Survivor embraces life - dragon boating 'down under' BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer Carol Watchler ROOSEVELT - Resident Carol Watchler, 65, recently joined more than 2,000 other breast cancer survivors from around the world in Australia for a life celebration on dragon boats. She and six other teammates representing the Machestic Dragons dragon boat team from New Jersey traveled to Australia to boat at Kawana Lake in Caloundra Sept. 28-30 in "Abreast in Australia," the largest breast cancer survivor dragon boat regatta to date. "Why do we do this?" Watchler said. "We do it for ourselves and one another and to say to all of those with breast cancer and to breast cancer survivors that we can be strong. "We can take our lives into our own hands and really create our own future," she added. "We can be a simple reminder to all that breast cancer does strike one in eight American women but that they can take steps toward early detection." Watchler, Misha Crosbie of Rocky Hill, Arietta Wismer of Skillman, Fran Kelly of Pennington, Carol Schonfeld of Princeton, Terry Coleman of the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence, and Midge Franco of Hillsborough joined 14 members of the Rainbow Dragons Abreast Team, which draws members from the Rainbow Region on the Far North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, to fill a boat and race alongside teams from Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Italy. "On opening day there was a parade through town with team after team after team dressed in outlandish pink costumes," she said, adding that she donned a hot-pink straw hat. "The people of the town were lining the streets, and you could see children's eyes were so excited." She continued, "I was extremely tickled that the people of Australia welcomed us this way," she said. The races measured 500 meters and lasted approximately three minutes, with the better teams finishing in about two minutes and 30 seconds, Watchler said. Team members give their all in the three minutes of every race, she said. "Having endurance is really the most important thing," she said. "You get really out of breath, but you keep telling yourself that you can do anything for three minutes." Dragon boat racing began more than 2,000 years ago in Asia. The boats measure more than 40 feet long and are painted to resemble a dragon. A total of 20 paddlers sitting two each, side by side, propel the boats, and a drummer at the bow keeps the cadence for the paddlers. Don McKenzie, a doctor in Vancouver, Canada, initially developed a dragon boat racing program for breast cancer survivors in 1996 as a six-month endeavor to try to dispel the myth that it would cause lymphedema in breast cancer survivors. Instead, according to McKenzie, the program would actually benefit them by strengthening their upper body muscles. "The program has surpassed anyone's wildest imagination," Watchler said, adding that it first quickly spread throughout Canada, the United States and Australia. "I don't know if [McKenzie] thought of the creation of a floating support group, but that is the added benefit." Formed in 2001, the Machestic Dragons is now in its sixth season, racing mostly along the East Coast. The team practices at Mercer County Park Lake in West Windsor under the direction of coach Ellen Law. Watchler joined the team of women, who range in age from 30-70, in 2005. "When I arrived I felt like everyone was so organized," she said. "People were going to races in Germany that year and talked about having been to Washington, D.C., and I thought, 'How am I going to fit into all of this?' " Watchler first raced in Hartford, Conn., and has since traveled with the team to race in breast cancer awareness and cultural events in Montreal, Canada; Washington, D.C.; and Lake Champlain in Vermont. "They are wonderful, colorful events filled with music, dance, food and lots of dragon boat teams," she said. No matter what type of festival the team participates in, it always performs a "Flowers on the Water" ceremony. "We take a moment to memorialize the women we've lost to breast cancer and to be aware of all the women who are surviving and the women dealing with breast cancer treatment right now," Watchler said. For the ceremony, the breast cancer survivor dragon boat teams come together in the water to form a flotilla where the women wave flowers, say a few words, and set petals and blooms afloat on the water. "I think of my mother who lost the battle, and my sister, Marge, who is 25 years out of inflammatory breast cancer," Watchler said. The teams come together to be there for one another, which members say will be until they each take their last breath. "At any time it could be any one of us struggling with treatment or having a reoccurrence, so we figure out ways to be easy on each other," Watchler said. "And, we do everything we can to be welcoming to new members." This past June the Machestic Dragons had its inaugural Dragon Boat Festival at Mercer County Park called "Paddle For Pink" in support of the Princeton Breast Cancer Resource Center. The event will be held annually at the Mercer County Park Marina. "Women are doing this because there is no stopping us," Watchler said, adding that the common traits among those survivors dragon boating are that they are strong and physically unified. Watchler's motto for good health is "eat right, exercise, try to keep stress down and live your life." She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, just a few months after she retired. "It was not in my game plan," she said. "The first thing it did was show me how many people cared about me. People were there with every kind of support, and it was very much a push for me to get healthier." Watchler said every woman should be in the habit of doing monthly breast selfexaminations and following the guidelines for getting regular health screenings. Her experience with cancer has helped her tap into other groups like the Machestic Dragons that have become extremely important in her life. She now also takes part in Lesbians With Cancer and the Patient Educator Project at Overlook Hospital in Summit. The Machestic Dragons is a nonprofit organization that welcomes any and all who support its cause to join. Those interested in joining or being a sponsor can visit www.machesticdragons.org for more information.