Power with paddling

A long, wooden boat with a dragon head at one end, a dragon tail at the other and a team of women paddlers travels through the water to the sound of a beating drum.

That sight might be intriguing, but more so when you consider these women all survived cancer. They’ve taken to the water as part of a Dragon Boat racing team based out of the Newport Aquatic Center.

Founded in 2004 by Regina Savage, the initial group included survivors of only breast cancer. Savage, a survivor, soon realized that needed to change.

“Cancer is terrible, no matter what the cancer is,” she said. The team’s makeup changed to include survivors of any cancer.

The cancer survivors compete in a sport that has its origins in ancient China. The boat is a wooden canoe about 40 feet long and 3 feet wide, that holds 20 paddlers, a caller and a steerer.

The caller commands and beats the drum from the front of the boat, while the steerer stands up to work the long oar in the back.

Savage has been a water person all her life and is a certified scuba diver. She had attended more traditional cancer support groups after her diagnosis and treatment before reading about a Dragon Boat competition in Long Beach.

The first Dragon Boat team for breast cancer survivors, Abreast in a Boat, was started in 1996 by Don McKenzie, a sports medicine physician at the University of British Columbia.

McKenzie’s team disproved the idea that repetitive upper-body exercise for women under breast cancer treatment caused lymphodema, localized swelling in areas where lymph nodes have been removed.

After practicing with the Long Beach team for about a year, Savage started her own team in Orange County.

Many teammates had never paddled before and heard about the group as Savage did — through support groups, meetings and seminars.

Savage captains the Cancer Survivors team and since being injured several months ago has been helping coach the team along with Billy Whitford, executive director of the center.

Dragon Boat racing is an easy sport to get involved in, she said, and even women without any experience are able to pick it up quickly.

Liz Gallagher, 50, joined the team five years ago. She had sailed a little with her husband over the years, but had never paddled before or been involved in team sports.

Gallagher thought paddling was a sport for young men, until she tried it.

“Cancer gives you a shot, and makes you a little more open to things,” she said.

Gallagher liked paddling right away, and though she was a little afraid and really sore the next day, after a couple of times she said she was hooked.

“Timing is a huge part of paddling. It’s very Zen, relaxing and hypnotic, the paddles going in and out of the water at the same time. It’s a great way to leave the stresses of the day,” Gallagher said.

Paddling also gives you strength, she said, emotionally as well as physically.

“It’s a fabulous thing for cancer survivors. You feel like your body’s betrayed you, but this makes you feel strong. Women shouldn’t be afraid of being too old or too anything. You can start off slow and build up,” Gallagher said.

Barbara Singleton was a kayaker for many years and learned about Dragon Boat racing at a breast cancer seminar. She’s been a member of the team for four years and said it’s probably one of the biggest passions in her life.

Singleton said paddling is a demanding sport, but competing on a team provides a sense of accomplishment; she’s very much at home on the water and connected to it on a very emotional level, she said.

The team is gearing up for another season, practicing each week at the Aquatic Center and preparing for its first race in March in Tempe, Ariz.

Savage said being part of the racing team with other cancer survivors, recovery wise, has been a godsend for her.

“It’s good to have people to relate to, people who wanted to get out and be active. After any kind of disease, there’s a period where you want to prove yourself.”

For more information on team, go to www.newportaquaticcenter.com.

SUE THOENSEN may be reached at (714) 966-4627 or at sue.thoensen@latimes.com.