On race day, there will be royalty.
Just check out plans for the Dragon’s Lair this year — they include a butler and footmen, a housekeeper, and possibly a tea boy.
Under the supervision of Survivors Abreast team member Diane Couse, the lair will be what she calls “cooshy and comfy.”
“It’ll be what we would want,” she adds.
Those in line to the Dragon’s Lair throne will be the team that raises the most this year. Last year, it was the aptly titled RBC Queen Bees.
“After last year, we checked in with the Queen Bees and asked for their feedback,” Couse says. “This year, we’ve incorporated as much as we could.”
Until the last minute, it’s hard to know who will occupy the lair on June 10th. But whoever accedes to the lair this year will be privy to some royal treatment.
A butler will serve food and ensure comfort, the pantry will be stocked by It’s a Wrap, and there will be a privacy screen to ensure paddlers can change between races.
“We also have a comfort station specifically for our lair paddlers,” Couse adds. While the comfort station will, by necessity, be a Don on the Job, the atmosphere will be royal.
“We also have a social director for the lair who will try to fill the lulls in the day,” Couse adds. “There will be trivia challenges and games to keep the fun going throughout the day, and of course, the social director will ensure the paddlers get to the marshal area on time.”
One of the improvements to the lair this year includes the size: it will be 10 feet longer than it was last year. And it will include a large banner to mark the spot.
“Part of this is to reward the top fundraisers,” Couse says. “The other part is to inspire next year’s fundraisers. We want people to see the lair and want it for their team.”
Like the other members of Survivors Abreast, Couse has battled breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2008 “out of the blue,” she has had two mastectomies, a hysterectomy, radiation and chemotherapy, and was off work for a year and a half.
“When it eventually came time for me to retire,” she says, “I wanted to give back.”
She does that by working at My Left Breast, paddling twice a week year round with Survivors Abreast and, this year, coordinating the Dragon’s Lair.
Her reward?
Says Couse, “There’s nothing like being on the lake on a summer evening. There’s a certain sound that the paddles make when we’re all in synch that soothes the soul.”
All photos courtesy of Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival.
