London, Ont., dragon boat community loses 'world class stern' to cancer

Sarah Shellard's teammates will remember her in her element: one hand steering the dragon boat, tea in the other, and yelling loudly at her crew.

The London, Ont. dragon boat coach and steersperson died on Sunday, after her second bout with cancer. She led her crew, made entirely of breast cancer survivors, to nine national victories after joining in 2008.

"She was fun-loving, she was one of best technical coaches you could ever have, and she was a world class stern." said team captain Linda Kuksa.

Shellard was so skilled that teams from all over Canada wanted her to be their steersperson for world championships, she said.

Part of that success was her ability to shout commands from the back of the boat.

"She has that booming voice," rememberd Kuska. "It does not come from the throat. It's coming from the gut," she said.

The Rowbust dragon boat team in London, Ont., is made of up cancer survivors. At 29, Shellard was diagnosed with colon cancer. "She got thirty years out of that, which is unbelievable," said Kuska. Last year, she found out the cancer had come back.

"It was just devastating to our entire team and the family," said Kuska. Shellard was 60 when she died. According to her obituary, she was born in Iserlohn, Germany and registered in England. She became a Canadian citizen in 2016.

The simplest pleasures in life brought great joy to Sarah, it said.

"It's going to be tough, said Kuska, imagining the crew's next time on the water, without Shellard. But she also knows their former coach and stern would expect them to keep going.

"She would want us to suck it up," said Kuska. "She would want us to move on and get every ounce out of this life."

LISTEN: Team captain pays tribute to Sarah Shellard