moves indoors. Brett’ s Off-Season Training( OST) program, run through Vermont Fitness, draws more than 80 members to strength and circuit classes nearly every day of the week. The workouts are tailored specifically to dragon boating, and the gym is equipped with KayakPros— machines that simulate the dragon boat paddle stroke. There’ s also pool paddling, which uses a circulating current to mimic on-water conditions. A rehabilitation gym in Williston has offered its pool for the purpose, and Allard is building a dedicated pool paddling facility in her barn.
Dragonheart Vermont is very competitive. They have sent athletes to national championships and, when they’ ve earned a bid, to the World Championships. In 2024, the club sent 100 Vermont athletes to compete in Ravenna, Italy.“ We’ ve got 250 athletes that are training on a regular basis,” Brett says. The club competes at distances of 200 meters, 500 meters, and
2 kilometers— a range that demands both explosive power and endurance.
What sets Dragonheart Vermont apart, all three leaders agree, is that none of it requires a background in athletics or a connection to cancer. Kyle found that out firsthand when she paddled her first season alongside beginners on Thursday nights.“ A lot of them were surprised—‘ Oh, you’ re the executive director, you’ re on the newbie boat with us.’ That was a good way to get to know some of the newer members.”
Two decades in, Dragonheart Vermont continues doing what it has always done: welcoming new paddlers, chasing medals, and raising money for cancer survivors across Vermont. The club grows every year— and there is always room in the boat. n
dragonheartvermont. org
Dragonheart Vermont strives to strengthen and empower breast cancer survivors and supporters through the challenging sport of dragon boating, instilling in its members the values of teamwork, fitness, and community giving.
Writers- share your Vermont experience in poetry or prose!
The annual Vermont Writers’ Prize celebrates Vermont and the written word.
• One $ 1,250 prize for poetry
• One $ 1,250 prize for prose
Winners in each category are also published in the Summer edition of Vermont Magazine. To enter, write an essay, short story, play or poem about Vermont- its people, places, values or history in 1,500 words or less.
The deadline to enter is January 1, 2027. Enter today at vermontwritersprize. submittable. com / submit / 86155 / vermont-writers-prize
For details, visit greenmountainpower. com, vermontmagazine. com or call( 888) 835-4672.
Entries must be unpublished. Must be a Vermont resident. Previous winners and employees of GMP and Vermont Magazine cannot enter.
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