Orlando Health Welcomes a New Dragon to the Family
On August 25, Orlando Health and WPFT invited community leadership and the community at large to join them in formally welcoming their newest dragon boat to Central Florida. Along with this announcement, they celebrated the kickoff of the 4th Annual Walgreens Orlando International Dragon Boat Festival to be held October 15 for which WPFT and MD Anderson – Orlando are the designated charitable beneficiaries.
The second boat, named after and underwritten by Harriett Lake, resides with her pink sister dragon boat purchased in 2010 at Orlando Rowing Club (ORC). With the philanthropic support of Harriett Lake for not only the boats but the program start-up and marketing expenses, Orlando Health Foundation was able to form a partnership with ORC to offer this healthy lifestyle sport to benefit breast cancer survivors and the Central Florida community as a whole.
The event was hosted by Shelley Lake and held at her gallery, SkyLake Studios, in Winter Park, where the guests enjoyed a complimentary selection of food and dessert generously provided by Stonewood Grill & Tavern and Peach Valley Café. “Harriett,” the new Orlando Heath branded dragon boat, was on display to greet the guests in the park across the street from the studio.
The traditional “Awakening of the Dragon” ceremony of dotting the eye to awaken the dragon, wishing the boat and its racers good luck on any upcoming competition, was performed in the spring when the boat first arrived. Festival presenting sponsor, Walgreens, had their own dragon boat team on hand to take the boat out on its maiden voyage.
2011 Orlando Int'l Dragon Boat Festival
The 4th Annual Walgreens Orlando International Dragon Boat Festival held at Downtown Disney will take place on October 15, 2011. This event has grown to nearly 70 teams registered to race. There are many local organizations and businesses that will participate in this exciting, family-friendly activity. Included in the local lineup are 10 registered teams from Orlando Health, two teams from the City of Orlando including dragon boat team member Mayor Buddy Dyer, the Orlando Police Department SWAT team, Orange County SWAT team, Orange County Fire Rescue team, as well as The Big Red Boat team from Florida Blood Center, among others.
Walgreens has signed on again as the festival’s presenting sponsor. They designed a new, custom-wrapped “Walgreens There’s a Way” dragon boat that arrived in Orlando after stopping to participate in both Toronto and Philadelphia’s dragon boat festivals along the way.
Our Asian community has planned entertainment throughout the day with special events for children. Admission and parking are free, and this fun-filled family day on October 15 at Downtown Disney is not to be missed. The Orlando Health branded dragon boat has been making appearances at community events around town and stirring up the excitement of the upcoming festival. We also thank and recognize the support from Great White North Dragon Boat, the international dragon boat festival promoter from Toronto, Canada. To learn more about this great event, visit gwdragonboat.com.
We would also like to recognize Walt Disney World for their support and hosting of this festival. A podcast recapping Orlando Health’s participation in the 4th Annual Walgreens Orlando International Dragon Boat Festival at Downtown Disney is now available to view on the Orlando Health website and You Tube. Here is how you can listen to the podcast:
Orlando Health Website:http://bit.ly/vUkzS2
You Tube:http://bit.ly/ub8GmE
Women Playing For T.I.M.E. and MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando are the charitable beneficiaries of this festival. This years’
event is expected to attract over 1,500 team
participants and 10,000 spectators.
2011 Presenting Sponsor
WPFT appreciates the continued support of Walgreen's who has been a contributing sponsor since 2010 and actively participates in the festival with racing teams, information booths and corporate support.
Corporate teams, Pink teams and individual paddlers are needed!
Women Playing For T.I.M.E. is actively recruiting new corporate teams to participate in this year's event. Corporate teams from the Orlando Rowing Club, Orlando Health, Consulate Health Care and MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando are already committed. Florida Blood Centers, City of Orlando, Walgreen's, Tavistock Group, Orange Count SWAT and Orlando Magazine are just a few of the racing teams you will see at the year's festival. Would your company like to participate in an incredible day of team building and community camaraderie?
There are many benefits for sponsorship, participating as a vendor and for forming a corporate dragon boat team! The Orlando International Dragon Boat Festival at Walt Disney World Resort, provides a unique opportunity to integrate your brand into one of the premier annual dragon boat events world-wide.
