New Jersey’s first breast cancer survivor dragon boat team, the Machestic Dragons, presents the state’s largest community dragon boat festival at Mercer Park on Sunday, June 6, to benefit YWCA Princeton’s Breast Cancer Resource Center, an organization that provides counseling education, prosthetics, water aerobics, gentle yoga, and art therapy for survivors and their families. The event is free for spectators.
The event features a lake filled with dragon boat teams, their families, and supporters; cultural ceremonies, dance teams, a dragon dance, Princeton Chinese Language students, music, shopping, and rides on dragon boats. There is also a silent auction, bake sale, temporary tattoos, and a raffle to benefit the Machestic Dragons team. The flowers in the water ceremony symbolizes men and women who have lost the battle with breast cancer.
Luanne Arico of Plainsboro began her adventure in dragon boating almost by accident. When she worked at Merrill Lynch in Pennington she attended a lunch and learn because she was curious to learn more about the Chinese culture. She signed up for more information, attended two more lunch -and-learn events, and then a practice session at Mercer County Park. There were two sets of 20 people and when photos were published with Arico smiling while paddling it sealed the deal for her.
At the time she was 53, the oldest woman at the event, and considered herself non-athletic and out of shape — but she made the team. Arico said to herself, “I can do this” and worked hard to get into shape. “It was a rainbow coalition of all shapes and sizes, and we had a good year,” she says.
Arico was raised in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. She graduated from New York University with a degree in sociology and earned her master’s degree in urban planning from Hunter College. She worked for New York City in systems and technology, and then Dean Witter Reynolds and Merrill Lynch on Wall Street. She moved to Plainsboro 19 years ago when her department from Merrill Lynch was transferred to College Road.
She has since left Merrill Lynch, earned her master’s degree in teaching and adult education at the College of New Jersey, and now works at Mercer College’s Trenton campus in the adult basic education program focusing on remedial work for people to enter the GED program.
Arico’s husband, Michael Berger, works in finance with Care One. Their son, Justin Berger, a graduate of High School South, Class of 2005, played hockey in Boston for two years, and is now a student at American University.
During the festival Arico works on site management, organizes volunteers, and is the director of fundraising. “It is a full-time job,” she says. Although there were only 13 teams in 2007, there were 48 teams in 2009, the year she ran the festival when the organizer had to leave town at the last minute. Boats and personal flotation equipment are rented and insurance is provided. The fee is $800 per team which also helps pay for the park rental and permits. Teams of 22 people include 20 rowers, one alternate, and a drummer. Individuals may register for a $40 fee.
“Dragon boat paddling is a great feeling,” Arico says. “To be perfectly synchronized all 20 paddlers must stroke at the exact same time at the same rate for a wonderful sense of communication.”
— Lynn Miller
Paddle for Pink Dragon Boat Festival, Machestic Dragons, Mercer County Park Marina, West Windsor. Sunday, June 6, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 609-497-2100. www.paddleforpink.org.
