Our Story
In the summer of 2004, a group of breast cancer survivors borrowed a dragon boat and started paddling on Lake Champlain. They didn't have a team name picked out. They didn't have a boat of their own. What they had was Linda and John Dyer, two founders with a vision for what this sport could do for people after cancer — and the kind of energy that's hard to say no to.
By the end of that first season, the borrowed boat went back. Dragonheart Vermont did not.
From One Boat to a Community 200+ Strong
The team came back the next year with a goal: raise enough money for their own boats. They told their story everywhere — to families, friends, neighbors, coworkers, anyone who'd listen. The University of Vermont Medical Center Radiation Oncology Department pitched in. So did the rest of Burlington. By May of 2005, Dragonheart Vermont took delivery of not one but two dragon boats.
Many of the paddlers who climbed into the boat during that first season are still with the team today. The club calls them "the originals." They've been joined by hundreds of supporters, and today Dragonheart Vermont has over 200 members across 10 teams, with seven long boats, two small boats and multiple practices each week on Lake Champlain.
Where We Are Today
Twenty years in, Dragonheart Vermont is still doing what it's always done: welcoming new paddlers, chasing medals, and raising money for cancer survivors in Vermont. The club grows every year, and there's always room in the boat.
Breast Cancer Survivorship Through Sport — And a Team That Keeps Winning
Dragonheart Vermont was built on a simple idea: that dragon boating, the rhythm, the teamwork, the sheer physical challenge of it, could give breast cancer survivors something powerful back. Not just fitness. Not just friendship. A reason to show up, push hard, and feel strong again.
That idea has held up. The club's breast cancer survivor teams have competed at the highest levels of the sport, and their supporter teams have been right there with them: national champions and serious competitors on the world stage.
By the numbers:
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21 U.S. National Championships
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Gold and silver medals at the Club Crew World Championships in Hong Kong (2012)
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Bronze medal at Club Crew Worlds in Ravenna, Italy (2014)
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Six qualifying teams sent to Club Crew Worlds in Ravenna, Italy (2024)
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Three silver, one gold, and one bronze from World Championships overall
Those medals matter. So does the paddler in her first season who wasn't sure she could do this — and then did. Dragonheart Vermont makes room for both.
Giving Back to Vermont — The Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival
In 2006, Dragonheart Vermont's drive to give back led to something big: the Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival. Every summer since, community members and local businesses have formed teams, raced dragon boats in Burlington, and raised money for Vermont cancer survivors.
The festival has become a Burlington summertime tradition. Its impact goes beyond the races. Dragonheart Vermont has used festival proceeds to replace the docks at the Community Boat Launch for all of Burlington to use, added an adaptive kayak launch, and continues to support community organizations serving cancer survivors across the state.
The People Behind Dragonheart
Linda and John Dyer are the reason any of this exists. Together, they built one of the largest breast cancer survivor and supporter dragon boat teams in the country: from that first borrowed boat to national and world championships under Coach John, to a community that is still growing more than 20 years later.
Linda's warmth and John's philosophy of "Relentless Positive Thinking" set the tone for everything Dragonheart Vermont does: work hard, have fun, and take care of each other.
The Story of Debra Blue
One of Dragonheart Vermont's most treasured boats carries a name and a story that the team holds close.
Debra Blue was a gift from John Lentine in honor of his wife, Debra, a beloved member of the Dragonheart Vermont Sisters team. Deb joined the club in 2006 after organizing a community team for the very first Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival. She became a dedicated paddler and a fierce competitor, racing at nationals and at the Club Crew World Championships in Ravenna, Italy in 2014 — timing her chemotherapy so she wouldn't miss the trip. The Sisters team won bronze that year, and Deb was their inspiration.
Even when cancer made it difficult to speak or keep her balance, Deb never stopped paddling. She always knew her seat — Seat 2, right side — and her timing never faltered.
Debra passed away in August of 2015. Her husband had a flower holder built into the bow of Debra Blue (Deb's favorite color) so the team could carry flowers with them on every paddle. The Sisters think of her every time they take a stroke together.