps them fight lymphedema. Thanks to the donation made by Fundación La Caixa, women (‘dragonas’ as they define themselves) who belong to Málaga Dragon Boat will be able to practice rowing in their own boat, with capacity for 12 people (10 paddlers, the helmsman and the tambourine) something that excites them and encourages them to continue competing as true champions of life.
The act of blessing and launching of the ship was held this Tuesday in the Levante dock, in the dock of the Mediterranean Club, an entity with which they train and from which they receive a lot of support, with the presence, among others, of the Councilor for Sports of the Malaga City Council, Noelia Losada; the territorial director of Eastern Andalusia of La Caixa, Juan Ignacio Zafra; the president of the Mediterranean Club, Eduardo Cestino, and the president of the Malaga Dragon Boat Sports Association, Nikolaja Fiebiger, accompanied by T-shirts. In the name of these he has spoken Amanda Pérez-Estrada. The act has been conducted and presented by the journalist Antonio Rengel.
This association, made up of women from Malaga who have suffered or suffer from breast cancer, has the main objective of promoting and facilitating the practice of the dragon boat (dragon boat). In this way, they carry out regular physical exercise outdoors, in contact with the sea, and belong to a team. Rowing favors these women enhance muscle strength, have a good physical condition and prevent and improve lymphedema, a sequel to breast cancer. “Getting on a boat, taking the oars and gliding through the sea gives us a shot of energy and vitality,” the T-shirts have expressed.
“Compañeras ‘dragonas’, today is an important day for us, because thanks to the 10,000 euros that Fundación La Caixa has donated to us, we have our own boat, which will allow us to continue rowing whatever happens”Said Amanda Pérez-Estrada, thanking all the institutions, public and private, that collaborate with Málaga Dragon Boat. “This is our first boat, but it will not be the last”, she assured and added: “Thanks to this activity we have stopped being cancer patients to be athletes.” Pérez-Estrada has stressed that the boat received is a symbol of the fight against cancer.
For his part, Juan Ignacio Zafra stressed that La Caixa’s social work gives back to society what it receives from it and he has emphasized that the Foundation of the bank will continue together with the people of Malaga. «This boat represents the illusion of all of us», has affirmed Zafra. «In the coming years there are going to be needs of many kinds; it will take the push of civil society. We want to be part of that path ”, he stressed.
The speeches ended with the words of Noelia Losada, who praised the effort of improvement of the 37 women who belong to Málaga Dragon Boat, who “are an example to look at”. And he has assured: «Today is one of the most emotional and happy days since I have been a Sports Councilor. It is a privilege and a pride to attend this launch.
The idea that women from Malaga who have suffered breast cancer practice rowing through the specialty of the dragon boat arose from the medical oncologist Julia Navarro, who set out to develop the project after a training stay he had in the United States. This oncologist It was proposed to put into practice in Malaga the initiative taken by Dr. Donald C. McKenzie, from the University of British Columbia. To do this, he contacted the captain of the Mediterranean Club rowing team, Juan Carlos Marfil, to whom he presented his idea and asked for his collaboration. Marfil agreed to train them.
So that, the Mediterranean Club supported and welcomed them. Before the arrival of the pandemic, the members of the association trained three days a week; now two do. Thanks to the donation from Fundación La Caixa, they will have a 12-seater racing boat. «We are very happy. This is a dream come true”These women have stated, who find in rowing a stimulus to overcome any adversity.
The dragon boat is the fastest growing nautical sport in the world. Of Chinese origin, with more than 2,000 years old, it is widely spread over the five continents. The boat used is adorned with a dragon head on the prow and a tail of the same animal on the stern. All rowers must pace their strokes to the rhythm set by the drum located at the bow of the boat, while a helmsman in charge of directing the boat is located at the stern.
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