“Cancer had stolen my teammates’ mastery of their bodies. But the dragon boat had restored our hope as the rulers of our lives. We were learning that perfect harmony can be made out of broken things and broken people. It would be the lesson of our lives.”
—The Final Victory, by Charleston dragon-boater, real estate executive and author Roger Jones
It’s one thing to paddle a boat on Charleston’s rivers for a little exercise and fun. It’s another to do it after surviving rounds of chemotherapy. And it’s quite another to do it with 19 others who are pulling in therapeutic harmony in their wrenching battle with and recovery from the hidden demons of cancer.
Welcome to Dragon Boat Charleston, an all-ages group of women and men. Many are cancer survivors or people who are devoted to the physical workout and team-building from the 2,000-year-old Chinese sport of dragon boat paddling.
“We have both cancer survivors and community supporters,” said Charleston resident Laura Francis. “Everyone has been touched by cancer. Fighting cancer turns your life upside down. For me, being part of a dragon boat family turned my life rightside-up.
“Being in a boat with these survivors who each have their own inspirational story of strength and overcoming that monster was exactly what I needed to turn my life around,” said Francis, who chairs the organization’s board.
They step, 20 at a time, into a one-ton boat. After they push off, a drummer knocks a beat to synchronize a series of high-intensity strokes in short intervals as a guide to power the boat. A sweep, or coach, controls the boat’s tiller as it slices through the water.
Paddlers work so hard in a short time that they feel a burn which sometimes turns into nausea. They push themselves harder, as a team. Muscles cramp. Hearts pound. Breathing shortens. They heave, sucking in much-needed air. But endorphins kick in, helping them to keep pushing “harder, faster, deeper” — the three-word mantra emblazoned on many a paddle.
Up to three days a week, boats launch along the Ashley River at Brittlebank Park as paddlers push their bodies to the limits, seeking to power the long canoes as one. For many, it’s the hardest thing they’ve ever done physically — and the most exhilarating.
“Dragon-boating renews my spirit,” said Charleston paddler Lucy Spears, a breast cancer survivor and a director of the organization. “Hearing 20 paddles hit the water in unison, pulling the boat forward with each stroke, is a testament to strength and synchronicity.
“I never saw myself as an athlete, but with Dragon Boat Charleston (DBC), I found myself winning gold medals all over the world. With DBC, I found a strength and sense of adventure I didn’t know I had.”
Freeman expressed a similar sentiment.
“I had never been athletic,” she said. “All of a sudden, I was part of a team. We all had to work together. I wanted to be my best, not just for me, but for everyone in the boat. It is an incredible feeling when you move that boat and you are all in sync.”
Lois Rinehimer of Seabrook Island, vice chair of the DBC board, added, “The peacefulness of getting out on the water enables me to focus on the rhythm of my strokes and the cares of my day simply wash away.”
May 4 festival will celebrate strength, courage
You can see the power of team-building May 4 at the Charleston Dragon Boat Festival, the largest annual fundraising event for Dragon Boat Charleston.
The annual paddle at Brittlebank Park attracts dozens of teams, each of which includes mostly new paddlers who have only practiced just twice in the two weeks leading up to the community competition. Many teams come from corporate supporters as well as community groups who want to poke their paddles during the day-long celebration to raise money for cancer survivor programs.
“The best part of the Dragon Boat Festival is seeing thousands from the community come out to support our wonderful organization,” said paddler Charles Hubbard of Charleston. “Everyone has been touched by cancer in some way. They may be a survivor themselves, have a family member or friend that is a survivor or currently going through treatment.
“Although DBC is well-known in the community, there are many more who are not aware of what DBC is about. By attending the festival, they can hear the testimonials given by a survivor, witness the emotions of the survivor ceremony and experience the excitement and happiness of the races.”
Spears added the excitement that teams bring to Brittlebank Park every year makes her day.
