Rose Marie Battaglia and Belin Tanner, Team USA paddlers, will compete in the 17th World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany. Photos courtesy of the Central Coast Dragon Boat Association
On July 8, two San Luis Obispo County athletes flew to Brandenburg, Germany where they will represent the United States in a sport dating back 2000 years in China.
Rose Marie Battaglia, of Morro Bay, and Belin Tanner, of San Luis Obispo, will compete on Team USA at the 17th World Dragon Boat Racing Championships July 14-20 in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany.
Both breast cancer survivors, Battaglia, selected for the inaugural USA Breast Cancer Paddler team, and Tanner, selected for the USA Senior C team, paddle for the Central Coast SurviveOars that works the waters of Morro Bay as the main tam of the nonprofit Central Coast Dragon Boat Association.
“Making Team USA is incredibly gratifying and rewarding,” Battaglia told Estero Bay News. “After focusing on fitness and technique throughout the tryout period, receiving the call that I’d been selected was emotional and breathtaking. You feel like you’re walking on clouds, knowing that your hard work, attitude, and knowledge earned you a seat on the team that only 22 others nationwide will experience.”
The selection process for Team USA is rigorous, involving multiple training camps with several days of intense paddling and fitness testing. Candidates train year-round on dragon boats and outrigger canoes, in addition to “off water” workouts with specific requirements.
“It’s a huge honor to wear ‘USA’ on your jersey, knowing how much work it took to get there,” said Tanner, who is on Team USA for the fourth time. “Over the past 18 months, we’ve dedicated countless hours to training both on and off the water, attending tryout camps, meeting rigorous fitness standards, and making personal sacrifices. All of that effort becomes worth it when you receive the call inviting you to be part of this elite team. It’s a moment of pride and validation for every challenge you’ve pushed through to get here.”
The 17th World Dragon Boat Racing Championships are sponsored by the International Dragon Boat Federation. It will gather more than 4,000 athletes from more than 30 nations for a week of high-level competition, cultural exchange, and shared celebration of the sport of dragon boat racing. Team USA paddlers will compete in races of 200 meters, 500 meters, 1,000 meters and 2,000 meters in length.
Battaglia and Tanner have trained hard to make it to the highest level of competition in the sport, but it is more than that.
“Being a breast cancer survivor is what first led me to dragon boating through my local team, the Central Coast Survivors,” Tanner said. “At first, I was completely happy just paddling and training with them — it was a fantastic outlet and a wonderful community. But over time, I realized there was so much more to the sport and opportunities to train and compete at a higher level.
“My local team has always been incredibly supportive of my goals, and they’ve been a constant source of encouragement throughout the tryout process. Dragon boating has become not only a sport for me but also a huge part of my healing and my ongoing journey as a survivor and high-level athlete.”
The sport combines athleticism, art and tradition dating back more than 2000 years ago in China. Now 82 nations and territories are members of the International Dragon Boat Federation, and dragon boat racing was a demonstration sport at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The 40-foot long, canoe-like vessels with brightly painted, ornately carved dragon’s heads and tails weigh about 500 pounds and are powered by a team of up to 20 paddlers working in synchronicity along with one steer person and one drummer.
“The competition on the water is intense and fierce, but off the water, there’s an incredible sense of camaraderie and respect among competitors from around the world,” Tanner said. “I’m looking forward to connecting with other paddlers, sharing experiences, and soaking up the energy and spirit of such a high-level event.”
Being a part of the team and the sport perhaps goes deeper than other athletic feats.
“We all have our story, and there’s incredible diversity in each one,” Battaglia said. “I’m humbled and honored to be among women who are thriving in their survivorship — women who’ve overcome unimaginable obstacles and emerged stronger, choosing life at every opportunity.
“We often say, ‘Make lemonade from lemons.’ Without a doubt, SurviveOars is my lemonade, cancer my lemons. I couldn’t imagine life without the support of this incredible organization.”
Dragon boat races are held throughout California from March through October. There are one-day and two-day festivals, with competitions in several divisions: Men’s, Women’s, Mixed, Masters (seniors), Youth, College, and Cancer Survivors. Most races are either 250 or 500 meters. The latter is about 5 and a half football fields and takes about 2 minutes, 40 seconds to cover.
“Dragon boating is a unique water sport because of the teamwork involved. There are no star players,” Sandy Mitchell, CCDBA community outreach chair said in a previous interview. “Twenty people work together, doing the same thing at the same time, to move the boat. The stroke works the core and the legs. The rhythm and concentration on the stroke make the stresses of the day melt away. When everyone is paddling together in time, the boat glides along the water seemingly without effort. It’s a tremendous feeling of power and unity. One beat, one boat.”
In 2023, four local dragon boat paddlers were selected to compete on Team USA at the World Championships that were held in Pattaya, Thailand. Battaglia paddled for the Senior C Women’s team and Tanner for both the Senior B Women’s and Senior B Mixed teams. World Dragon Boat Racing Championships take place in odd numbered years — 2021 was canceled due to the pandemic.
Locally, the non-profit CCDBA officially formed in 2014. The founding team, the Central Coast SurviveOars, began as a group of cancer survivors and supporters in 2007. Now, CCDBA welcomes everyone to participate. To paddle as a guest, go to CCDBA.org, click Paddle With Us. Practice times are listed on the website. Pick a practice time, sign two forms online, and contact registration@ccdba.org to sign up for a practice. The first ‘guest’ practice is free.
Anyone can take part in according to his or her own individual level, goals, and physical fitness. The paddling technique involves the entire body in the stroke, emphasizing the larger muscle groups, so it is a great full-body workout.
