It was a celebration of water sports, Olympic dreams, and America at this year’s Stars and Stripes River Festival in Oklahoma City. PINK was proud to represent breast cancer survivor dragon boating at the famed Riversport complex, the training facility for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic water sport teams.

There is nothing like competing in front of a hometown crowd! Dallas United PINK had the opportunity to do just that on Sunday, May 19, 2024, as they took part in the first Asian American Pacific Islander Dragon Boat Festival at White Rock Lake. The festival brought together 15 teams from Dallas, Austin, Houston, and Oklahoma City, hosted at the historic Bath House Cultural Center. This event marked the realization of a long-held dream.

The serene waters of False Creek in Vancouver, British Columbia will be the setting for the 35th annual Concord Pacific Dragon Boat festival June 23-25, 2023. Among the 200 international teams registered to compete, one local organization will stand out against crystal blue waters donned in their pink jerseys, pink life vests, and likely, several with pink hair.

The members of Dallas United Crew’s PINK Dragon Boat team may seem like an unlikely assembly of women. They vary in age from 35-75 with diverse backgrounds, views, and affiliations. Most came to the unique sport with no previous experience and little athletic background. The one defining factor that brought them together, was being on the receiving end of a breast cancer diagnosis.

If you have been around White Rock Lake on a Saturday morning, you may have seen a group of women, paddling in unison on a 40 foot long boat to the rhythmic beat of a drummer who is perched on the bow. Meet Dallas United PINK — the area’s first Breast Cancer Survivors’ Dragon Boat Team. If you are a breast cancer survivor seeking an exceptional opportunity to join a community of women who understand the journey, value the benefits of exercise, bond over brunch, and love to compete — Dallas United PINK is for YOU!

The past two years have been an interesting challenge for all, and Dallas United Crew’s Pink team is no exception.  We began our 2020 season with a record influx of new paddlers, all of whom experienced one practice on the water.  One practice.  Then it all came to a screeching halt.  Our focus shifted to keeping everyone engaged and connected despite our physical isolation.  Our boathouse, Dallas United Crew, stepped up by allowing everyone to bring rowing machines to their homes for individual workouts.  A teammate, Emily Atlas, hosted Qigong classes via Zoom call.   We used our Facebook page to maintain community, post training videos, celebrate birthdays, and communicate the growing number of festival cancellations.  Would we ever get back on the water?