Great Big C

A HUGE thank you to the following groups, businesses and individuals for generously offering to help sponsor our All Cancer Survivor dragon boat teams in 2026, Great Big C and We Beat U!

👏 Prostate Cancer Support Ottawa
👏 Acart Communications
👏 Nephin Bingley - Chartered Professional Accountants
👏 Kent Browne , Royal LePAGE Team Realty
👏 eQ Homes
👏 Brian Rochester, Royal LePAGE Team Realty

Your commitment to helping our teams allows us to train with amazing coaches and compete at the Ottawa and Carleton Place dragon boat festivals as well as sport team shirts! ❤️

Silver in the Open Charity Challenge Cup!
Our crew have raised $15,810.60 so far this year for the charities supported by the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival ❤️

BOTH of our teams have earned a spot in tomorrow’s Charity Challenge Cup races! 🎉

7:40p GREAT BIG C - Open Charity Challenge
8:00p WE BEAT U - Mixed B Charity Challenge

Smiling faces at our last (beautiful) evening of practices before the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival this weekend 💪🏻🐲

Come see our races:

- Friday June 19 at 8pm for the Charity Cup 🏆
- Sat June 20 at 11:20am for the All Cancer Paddlers race and flower ceremony 🌺
- Sat pm and Sunday: TBD, based on our first race 🎉

We snuck in a couple of great practices between rain showers today. Great Big C even got some sun! 🌧🌞🌧

9 sleeps until the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival kick-off 💪🐲

Another great practice done! Getting ready ready to race 💪🏻

Both teams are counting down to the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival.

Message from Prostate Cancer Support Ottawa PCSO:

"The 2026 Dragon Boat season is underway for the two PCSO-sponsored cancer survivor teams – Great Big C (men’s team) and We Beat U (mixed team) – with the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival taking place June 19 - 21, 2026. The teams will also participate in the Carleton Place Dragon Boat Festival on September 12, 2026.

If you would like to financially help with the costs to run these teams you can do so by donating to PCS Ottawa. You will get a charitable receipt, and the funds will be used by PCS Ottawa to support the teams."

Support Great Big C (men’s team) and We Beat U (mixed team) The 2026 Dragon Boat season is just around the corner for the two PCSO-sponsored cancer survivor teams – Great Big C (men’s team) and We Beat U (mixed team) – with the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival starting on Friday 19 June 2026. They ...

Another great week on the water for We Beat U and Great Big C💪🏻

Countdown to the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival 🤩

Some great info via our friends at Busting Out Ottawa Dragon Boat Club 💪🏻

Strong isn’t about looking a certain way.
It’s about protecting your body for the years ahead. 💪💗

As we age - and especially for those forced into early menopause or taking aromatase inhibitors (AIs) after breast cancer treatment - strength training becomes one of the most important things we can do for our health and quality of life.

Regular resistance training can help:
✔️ Maintain and improve bone density
✔️ Build and preserve muscle mass
✔️ Improve balance and stability
✔️ Reduce fall and fracture risk
✔️ Support joint health and mobility
✔️ Improve energy, mood, and confidence
✔️ Help counter some AI side effects like stiffness and fatigue

And the best part?
You do NOT need to lift super heavy to benefit. Consistency matters more than perfection. Starting where you are matters more than waiting until you feel “ready.”

Strong looks different for everyone.
Strong can mean carrying groceries easier, feeling steadier on your feet, paddling harder, getting up off the floor without assistance, or simply feeling more like YOU again.

Your body has already carried you through so much.
Now it’s time to help it stay strong for the adventures ahead. 🩷

Breezy but beautiful evening for our first practice of the season. Great work team 💪🏻

Getting ready ready for the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival