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This first dragon boat team in Costa Rica joins more than 340 Breast Cancer Survivor teams and 6000 survivors around the world who have discovered that a dragon boat and the camaraderie of sister survivors can be the key to finding wellness and an active life after a cancer diagnosis. The team welcomes all female cancer survivors in Costa Rica. We train twice a month in a 9.2-meter dragon boat and meet off-the-water to participate in fitness workouts, yoga classes, and social events with family members.
The incidence of cancer in Costa Rica has been increasing since the 1990s. In 1990, the incidence rate was 135.1 per 100,000, while in 2020, it was 188.7 per 100,000, representing a 72% increase in 30 years. In 2020, there were 13,139 new cancer cases reported in the country. In the case of Costa Rican women, during 2020, the highest rates (per 100,000) were observed in the following cancers: breast (47.5), skin (57.5), stomach (10.2), cervical (11.7), colorectal (16.8), thyroid (19.4), and lung (5.5). Our needs assessment found that there are no existing Dragon Boat teams in Costa Rica and that Costa Rica Breast Cancer patients are typically not encouraged to participate in upper body strengthening exercises.
The team is currently paddling out of Playa Agujas in Tarcoles, Costa Rica. We store our newly purchased dragon boat on the property of Kayak Jaco, in walking distance to the beach. The project funds requested would 1) pay our Costa Rican dragon boat coach; 2) fund paddling and steering clinics given by guest coaches from the United States, Panama, and Argentina; 3)fund the purchase of a 12-meter storage container to be located on the Kayak Jaco property which would safely store our 9.2-meter dragon boat, 20 dragon boat paddles, 20 life jackets, seat pads, drum, steering oar and the "head" and "tail" of our dragon boat; 4)allow us to purchase team uniforms for practice paddles and festivals; and 5)pay for "seat" fees for our women to participation in International Dragon Boat competitions.
Club members will be involved in the painting of the container, joining us in the boat as supporters, and in supporting our outreach efforts to reach female cancer survivors in the community.
We are ready to start this project. We are anxious to get the boat "under cover" and to have a safe and secure place to keep our equipment. This will eventually become a sustainable project with Costa Rican funders contributing to our on-going costs. The funds requested in this Global Grant will bring us the visibility that we need to get us to the point of self-sustainability.
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