Klein ISD employees race to beat breast cancer

published Jun. 9, 2011 - Story by Cody Tucker

Klein ISD assistant tax assessor collector and cancer survivor Debbie Wehner and the team of All Hands Abreast recently entered their first dragon boat race at Allen’s Landing.

The team placed 25th among a field of 30 boats. On Wehner's team were other breast cancer survivors, caregivers and friends. The additional KISD employees on the team were Melissa Zipps, Fran Whitaker, Cindy Garcia and Allan Mielsch, who is the district’s tax assessor collector.

From reading fitness magazines and a paper by Diana C. Parry, "The Contribution of Dragon Boat Racing to Women's Health and Breast Cancer Survivorship," Wehner learned that dragon boat racing is an activity that is especially beneficial for breast cancer survivors. After discovering that Houston is the home of a Dragon Boat Association, she created a racing team with friend Deanna Spencer as co-captain. The team will race in Sugar Land in October.

A dragon boat is 40 feet long and 4 feet wide at its widest point. The 20 paddlers move in synch to the beat of a drummer. A steersperson is provided at races by the association. Each of the three heats of a race is 250 meters.

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