PARSIPPANY, NJ – With the intensity of a drill sergeant and the familiarity of a sister, Ellen Law shouts down the rows of women rowing the dragon boat furiously through the waters of Lake Parsippany.

"Let’s go! Keep pushing through the pain!" Law stops and corrects herself. "Not pain! Muscle learning!"

Not pain. Their arm muscles are on fire and they’re sweating hard as they lean on their paddles, but these women know what pain is. And this isn’t it.

The members of Pathways Team SOSNJ (Save Our Sisters) Dragon Boat Team are all breast cancer survivors. They formed a rowing team and became an affiliate of the NJ Dragon Boat Club. Now, under Law’s coaching, they practice weekly on Lake Parsippany and compete in races all over the U.S. and Canada.

Some of the members of Team SOSNJ are in their mid 20s. Almost half the team is over 60. Three of them are over 70. They come from all over Northern and Central New Jersey. Some joined the team while still undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, others are long-term survivors.

"Some people don’t like the idea of a support group where you sit around a table and talk and cry," said member Peggy Salisbury of Union. "They want to do something more active, but still be with women who know what they’ve been through."

Law, who lives in East Hanover and also coaches volleyball in New Providence, has been a member of the U.S. National Dragon Boat Team since 1998 and has raced for Team USA at the World Championships since then. She helps organize and coach dragon boat teams all over New Jersey, but brushes off a member’s comment that she does it "out of the goodness of her heart."

"I do it because I enjoy it," she says. "It’s a growing sport, and it’s good for these women. After all they’ve been through, it’s good for them to sit in the boat and just row. They don’t have to worry, they don’t even really have to think. They just have to row."

At first glance, it sounds counterintuitive for women who have been through breast cancer surgery to do an exercise as strenuous on the upper body as rowing. And for many years, women were advised not to lift more than five pounds after surgery. But groundbreaking research in 1996 by Dr. Don McKenzie, a sports medicine physician at the University of British Columbia, showed that by following a special exercise and training program such as dragon boating, breast cancer survivors could avoid lymphedema and enjoy active, full lives. A team of physicians, a physiotherapist and a nurse carefully monitored his program, and in the end, Dr. McKenzie’s theory was proven correct. No new cases of lymphedema occurred and none of the existing cases became worse.

Team SOSNJ shows no signs of having been sick at all as they row, paddles churning up whitewater on either side of the narrow boat. They are like any other athletes, keeping an eye on their form, working up a sweat and trying to heed the advice their coach shouts at different intervals.

The only evidence of the medical challenges they’ve faced comes when they pause their rowing and everyone raises one arm in the air and flexes their fingers for a bit to drain their lymph nodes. Then it’s paddles in the water and back to practice.

"Bury the blade!" Law shouts from the front of the boat. The women plunge their paddles deeper into the water, propelling the boat forward faster still. The key to keeping the boat smooth and steady is for each boater to keep her eye on the paddle in front of her. Law continually shouts for them to synchronize the entrance and exits of their paddles from the water. It’s a skill that echoes their very spirits – they’re a team. They’re fighters. And they’re working together to paddle forward and leave breast cancer behind.

The symbol of the dragon itself also reflects the spirit of these women. Dragon boating is an ancient Chinese ritual in which paddlers, in a synchronized rhythm, raced competitively, as they believed that racing symbolized their struggle with nature and the fight against deadly enemies. With the "dragon" at the helm of their boat, they would gain strength and vitality and avert misfortune.

Dragon boats are 40 feet long and hold 20 paddlers sitting in 10 rows, with two on each row. A steerer stands in the stern and, during races, a drummer sits on the bow. At competitive events, ceremonial dragon heads and tails are attached to the boats. Barry Howard of Morristown serves as the team’s steerer during practice, but at many races, no one is allowed in the dragon boat who is not a breast cancer survivor.

Practice over for another week, Law pulls the boat onto shore and the women climb out, holding each other’s hands and leaning on each other’s shoulders to regain their footing. They chatter about upcoming races as they put their equipment away.

"This is good for these women in a lot of ways," Law said. "Many of our members are older and have never been a part of a competitive sport before. They love it. Every year, we get new members. That’s really what keeps it exciting for all of us - getting caught up in the enthusiasm of the new members." Prior rowing experience is not required, and there is no age limit.

"It’s an amazing feeling to be a part of this team," said Michele Visco, executive director of Pathways and a breast cancer survivor. "Dragon boating can help women deal with not only the physical but also the emotional and psychological aftermath of a cancer diagnosis and treatment. You may not feel so strong after what you’ve been through, but out on that boat, you feel strong again."

Joan McEntee of Pompton Plains, who is in her second summer as a member of Team SOSNJ, said she joined for the workout and the camaraderie.

"It’s fun," she said. "And being out there with women who have been through what I’ve been through helps remind me that breast cancer is not the end of the world."

Pathways Team SOSNJ is currently sponsored by Dime Savings Bank and Investors Savings Bank.

For more information on Pathways or Team SOSNJ, call 908-273-4242, extension 154, or visit www.TeamSOSNJ.org. 

Pathways Team SOSNJ gets ready to head out onto Lake Parsippany for a practice session. Photo by Christy Potter Kass

Pathways Team SOSNJ practices every week on Lake Parsippany Photo by Christy Potter Kass