Every Thursday evening, a crew of breast cancer survivors paddles in unison down the Oklahoma River, training for a race that is still four years away and half a world removed from their home waters. The team, OKC Warriors on the Water, is a statewide dragon boat paddle group made up entirely of breast cancer survivors, and members are already setting their sights on the 2030 International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission festival in Singapore.
The team practices at the Oklahoma River and competes in local and regional events throughout the year, according to News 9. Heidi Furstenwerth, a breast cancer survivor who has paddled for 12 years, said the team will travel to Singapore and compete, and that the sport offers something beyond fitness. She described paddling as a full-body workout for the mind, body and soul, and said teammates share similar experiences as breast cancer survivors.
Mara Dearing, who joined the team in August, said the roster includes a wide variety of skill levels. Furstenwerth described the team's approach on the water as everyone paddling as one, a coordination that coach Amir Salem said creates an instant sisterhood among members. Salem serves as the dragon boat paddle coach for OKC Warriors on the Water.
A Sport Born From Overturned Medical Advice
Breast cancer dragon boating traces back to February 1996, when sports medicine specialist Dr. Don McKenzie founded the team Abreast in a Boat in Vancouver, Canada, challenging the era's medical assumption that strenuous upper-body exercise would cause lymphedema in survivors, according to Wikipedia. Two years later, McKenzie published a study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on repetitive upper-body paddling and lymphedema in survivors, per the same source. The practice has since grown into an international movement supported by the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission.
The commission's most recent quadrennial gathering, the 2026 Participatory Dragon Boat Festival, ran from August 24 to 30 on Lac du Bourget in Aix-les-Bains, France, drawing 4,500 participants across 177 teams from 25 countries, according to Pink Champagne. The next IBCPC event will be in Singapore in 2030, with Sydney, Australia set to follow in 2034, the outlet reports. OKC Warriors on the Water aims to compete against thousands of teams from across the globe when that 2030 race arrives.
The Physical Demands of Dragon Boat Racing
Dragon boat racing relies on synchronized effort, a quality Furstenwerth and her teammates describe as paddling as one.
The team welcomes new members and invites other breast cancer survivors to join.
Local Racing Opportunities and Statewide Health Stakes
Locally, RIVERSPORT OKC hosts dedicated dragon boat activities on the Oklahoma River, including the OG&E NightSprints held during the annual Oklahoma Regatta Festival in October, which features a Breast Cancer Survivor division, according to the Oklahoma Senior Games. The Oklahoma Senior Games lists coach Salem as an event manager. The team competes in local and regional events as it builds toward its international goal.
For its members, the team offers a way to connect with other breast cancer survivors through paddling.
For OKC Warriors on the Water, paddling is more than exercise. Furstenwerth has described it as a full-body workout for the mind, body and soul, as the team counts down the years to Singapore, one Thursday practice at a time.
