Whether the sun is shining and the water is calm, or the water currents are choppy and the wind bites at the ears of the team members, one group is always paddling in the early hours of the morning in League City’s own Mud Lake. Pink Phuree, pronounced “Fury”, is the first all-female Breast Cancer survivor dragon boating team of Houston, founded by the late Frances Arzu in 2007 as a nonprofit organization.
According to the International Dragon Boat Federation, dragon boat racing is a Chinese paddling sport that began around 2000 years ago as means to honor the story of Qu Yuan, a local hero often seen fighting against the corrupt government of the kingdom of Chu. Since the 1970s, the Hong Kong Tourist Association saw the sport as a method to promote their country, as well as an opportunity to begin a “ ‘Modern Era’ of Dragon Boat as a sport,” with world-wide national and international competitions and events every year. Pink Phuree follows the tradition of dragon boating bringing people together, and exists as not just a hobby, but additionally as an outlet to lift up the community. It was founded to support Breast Cancer survivors in both their physical and emotional recovery from their diagnosis.
“The whole purpose of our team is to help survivors reach a step in the middle of their journey,” Gaile Stiteler, Pink Phuree’s team captain and treasurer, said. “Dragon boating helps you strengthen the upper body and recovery from surgery. It is also a very good mental improvement, because after a cancer diagnosis, so often [patients] become very depressed.”
To fund the team, Pink Phuree hosts and attends community events throughout the year. On Oct. 26, the team will hold it’s annual Purse Bingo Fundraiser, where attendees purchase Bingo cards at the entrance for a chance to win donated designer purses through a series of Bingo rounds. The location and time that the event will be hosted can be found on the team’s website, pinkphurree.org/.
“If we don’t fundraise, the team won’t even be in existence because we’re completely independent,” Stiteler said. “But [this event] will bring in enough money to cover our operating needs and keep us going into the following year.”
The team will compete at the Kansas City Dragon Boat Festival in Missouri, Sept. 28, 2024, and at the Dragon Boat Festival & Leadership Camp in Sarasota, FL Jan. 22-26 in 2025. In these competitions, dragon boat teams from around the country will race dragon boats on the water, engage in team-bonding activities, and compete against other dragon boat teams from across the country.
“When I’m on the bank, I’ll be your best friend,” Stiteler said. “But when I’m in the [competition] lane, my mind goes blank. And I’ll win!”
These competitions and fundraising events help Pink Phuree work toward their goal to attend the quadrennial International Breast Cancer Paddler’s Commission competition where dragon boat teams of Breast Cancer patients and survivors from around the world gather. The teams wish to spread awareness for Breast Cancer, as well as take home first place. The next meeting of this competition is scheduled in Paris, France in 2026.
“For me, it’s very invigorating,” Stiteler said. “Once you go to a competition and you get off that boat you feel like you’ve accomplished something, and it’s just very exhilarating.”
Pink Phuree is also a growing team, and open to any female Breast Cancer survivors or current patients showing up to practice. The team mainly tries to connect through doctors’ offices and word of mouth, encouraging members of the community to fill out an interest form on the team’s website, pinkphurree.org. Saturday practices are regular, and available for those interested to decide whether or not dragon boating is for them.
“It’s a total commitment, and the people on the team will support each other in the boat,” Stiteler said. “When you’re on the water in the boat, you’re one team, and everybody has to work together.”
Through regular community engagement and rigorous physical activity, Pink Phuree exists to bring together cancer survivors and patients of their community, rather than letting them struggle to carry the despair of a cancer diagnosis alone.
“The team itself, as a collective group of survivors, we don’t want to dwell on what happened, we dwell on the future,” Stiteler said. “We inspire each other to be better, develop our strength, and to keep moving forward.”
Armed with an indomitable spirit, Pink Phuree sets a determined gaze on the horizon as they continue to grow as a team and in their paddling skills. These women are passionate and motivated not only in their sport, but also in the path of living with and recovering from cancer. Their determination to spread a message of community, belonging, and positivity will only ever endure on their endeavor of taking the dragon boating world by storm.