Due to the nature of the sport, the event puts you in front of a diverse group of consumer and business networks. Within a captivating environment with a burst of activity happening throughout the festival grounds, this truly innovative avenue provides interaction with key influencers with buying power.
To learn more, watch this excellent video about Dragon Boating and the 2010 Orlando International Dragon Boat Festival! We look forward to seeing you there!
To preview videos and information from the 2009 Orlando International Dragon Boat Festival, Click here to see the Growing Bolder Video, Click here to see the GWN/Convention News Video, Click here to see photo gallery.
Dragon Boating Practices at Lake Fairview
Your first practice is always free! Come out and join Women Playing For T.I.M.E. and the Orlando Rowing Club at Lake Fairview to learn the sport of Dragon Boating! Due to growing demand, practice schedules and new teams are being formed every week. Adult males, females and breast cancer survivors are are welcome to participate. Practices are held at the Orlando Rowing Club, located off Lee Road on Lake Fairview.
The cost is $10 per person and practices usually last one hour. No experience is necessary. To find out more information, please visit the Orlando Rowing Club website. Or, take a look at this fun video about the recent Dragon Boat Mini-Camp held on Lake Fairview in March, 2010.
If you're looking to get into shape, learn a new sport, meet some new and wonderful people, Dragon Boating could be perfect for you! If you plan to attend, RSVP on the Orlando Rowing Club website. Plan to wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing that will allow you to move freely and can get a little damp!
Need more information about Dragon Boating? Watch this short clip about the sport. Trust us...you will have a blast!
Asia Trend Magazine
Watch this exciting video produced by Asia Trend Magazine about the arrival celebration for the new WPFT Dragon Boat at Orlando Rowing Club located on the shores of Lake Fairview. WPFT greatly appreciates the help and support of Asia Trend Magazine and it's readership patrons.
The Pink Dragon Boat Movement
Dragons are mythical legendary creatures
that represent the primal forces of nature and the universe, including power
and strength. They are associated with wisdom and longevity, and are
thought to possess some form of magic. Chinese dragons, specifically, are
benevolent. For many breast cancer survivors, Pink Dragon Boat
Racing has come to signify support for breast cancer awareness and to provide
hope for survivors that there is high quality of life after breast cancer.
The movement began in Canada in 1996, with a team under the
medical guidance of a sports medicine physician who found that paddling
not
only provides a thorough cardio routine, but is also a great exercise
for breast cancer patients. Additional studies have shown that
paddling
builds upper body strength, is beneficial to the recovery process, and
helps to
prevent lymphedema, a common side
effect of breast cancer treatment.
Pink Dragon Boat Racing has since become a prominent sport among breast
cancer survivors worldwide.
Pink
Dragon Boating is now recognized as a global sport and Pink Dragon Racing
Teams are organizing everywhere around the world. In Canada, for example, Canadians Abreast,
established in 2003, takes their message of hope to areas without breast cancer
survivor dragon boat teams. Their goal is to give hope and encouragement by
sharing stories of the physical, mental and spiritual strength and the benefits
of dragon boating.
Throughout
the United States,
Pink Dragon Boat Racing Teams are forming from Portland, OR,
and Princeton, NJ, to Pittsburgh, PA, and Atlanta, GA. There are presently
three racing teams located in Florida – Miami, Tampa, and
more recently, Central Florida.
Dragon Boat Racing
Dragon Boat Racing is rapidly becoming known as the “ultimate team sport” and the world's fastest-growing water sport. This 2,500-year old Chinese inspired sport involves 20 team members paddling in unison to a drummer’s beat in a long, narrow boat, decorated at the bow and stern with a dragon's head and tail.
Dragon Boat Racing is recognized for the camaraderie, strength and endurance fostered among the team participants. The races feature an exhilarating combination of competition in concert with entertainment that attracts a diverse group of people with a broad range of interests.
An established sport in Central Florida, one of the biggest Dragon Boat events is the Orlando International Dragon Boat Festival, held annually at Walt Disney World Resort and hosted by Disney's Wide World of Sports®. This year's event will be held on October 17, 2009, and will attract over 2,200 team participants and 30,000 spectators.
The organizer for the Orlando International Dragon Boat Festival is Great White North (GWN), a Canadian-based company. GWN is the driving force in developing the presence of Dragon Boat Racing at an elite and grass roots level in communities across Canada and the United States.
Our Sponsors
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