HOCR 2024: Survivor Rowing Network Meet & Greet

We are thrilled to welcome athletes from the Survivor Rowing Network (SRN) to the JL Racing tent at this year’s Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR). These cancer survivors are not only fierce competitors but also powerful advocates for the healing benefits of rowing. On Saturday, October 19th, from 10:15am to 11:15am, we will be hosting a meet & greet with athletes who are racing in the Survivor Row event, taking place at 3:26pm the same day. SRN is dedicated to creating opportunities for cancer survivors to embrace rowing, whether on water or indoors, fostering a supportive community across the globe. Stop by the JL tent on Saturday to meet these incredible and inspiring athletes, celebrate their strength, enter a raffle to win a FREE JL swag bag, and learn more about how SRN is growing the survivor rowing community worldwide!

Angie Gabel

Sasquatch Scullers

I discovered rowing in 1998 - going through some daunting changes in my life and raising my son on my own, I had moved to Austin, TX to be closer to family. Little did I know I was stumbling into a life-long family through the Austin Rowing Community.

I began competing nationally and internationally and was gearing up for the 2013 Fisa Masters Regatta in Italy when I had a routine mammogram that turned out to be ductal cancer with invasion. The next 18 months included a bilateral mastectomy, reconstruction (TWICE!), and shoulder surgery. My rowing family never left my side! I will be forever grateful for their compassion, love, friendship, and support. 

In 2017, I was part of a ladies quad that raced in Boston and it was joyous. We were all in true form and had an amazing time weaving our way down the Charles. 2024 is my return to Boston and the joy this race stokes within me. 

I'm so excited to be here and to represent Survivor Rowing Network as a competitor and believer that there is life after a diagnosis.

Lori Boersma

Saugatuck Survive-OARS

I was invited to be part of the Saugatuck Survive-OARS in Westport, CT a year after my second cancer diagnosis. At that time I had been extremely sick and the thought of rowing (or anything physical) never crossed my mind. Six years and many meters later, I had the most amazing thrill of rowing in the 2023 Head of the Charles with the Survivor Rowing Network. Because of rowing, I am stronger than I have ever been, more confident in what my body is capable of, and part of a team of amazing survivors that I can’t imagine life without.

In addition to being a part of the Survive-OARS team, this past year I have become part of the Survivor Rowing Network and joined the Rowing Cares Board so I can help other cancer survivors find what I have found in rowing. With the Survivor Rowing Network, we have the opportunity to help many more survivors discover how positively life changing rowing can be, both on and off the water!

Doris Parker

WeCanRow DC

It was as I was going through treatment for breast cancer in 2002 that I saw crews rowing on the Potomac River for the first time. The following summer I started Novice Sculling and have never looked back. I met Holly Metcalf a year later and she encouraged me to start WeCanRow DC along with 2 other survivor/ rowers from the DC area.

Discovering the sport of rowing was a turning point in my life. I still love to scull but coaching and coxing our team feed into my natural abilities like nothing I have ever done. The women I’ve met, the challenges we’ve faced and the sunsets we’ve witnessed together have given me strength, gratitude and so much joy.

Sue Stoev

ROCCREW Naiades Rowing Over Cancer

I was introduced to crew in 2014 when my daughter was a high school rower. Her coach was also the Naiades (now ROCCREW) coach, and when he told me that Naiades sometimes needed people who did not have cancer to help fill the boat, I decided to give it a try. I am not very athletic, so this was a real stretch. I loved the sport, but more than that, I loved the spirit and drive of my teammates. Their courage and determination inspired me at every practice. In 2020, I started having some medical issues, and it took a while for my doctors to figure out what was wrong with me. I credit my teammates with encouraging me to advocate for myself. When I got the call that I had endometrial cancer, I didn’t panic. I knew from seeing so many of my teammates go through treatment that this was just a bump in the road, not the end of it. Now, as a cancer survivor myself, I can deeply appreciate the support of ROCCREW. I love that it is a safe place for cancer survivors to regain strength and self-confidence. You don’t need to
worry if you are too weak to carry the boat, have lymphedema and can’t be on port, or get tired quickly. Your teammates will understand because we’ve been there too. And before you know it, you will be rowing in the Head of the Charles!

Cheer on these athletes, along with the rest of the 11 boats competing in the Survivor Row on Saturday, October 19th at 3:26pm.