“They wear some fantastic costumes and are so enthusiastic about supporting each other and DBC,” she said. “They have a blast paddling and give it everything they’ve got! Some paddlers have even become DBC’s extended family, coming back year after year to paddle, fundraise and show their support.”
Longtime paddler Hazel Huff loves watching the racers.
“Their faces when they get off the water from their race — win/lose or draw — they are exhilarating,” she said.
But for some, the festival may be bittersweet as teammates often shed tears of remembrance for those who they’ve lost as well as the tears of joy from the fun they’re having.
“My favorite part of the day is the survivor celebration,” Spears said. “Everyone is singing and dancing with arms wrapped around each other. Cancer survivors are waving carnations as they dance around.”
Dragon Boat Charleston is a new kind of family
What’s immediately obvious about Dragon Boat Charleston is how close paddlers become, particularly cancer survivors. They immerse themselves in supporting fellow paddlers, some of whom are continuing to deal with the ravages of disease.
Huff, a one-time oncology nurse who was recruited more than 20 years ago, recalls the energy she received from the group at a camp during a difficult time.
“It renewed me as much as it did the survivors who attended,” she said. “It allowed me to see the people in the outside world as opposed to always in the ‘patient role.’ ”
And that support has continued through the years.
“I have had the support of the members through many challenging and happy times in my life. I have also had the benefit of giving to others through this club. This support extends beyond the time we have together on the water.”
Hubbard says fellow members are a family for him.
“I know I can always count on them for anything,” he said, remembering how he once needed a lift to a hospital for a procedure. “One of my DBC family members volunteered without hesitation.
“When we are on the water, we are not only paddling for ourselves, but as one team supporting each other. When we face the sad time of losing a fellow paddler, we attend the funeral or memorial and form a paddle arch at the door for the family to walk through in honor of the member we lost.”
You don’t have to be a cancer survivor to enjoy dragon-boating or to thrill to the camaraderie paddlers enjoy. For more information, visit DragonBoatCharleston.org — or attend the May 4 festival to get a taste of this zen kind of family.
The Final Victory takes you inside dragon-boating
Charleston real estate developer Roger Jones’s life got turned upside down 15 years ago when he learned he had a rare form of liver cancer. He dealt with the physical trauma with a new kind of operation in Germany. But once through that, he faced rebuilding his spirit as he recovered.
Fortunately, he found comfort in the camaraderie of Dragon Boat Charleston and racing with 19 others in what led to an exhilarating national championship. Over the last 10 years, he’s worked to describe what he went through and the intense warmth offered through comradeship of the DBC team. What resulted is The Final Victory, an engaging semi-autobiographical novel described on a book cover as being inspired by true events, shattered bodies, broken dreams and a race to win back hope.
The raw, tough team exercise helps cancer victims recover from chemotherapy, Jones said.
“We were always one big support group encouraging each other to continue on and press on,” he recalled in an interview. “You weren’t isolated and you weren’t alone. No pun intended — we were all in the same boat.”
He said he found his paddling time to be cathartic.
“For that period of time, you forget about cancer and you forget about being sick. There is a zen that comes over you.”
New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe says Jones digs into courage in his debut novel.
“Jones explores the strength, resilience, compassion and willpower of a band of athletes who define courage and triumph over unspeakable odds,” she wrote on his website, rogerjonesauthor.com. “I laughed. I cried. I was inspired. The Final Victory is an uplifting novel we all need to read.”
Charleston paddler Lucy Spears said Jones’ novel captured the essence of Dragon Boat Charleston.
“It brought tears to my eyes, recognizing dear friends and teammates of mine as characters in the book. And reading about Roger’s personal journey was eye-opening. I had no idea what he’d been through until I read it,” Spears said. —Andy Brack
Jones will speak at a book launch at 6 p.m. April 30 at the Charleston Library Society, 164 King St. The cost is $10 for members, $15 for general admission. Copies of The Final Victory will be available. More info: charlestonlibrarysociety.org.
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