Just after 7:30 a.m. each Saturday morning, a group of more than 30 women step into a boat on the clear and calm waters of the Allegheny River.

The women vary in age from 38 to 74. Some are athletes, others not so much. Some of the ladies are as small as 110 pounds, while others are more than 200. They come from different backgrounds and different walks of life.

These women -- the members of the Pink Steel dragon boat team -- do have something in common, however, something life-changing.

Pink Steel is one of five Steel City Dragon Boat Association teams, but there is a unique requirement to be on this unit.

All of the women are breast cancer survivors.

"We don't talk about it. If we want to, or if we have to, we know that everyone is going to understand," said Laurie Montgomery, a Murrysville resident who was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly a year ago.

"It's kind of a cliche, but we are all in the same boat."

The boat is a 500-pound dragon boat that holds 20 paddlers, as well as a drummer and a steersman. Teams compete in 500-meter races, and the paddling and training can be quite strenuous.

The women of Pink Steel have that part under control after overcoming one of the most exhausting diseases.

"I love the camaraderie, and I love the breast cancer survivors. It's a floating support system. You get on the boat, and you forget that you had cancer because you're working on something else," said Monroeville resident Lynn Wegrzynek, who has been cancer free for 11 years.

"You are there for the team, for the camaraderie and to sprint 500 meters without throwing up and passing out. You'd be surprised at the muscles you find."

Pink Steel trains Saturday mornings and Wednesday nights at Fox Chapel Yacht Club, but many of the women take part in the program for more than just exercise.

"It's a great way to have support for something you are going through or have gone through without talking about it," said Lynne Franks-Meinert, the Pink Steel coach.

"They like turning their bodies from medical issues to athletics. And, it's totally changed their discussions."

Many dragon boat associations in other cities around the country established breast cancer survivor teams, and Franks-Meinert, was inspired to create one in Pittsburgh after a friend's death in 2005.

"Our biggest accomplishment so far is getting more women out. We've just gotten stronger, and we have a full boat now which makes a difference," she said. "There's a whole new group dynamic. They're a lot more powerful when they're together."

Pink Steel formed three years ago and has grown from five members at the start to more than 30 this summer.

The women competed late last month in the Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Race at Station Square and finished second behind Philadephia's Hope Afloat with a time of 2:23.

The next test for Pink Steel will be this weekend when the group will travel to Windsor, Ontario for the FDJ International Dragon Boats for the Cure festival, which will feature 45 teams of breast cancer survivors from throughout the United States and Canada.

The 40-foot boat has a dragon head at the bow and a tail at the stern and is propelled by 22 women sitting two-by-two paddling in sync. A drummer, who paces the team, sits at the bow, and the steersman is at the stern.

Montgomery, who was at paddle camp in April after her final radiation treatment in March, said that it takes about four hard strokes to get the boat started or "popped," followed by 25 fast strokes and then long-reaching strokes to finish the sprint of the 500-meter race.

"You don't have to be a super jock to compete, but everyone has a sense of adventure," Montgomery said. "It's not something that most of us have done before. It's for people who want to take a chance and challenge themselves."

That challenge becomes easier with help from teammates, the women said. One Murrysville area boater, who wished only to be referred to as Cheryl, didn't have much of an interest with boats or water before witnessing the benefits of the Pink Steel friendships.

"It's really enjoyable. It's absolutely beautiful," she said. "We're all fighters. There's no doubt about that."

For more information or to join, visit www.steelcitydragons.org or contact Franks-Meinert at lmeinert@steelcity dragons.org or 412-377-3063.

Staff writer Bethany Hofstetter contributed to this story.