Sally Florsek Seat 4L Position:Engine Room

Posted September 29, 2009, 2:57 pm

1. Why is it important to you to be on the Pink Dragon Boat team?

It is a wonder that I became a part of the Pink Dragon Boat team. After being diagnosed with cancer and going through a year of surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments, I wanted to put that part of my life to rest. Unfortunately, I had a re-occurring infection that lasted for two more years. Every year, I wished to start the year without having to deal with cancer issues. It’s ironic that the year I finally got rid of the problem I chose to associate with cancer groups. Once I learned of Team Survivor and the possibility of a dragon boat team (whatever, that was) I was hooked. I loved the idea of a team sport that also promoted health benefits for breast cancer survivors and provided exercise. So every step of the team’s formation has been a thrill.

I am honored to be part of the first dragon boat team in Orlando and grateful to Women Playing For T.I.M.E. and others who have helped us get to this point. I don’t think I’ve had my best time as a Pink Dragon Boat paddler yet. When we cross the finish line of our first race, win or lose, that will probably be a moment I’ll never forget. As the team has grown, I have made so many new friends and met countless generous, caring people. I get so much from being a part of the Warriors on Water team and it has been the most positive cancer experience I’ll ever have.

2. What activities or hobbies do you enjoy?

Right now I am an avid yoga fanatic. It’s an exercise that I recommend to anyone. I discovered it during radiation treatment and yoga was instrumental in getting me back to the gym. I have stayed home with my children since my daughter Gianna was 1½ years old. She’s now 14 and in high school. My son Ben is nine and in third grade. My life has evolved around these two, as my husband travels a lot with his work. I’ve been a Girl Scout leader, assistant basketball coach, soccer team mom, room mom and anything else they’ve needed. I’ve made Halloween costumes and birthday cakes. I also enjoy crafts, sewing, scrapbooking and photography.

I am currently taking some classes at Valencia Community College. The reason for my return to college is two-fold. I have a college degree, but I have been a stay-at-home mom for almost 14 years. I want to upgrade my skills and return to work, and because my laptop has so many issues it often crashes, I want to be able to fix it! As a family, we like to travel and spent a month this summer visiting the big east coast cities, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston and seeing our nation’s historical sites. Then we continued to Nova Scotia and drove through Canada to Quebec and Niagara Falls. It was a fantastic trip and it’ll be fun deciding where to go next.

3. Who has had the most powerful influence on your life?

The person with the biggest influence in my life has to be my mom. My mom passed away two years ago, but while she was alive we talked on the phone almost every day. For several reasons, my childhood wasn’t simple or easy, but my mother always found humor when things were tough. She always worked hard and made sure her children were taken care of and knew right from wrong. She was 55 when she went to work for the government as a special police officer. She was 5 ’2” and a bit overweight, but she finished the federal police academy and came out a sharp shooter. It was amazing to see my mom the housewife turn into “super cop.” When things got tough, she would step up and do whatever it took even if it was difficult. Perseverance through adversity, solid values that you didn’t stray from (even if it would be easier), and love for family, are all things I learned from her.

4. Tell us about your family

I’ve already mentioned my absolutely wonderful children, Gianna and Ben. Gianna is a dancer (mostly she likes tap) and a musician. She just picked up the alto saxophone, but she also plays clarinet, guitar and piano. She is in the Global Technology program at University High and you may meet her because she often volunteers at Pink Ribbon events. My son Ben is an athlete. He likes soccer, baseball, basketball and wants to add football sometime in the future. Besides working on his karate belts, he is taking weapons and sparring classes. He is also a pianist but his most memorable characteristic is his non-stop smile. Coaches, teachers, friends all comment that he just doesn’t stop smiling. He is joy itself!

I’d like to take all the credit for these two fantastic children but my husband, Dave, had something to do with their outcome as well. Dave is an incredibly intelligent, creative and wonderful husband. We’ve been married over 20 years so I think that I am a good judge of his character. He created so many educational yet fun games for the kids. He has been responsible for the FBI’s fingerprint system and won a prestigious award while at Lockheed Martin for a software change that allowed latent fingerprints to be included in the database search that helped to identify the “Washington Sniper.” He is currently with DeLoitte and is software manager working with biometrics. His most important job, of course, is as my husband! He is completely supportive of me in dragon boat racing and really cheers me on to fight cancer in my own way. Overall, we are all a bunch of crazy Pittsburgh Steeler fans and on any game day you will see us waving Terrible Towels!