Two Pittsburgh Athletes Selected for World-Class Dragon Boat Festival
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Ms. Sebastian and Ms. Rogers are teammates on the Pink Steel breast cancer paddler dragon boat team, which is part of the Steel City Dragons organization.
Alexis Sebastian was selected by the Hell Gate Sea Dragons team based in Stuart, Florida to compete with them in France. Alexis was first treated for breast cancer in 2016 and joined Pink Steel in 2017. She has raced with Pink Steel and the Steel City Mixed Dragons teams regularly and was also recently selected to compete in the Quebec Cup races at the Olympic Basin in Montreal with the Dragon Beast team from Nova Scotia. Alexis is training to become a dragon boat steerer and coach. Looking forward to the 2026 event, she says, “It is an honor and a privilege and has always been a dream of mine to paddle with all these strong, amazing athletes.”
Sonia “Crash” Rogers was selected by the Phoenix Desert Dragons team in Phoenix Arizona. Sonia was given the nickname “Crash” by a former coach after an incident on her first day of paddling. The boat was blocked by a large driftwood branch when approaching the dock. When Sonia tried dislodging the branch it moved suddenly and inadvertently struck the coach. Despite this frightening incident, Sonia came back for the next practice, which was a happy surprise for the coach who then dubbed her “Crash”. It’s a nickname that fits her determined and competitive approach to paddling, so the name stuck. Sona was first treated for breast cancer in 2010 and joined Pink Steel in 2013. She has since become a team leader, serving as First Vice Chairperson of the team’s Board of Directors, as a coach, and as a lead paddler in the front seat in the boat setting the pace for the entire crew. Of her upcoming experience at the festival, Sonia says, “I’ll be paddling with some old friends and new, but I know we’ll be among best teams there.”
In honor these athletes representation of Pittsburgh and breast cancer awareness, the Steel City Dragons organization is offering a fundraiser to help defray some of Sonia’s and Alexa’s substantial travel costs. Donations can be made online at https://www.steelcitydragons.org/2026bcfundraiser/. Any donated funds above their expected airfare of $3000 will be passed along to a breast cancer charity.
While the sport of dragon boat paddling goes back thousands of years, its connection with cancer has happened much more recently. In 1996, medical studies found that dragon boating offered significant health benefits for breast cancer paddlers, which spurred rapid growth of breast cancer teams. Additional studies confirmed even more health benefits and found additional emotional gains for paddlers resulting from the friendship and support of their teams.
Pink Steel team is Pittsburgh’s first dragon boat team for breast cancer paddlers. A coach in the Steel City Dragons organization established Pink Steel in 2005 to honor a dear friend and neighbor who had recently passed away from breast cancer. Pink Steel continues to offer camaraderie and support for those who have had breast cancer and those currently in treatment.
The Steel City Dragons formed in 2002 when the Urban Redevelopment Authority brought the first dragon boats to Pittsburgh. This charitable organization has grown over the years and now has two boats and three teams, including the Steel City Mixed Dragons team of adult men and women, the Pink Steel breast cancer paddlers team, and the Pittsburgh Unity all cancer paddlers team. These teams compete in four to six out-of-town dragon boat festivals every year and offer three practices a week on the Allegheny River. They provide training and support at their facilities within the Fox Chapel Yacht Club complex near Pittsburgh. The organization is a 501(c)(3) charity operated entirely by volunteers for the benefit of its participants and the community.
The Steel City Dragons’ two boats are 46 feet long and have a carved dragon head and tail to resemble traditional Chinese boats from over 2000 years ago. A crew of 20 paddlers propels each boat while a drummer in front beats cadence and a steerer in back directs the boat with a long wooden steering oar.
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