The Pink Piston Paddlers set their oars in Thompson River for a one-day event at Riverside Park in Kelowna on Saturday, August 10. (Photo submitted)

The Pink Piston Paddlers set their oars in Thompson River for a one-day event at Riverside Park in Kelowna on Saturday, August 10. (Photo submitted)

Pink Piston Paddlers dragon boat team powers to gold in Kamloops

Half of Shuswap-North Okanagan team are breast cancer survivors

  • Aug. 16, 2019 12:00 a.m.

A Salmon Arm dragon boat racing team rowed their way to a gold finish last weekend at a festival in Kamloops.

Following a competition in Salmon Arm, the Pink Piston Paddlers, comprised of rowers from across the Shuswap and North Okanagan, approximately half of which are breast cancer survivors, set their oars in the Thompson River for a one-day event at Riverside Park in Kamloops on Saturday, Aug. 10.

All members of the Shuswap Rowing and Paddling Club, the team paddled in four races. They won the final race to take the Women’s red Final A division.

Betty Mohninger is a member of the team and says the win means a lot to each rower.

“To win something like that is definitely a sense of accomplishment that we can still get out there and do it,” Mohninger said. “They’ve gone through cancer, surgeries sometimes, and there’s still a place for them in the sporting world.”

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The team has been together for 12 years and has attended festivals in Italy and Australia. Their members range in age from 50 to 85.


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