Dragon Boat Festival breathes fire into cancer survivors in Sarasota

On a steamy, 80-degree, Saturday morning at Nathan Benderson Park, Survivors in Sync pulled up to the dock after a fourth-place finish in its heat of the Suncoast International Dragon Boat Festival.

Lakewood Ranch's Dana Bauer, 73, was all smiles as she walked away from her boat, even if her teammates would have been delighted with a higher finish.

Why so happy?

"It makes me feel young," said Bauer, who is the team's drummer in charge of keeping a paddling rhythm.

Like her teammates, Bauer is a breast cancer survivor who might have been a little nervous joining a team that formed in 2014. Then, however, "The girls welcomed me with open arms."

It's the same story over and over among the Survivors in Sync, which is based at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, and with the other five teams that made up the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission portion of the event on Saturday.

More than 750 paddlers and 30 teams from around the United States were on hand June 3 for the festival, which offered the top competitive teams a berth in the 2018 Club Crew World Championships in Hungary. The festival had both competitive and club divisions.

But even though the cancer survivors squads aren't made up of tremendous athletes like many of the competitive teams, it doesn't mean they don't love the competition.

"Once you're on the water, it's serious," Bauer said.

Joe Campbell, who said he became an "adopted brother of SIS" after his wife, Cris, died on June 4, 2015. said Survivors in Sync has worked its way to becoming one of the top teams in Florida. Cris Campbell was a team member and after her death, Joe started working with the team in practice sessions, steering the boat.

"These ladies are awesome," he said. "This is a team, but make no mistake about it, this is a family."

In the first heat of the day, Save Our Sisters of Miami, a team called the best in the state by Campbell, rallied late to win. Survivors in Sync tried to rally late in the final meters of the 500-meter event.

"Unfortunately, we were fourth," Campbell said with a frown.

The members of Survivors in Sync didn't say much as they went back to their tent area to prepare for the next heat, in about an hour's time.

"Their tired," Bauer said. "They gave it their all."

Before and after the heats, all the teams embrace each other with hugs, high-fives and verbal support. No winners and no losers in this class.

"I think we show that cancer survivors can thrive," said Lakewood Ranch's JoAnn Moore. "And we love this park and the support we get from the community."

Campbell walked past with a shirt that carried a slogan, "Cancer sucks ... Paddling rocks!"

Bauer would agree.

"This has been extremely important to me, health-wise and friend-wise," she said. "Physical activity is good."