A 150-member dragon boat program at Nathan Benderson Park is sending more than 25 breast cancer survivors to compete in the French Alps in August, while a veterans team founded by a disabled Army retiree who walks on crutches continues to grow five years after launching with just five paddlers.
The paddling community at 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle now fields four teams: Survivors In Sync, made up of breast cancer survivors; NBP Warriors, open to survivors of all cancers; a community team; and NBP Veterans, a military squad organized by retired First Sergeant Rickard Jensen in 2021.
Jensen, who served 21 years in the Army including a tour in Vietnam, drives from Holmes Beach to the park three times a week in a pickup truck outfitted to look like a dragon boat. He arrives about four hours before every practice to ready the boats. On Saturdays, that means pulling in before 5 a.m.
"It keeps me active. I've also got a lot of veteran friends here, and that's important to have because military life is completely different than civilian life," Jensen told Your Observer in November 2025.
Jensen broke his left leg in five places in a fall off a ladder and is permanently disabled. He started the veterans team partly in response to the veteran suicide rate, which stood at 22 deaths per day in 2021. The team has grown to about 25 members ranging from their late 30s to early 80s, men and women, disabled and non-disabled.
In 2023, the Manatee County Veterans Council named Jensen its Veteran of the Year.
Survivors headed to international festival
Survivors In Sync formed in 2014 when Nathan Benderson Park hosted the International Breast Cancer Paddlers' Commission Dragon Boat Festival. That festival is held every three to four years, and in August the team is sending more than 25 paddlers to compete in the French Alps.
The trip caps a strong stretch for the broader program. On April 18, the park hosted the Sarasota International Dragon Boat Festival, drawing competitive athletes, recreational paddlers and spectators from across the country.
Gold medal underdogs
The veterans team earned a gold medal at the Lake Hernando Dragon Boat Festival on Nov. 1, 2025, coming from behind after finishing second in the first two races. The squad of seven men and three women beat several all-male teams.
Retired Army staff sergeant John Aloisi of Lakewood Ranch, a member of the veterans team, told Your Observer in November 2025 that the team wasn't expected to win but came together when it mattered. Aloisi has described dragon boating as "the ultimate team sport," noting most races are won or lost by fractions of a second.
What it costs and what's next
Membership fees start at $40 a month with a one-year commitment and 20 hours of annual volunteering, up to $65 a month with no commitment. Veterans pay $55 a month after an $89 introductory course covering four practices. All equipment is provided.
Programs coach Angela Long told Your Observer on Aug. 5 that she wants to add a youth team and a para team for individuals with disabilities.
The program is open to anyone 18 or older, whether they want to paddle recreationally or competitively. A new eight-week Dragon Boat Racing League at Nathan Benderson Park runs Aug. 16 through Oct. 11, open to participants from high schoolers to seniors. Veterans team practices are held Mondays at 6 p.m., Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m. year-round.
