Team Name: Island Breaststrokers
Founded: 1996
Team Type/Race Division: Breast Cancer Survivor/Women’s Recreational
Practice Times: Year-Round on Saturdays, 9:00-11:00am, April to October Wednesdays, 5:00-7:00pm
About the team: Island Breaststrokers are a vibrant group of breast cancer survivors, aged 40-80. We paddle to show that rigorous, regular exercise plays a critical role in helping those who are living through breast cancer return to an active lifestyle. The Island Breaststrokers are also a source of social and emotional support for each other. Although we paddle hard, we also love to have fun and celebrate! Team members are asked to participate in fundraising to keep fees affordable for all breast cancer survivors and so all members can attend out of town and international festivals.
Coach: Verlie Martin, DBC Level 1 Community Coach certified. She has been paddling for 21 years and currently paddles with the Gorging Dragons Senior C Team. She has been coaching for over 10 years, many of which are with breast cancer teams including several years with Island Breaststrokers.
Festivals Attended: We attend 3 festivals in Victoria and the Nanaimo Festival annually. We fundraise to travel to out of province festivals such as Calgary or international festivals in Florence, Singapore, and Australia.
Community Involvement: Island Breaststrokers supports a number of community events and groups to raise awareness of the importance of breast health and breast cancer. We participate in Pink in the Rink, Run for the Cure, the Women’s Expo, and the ENCORE program at the YWCA. Over the years, we have raised over $40,000.00 for the BC Cancer Foundation.
Contact information: Captain, Catriona Campbell at ibspaddler@gmail.com. Please visit our website, www.islandbreaststrokers.com for more information about IBS.
Recruiting: Breast cancer survivors who want to improve their fitness, health and wellbeing. Come and try 4 free practices!
