Correction: This story has been modified to make clear the KC Pink Warriors are the group hosting this event. An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the Johnson County Park and Rec District was partnering in helping put it on.
Dragon Boat Racing, a fast-growing water sport near and dear to the hearts of many breast cancer survivors, is coming to Johnson County in a big way this fall at Shawnee Mission Lake.
The Dragon Boat Festival scheduled for Sept. 28 will be a first for the Johnson County Park and Rec District as well as for the KC Pink Warriors, a group of cancer survivors who are hosting it.
The event will be free and open to spectators, with some proceeds from registration fees for participating racing teams and vendors going to support breast cancer awareness. The KC Pinks will divide the revenues from registration fees with Great White North, a Canadian company that specializes in organizing dragon boat races.
Some teams will come from elsewhere, but Michelle Steger, founder of the KC Pinks, said she expects many will be local community or corporate groups looking for a team-building activity or just a fun time on the water.
Individuals may also sign up online, and, “We’ll make sure that a team is put together that includes everybody who wants to paddle,” she said. No previous experience dragon boat racing is required.
What is dragon boat racing?
“A dragon boat is like a really big canoe,” Steger said.
The boats are typically 40 feet long and 4 feet wide in the middle, narrow at each end.
There are seats for 20 paddlers, who sit facing forward. Aft is a steerer working a 9-foot oar. Forward sits a drummer keeping everyone in sync. That’s known as the “heartbeat of the dragon,” Steger said.
“All 20 paddlers have to touch the water at the exact same time to make it fast and efficient. It takes a lot of practice to make it really strong,” she said.
The event is the first for the Johnson County park district and will require closing the popular lake at Shawnee Mission Park. But the marina and beach will already be closed for the season by race day, according to park board notes.
Organizers hope for at least 20-30 teams
The festival will not be the first time a dragon boat race has happened in Kansas City.
The Society for Friendship with China sponsors races each year on the Country Club Plaza, including one scheduled this year for June 15.
But those races are smaller due to the limitations of Brush Creek, Steger said.
The KC Pinks participated in the Brush Creek festival with a shorter 10-paddler boat when they were first getting started, she said.
The September festival at Shawnee Mission Lake will have more room to race than Brush Creek, and the potential for more teams. The goal is for 20 or 30 teams this year, but the lake could potentially accommodate up to 90 teams, Steger said.
Dragon boat racing has become connected to breast cancer awareness
Dragon boat racing is a fast-growing sport worldwide that is especially popular in Canada but is beginning to catch on in the United States.
Great White North, based in Toronto, produces competitive races through MajorLeague Dragon Boat Racing.
Many of the races have a philanthropic element, and the sport has a special connection with breast cancer survivors because of the repetitive arm movement required.
For years, women who had lymph nodes removed as part of their treatment were told to avoid repetitive upper body motion like raking leaves or paddling, for fear of causing a complication known as lymphedema.
Participation in dragon boat racing, along with further research, has done much to debunk that advice.
The increasing popularity has been reflected in the growth of the KC Pinks.
Steger started the club in 2019 after moving to the Kansas City area from Florida, where she had experienced the sport.
“When I started it, all I wanted was ten ladies to come out to put together a team for the (Brush Creek) festival in June and I ended up with twenty,” Steger said. “From there it just really took off.”
The team is made up entirely of female cancer survivors and donates volunteer hours and money to support the local cancer community, she said.
“Just being on the water is really peaceful”
There are now 45 members and the club is growing every year, she added.
They usually start training in March, doing about a festival a month through the end of October. In 2026, the team plans to go to a festival in the French Alps.
Jennifer Johnson, of Overland Park, joined KC Pinks shortly after the group formed. Having been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, when she was 27 and pregnant, Johnson remembers hearing about the warnings on vacuuming and lifting weights.
“But I had been a pretty active person and so just kind of slowly tried things just to be sure I wasn’t aggravating anything,” she said.
Dragon boating is definitely a full body workout, Johnson said.
“And just being on the water is really peaceful,” she said. “Anything that pushes me to do things that I don’t think my body can do is always a plus for me.”
The team organized just before COVID-19, but never stopped completely. Instead they masked up, stayed home when ill and spaced themselves out, putting ten paddlers on a boat meant for 20.
Regular practice and races gradually resumed by 2022, Johnson said.
The team is excited to present dragon boat racing to a broader audience, Steger said. Shawnee Mission Park is a venue that offers parking, space for vendors and a shoreside view of the entire race.
“It’s a day to just come out, learn about the sport, have fun on the water and be with friends and family,” Steger said. “There’s something for everybody with it. It doesn’t matter how athletic you are. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s fine. It all comes together that day.”
