On This Is My Thing, we are continuing our mission to talk with people about the things they do just for themselves – not because it’s their job and not because it’s a responsibility, just because they love to do it. The stuff you do because it’s your thing.
The latest episode of This Is My Thing is about dragon boat racing. In China, racing boats that look like dragons have been around for thousands of years, but the sport has become more popular worldwide in recent years. And, it turns out, paddling in dragon boats is excellent exercise for survivors of breast cancer.
Our guest today, Beth Rowan, is a member of Paddlers With A Purpose, Austin's first dragon boat team made up entirely of breast cancer survivors. Beth says she took up the sport as a form of physical therapy but didn't anticipate how much the sport and her teammates would come to mean to her.
On this page, you can listen to the on-air version of this story, but if you check out the This Is My Thing podcast feed, you’ll find a longer version of this piece (as well as some older pieces you might have missed or might just want to listen to again). There’s some great stuff in there that couldn’t fit into the shorter on-air version, so check it out!
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Hui Zhong (left) and Lyndia Garza (right) paddles on Lady Bird Lake during Dragon boat practice with Paddles with a Purpose, a dragon boat team for Breast Cancer survivors on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. Patricia Lim/KUT News
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Paddles with a Purpose team paddles are pictured on Lady Bird Lake during practice on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. The Dragon Boat Team is full of Breast Cancer Survivors. Patricia Lim/KUT News
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Paddles with a Purpose, a dragon boat team for Breast Cancer survivors practice on Lady Bird Lake on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. Patricia Lim/KUT News
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Paddles with a Purpose, a dragon boat team for Breast Cancer survivors practice on Lady Bird Lake on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. Patricia Lim/KUT News
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Louisa Marquez, steer person, steers the Dragon boat on Lady Bird Lake during Dragon boat practice with Paddles with a Purpose, a dragon boat team for Breast Cancer survivors on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. Patricia Lim/KUT News
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Paddles with a Purpose row on Lady Bird Lake during a morning practice on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. The Dragon boat team is full of Breast Cancer Survivors. Patricia Lim/KUT News
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Paddles with a Purpose, a dragon boat team for Breast Cancer survivors practice on Lady Bird Lake on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. Patricia Lim/KUT News
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Paddles with a Purpose, a dragon boat team for Breast Cancer survivors practice on Lady Bird Lake on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. Patricia Lim/KUT News
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Paddles with a Purpose, a dragon boat team for Breast Cancer survivors pose for a photograph on Lady Bird Lake on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. Patricia Lim/KUT News
