Drum beats reverberated as paddles sliced through the sparkling water of the Allegheny River in East Deer on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
Raising money and support for those diagnosed with breast cancer and breast cancer survivors, the eighth annual Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival drew 38 teams to compete \u2014 a new record.<\/p>\n
The festival outgrew its previous venue of North Park Lake, said founder Darlene Goldfinch, with Saturday\u2019s festivities taking over the larger Pittsburgh Brewing Co. grounds in East Deer.<\/p>\n
Goldfinch, 71, of Penn Hills said seeing so many supporters at the festival Saturday gave her the chills.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got goosebumps on my arms right now \u2014 it\u2019s so exciting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Goldfinch has been a breast cancer survivor for 29 years, and she began dragon boating in 2008. She and Janice Bagnato co-founded their own dragon boating team, Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel, in 2017.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is going to make me cry \u2026 my heart is full,\u201d Bagnato, 63, of Gibsonia said of the festival\u2019s turnout. \u201cWe love the hard work and the sense of community, and it raises awareness for breast cancer at all stages.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just think it\u2019s so important to have everyone here know how much this sport means to us in our survivorship.\u201d<\/p>\n
All of the money raised through the festival stays in Western Pennsylvania, she said, either with the team or given to breast cancer organizations in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe raise money to offset the costs, so (there) would never be a reason for someone not to join us,\u201d Bagnato said. \u201cShirts, paddles, stipends to help offset the costs of travel.\u201d<\/p>\n
About 20% of the earnings is given back to people who help support breast cancer survivors, she said, with over $18,000 given in the last nine years.<\/p>\n
Goldfinch said the money raised at the festival has grown every year, but last year\u2019s festival raised about $30,000.<\/p>\n
Dragon boating has \u201csaved many of our lives,\u201d said Bagnato, who is a 23-year breast cancer survivor after being diagnosed three times, at age 40, 49 and 60. She\u2019s currently metastatic. <\/p>\n
The women on their team consider dragon boating a \u201ctreatment program\u201d as part of their individual health journeys, Bagnato said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thrive through this,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have a sisterhood we didn\u2019t know we needed, and it\u2019s part of our family.\u201d<\/p>\n
What is dragon boat racing?<\/p>\n
Dragon boating is an old Chinese water sport from about 2,500 years ago, where teams of 20 competitors paddle in long, canoe-like boats.<\/p>\n
Each boat has a dragon\u2019s head attached to the front and a dragon\u2019s tail attached to the back.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really is taking off in the whole world, actually,\u201d Goldfinch said. \u201cWe race in about three or four races a year, and every four years there\u2019s an international dragon boat festival just for breast cancer survivors.\u201d<\/p>\n
The most recent one was this year, so the Hearts of Steel team went to the French Alps to compete against about 150 other teams from all over the world \u2014 and coming in 15th place. Previously, the team has competed in New Zealand and Florence, Italy.<\/p>\n
Goldfinch is both the coach and steersperson for the team, meaning she trains people to paddle and steers from the back of the boat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at the back of the dragon boats, someone has to be able to steer them in a straight line,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then we have a drummer in the front.\u201d<\/p>\n
The drummer follows the strokes of the person who\u2019s in the front left seat, making drum beats each time their paddle hits the water, said Goldfinch.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re a really good drummer, you can command the boat,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The connection between dragon boating and breast cancer came from a physician in Vancouver, British Columbia, Goldfinch said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was thinking about how women are always told with breast cancer not to pick anything up heavy, not to do strenuous activity,\u201d she said. But he wanted to experiment and had women try dragon boating.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter, they were like, \u2018We\u2019re still going to do it.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
That was around 1997, she said. Dragon boating came to Pittsburgh breast cancer survivors around 2005.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody on our team is (a breast cancer survivor), and our board is, too,\u201d Goldfinch said. \u201cWe wanted to have an all-inclusive team \u2014 we have accountants, we have doctors, we have nurses \u2014 anyone you could think of on our team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Saturday marked George Banky\u2019s first time racing in a dragon boat. He and his wife have been training with the Pink Steel team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just think this is a blast,\u201d said Banky, 62, of Mt. Lebanon, who is the lone male breast cancer survivor on the team. \u201cIt\u2019s fantastic \u2014 it\u2019s just a great group of women. (A) very grateful group, very fun group \u2026 very supportive people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Completing a race in under a minute is a good time for Pink Steel, he said, and one of their runs Saturday was 59 seconds.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re real happy with it,\u201d Banky said. \u201cBeing a cancer survivor, I\u2019m grateful for every day, and I\u2019m really happy to be here today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bob Randolph, who has been paddling with the Steel City Dragons Club in Pittsburgh for 23 years, said watching a dragon boat competition is like going to a Pittsburgh Steelers game \u2014 \u201cbut it\u2019s free.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of the most exciting sports you can watch because you can see people of all shapes and sizes coming from everywhere. But then you see them get in the boats, and they\u2019re all paddling in unison,\u201d said Randolph, 68, of the South Side.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to participate in dragon boating, and he said it takes a lot to compete at the highest levels. Steel City Dragons Club has members who try out for Team USA and go to world competitions, which he said are like the Olympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe practice three days a week and work out on the off days,\u201d Randolph said, as well as working out over the winter while the rivers are frozen. \u201cFor fun, for socializing, for exercise \u2014 it\u2019s everything all in one.\u201d<\/p>\n
A friend of his found dragon boating advertised in an outdoor activity newsletter, which is how he got involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe came down for an orientation. We thought we\u2019d be just watching a video, (but) they said, \u2018No, get in the boat,\u2019 so 20 of us piled into the boat,\u201d Randolph said. \u201cWe paddled up and down the river, and I\u2019ve been hooked ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being at dragon boating festivals is energizing for him, and this one was close to home. The Steel City Dragons Club practices just downstream on the Allegheny, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just an awesome day to be out on the beautiful river,\u201d Randolph said. \u201cWe love being out on the water all the time \u2026 the community of dragon boaters is what keeps me going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paddling, not rowing<\/p>\n