Kathryn Thompson found NAC like many do, by renting kayaks with her family.
Now, she just might be the member who best takes advantage of all the water crafts NAC has to offer. From dragon boat, to outrigger, and surfski paddling–she’s done it all. She also might be the best embodiment and reminder to enjoy it all.
The path from renting kayaks to becoming a member wasn’t a direct one. In 2015, Kathryn was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she described herself back then as a ‘Get things done kind of girl’ so when she beat it, the thoughts of ‘what next?’ came on quickly. She realized she wanted to do something fun and that’s when she remembered NAC.
In 2018, she found her community with NAC’s Dragon Boat team–literally. Within many dragon boat (DB) teams, there is a crew of breast cancer survivors, with specific races designated for cancer survivors at competitions. Kathryn remembers being so warmly welcomed to the dragon boat team by Barb Singleton, who was the DB community liaison and a cancer survivor herself who has sadly passed on.
Kathryn – Front Left
“She was so warm and open,” Kathryn recalled of Barb, who explained what to bring and wear to practices, ensuring that they would take care of her. “She sold me,” Kathryn explained, saying that was the level of acceptance and community she was looking for post cancer.
Kathryn laughed when she spoke of her first practice with the dragon boat team, thinking back on how badly she must have paddled. “But they invited me back, and they were just great about it!” She then went on to sit seemingly everywhere in the boat–stroke, middle ‘engine’, steering and even captaining the team itself!
Then during COVID, Kathryn was introduced to outrigger paddling and would take out single outrigger canoes (OC1s) to cross-train for dragon boat–a crossover that has become common due to the similar strokes between the two sports. She would take the club boats out with fellow DB team mates and even her husband joined in! Fast forward to 2026, Kathryn joined our “Intro to Outrigger” winter program where she learned proper technique and got to know the outrigger team coaches and members. In the same fashion as she did with DB, she learned to sit everywhere in the canoe, including steering. Kathryn officially joined the outrigger team to paddle with our co-ed team for the 2026 season (while still finding time to continue on with the DB team)! On top of both teams, she’s also a volunteer for the Newport Bay Conservancy who run our Naturalist Tours in our double and triple-hull canoes!
Just when I thought she’d hit as many different water crafts as she could, she told me that she’s recently learned how to surfski! When I expressed my shock, Kathryn laughed and said, “Well, I don’t know why I wouldn’t! It’s all here!” Trying out a surfski was as simple as asking an NAC employee to show her how to do it, and now she’s got her own paddle and is thrilled to take out the club boats and get yet another workout on the water.
Kathryn and Family paddling outriggers
There aren’t that many members at NAC who paddle two crafts, let alone three! At this point I think it might be just a matter of time before Kathryn hops in a rowing shell or sprint kayak and tries those out as well! But what links Kathryn and most members here at NAC is our love of the water, and she wanted to pass along some wisdom as someone who has beaten cancer and found her community here:
“Life goes by faster than we think. Get out and find what gives you JOY, and if being on the water makes you happy, let’s go! Feel the ocean breeze on your skin. Let the beauty of our Back Bay fill your eyes. When you’re paddling, enjoy the way your body moves and the way it moves the boat. Enjoy the way you feel after a good workout. We only get to have these feelings because we’re alive, let’s enjoy it while we can. Life itself is a gift, let’s go live it!”
“I try to put at least some of this in every day,” Kathryn said, “When I had cancer in 2015, it didn’t kill me and easily could have, so I’m super grateful for my days!”
NAC Dragon Boat team and Belle
The NAC Dragon Boat team recently came together to honor a member of our paddling community. Belle is a breast cancer survivor who is undergoing medical treatment again for another cancer. People who know Belle and paddled with her came to reminisce, and team members who did not know her before came to support and celebrate her. Why? Because that’s what we do. We uplift one another.
Kathryn is very passionate about rebuilding a full NAC Dragon Boat Cancer Survivor team and eager to welcome new paddlers–the bond of cancer battlers and survivors paddling all together is a type of synergy you can rarely find elsewhere. If you’re interested in joining the NAC DB team, Kathryn and the entire team is ready to welcome you with open arms, just as she was.