Photo by Dennis Oliphant of Sun Country Tours
You heard it here – and it’s pretty cool! The TODAY show has noticed that Bend, Oregon is an amazing place to bike, hike and STANDUP PADDLE. But we knew that! The video clip shows local, Tom Burke, doing a casual tail turn.
We could have given them connections to many more video clips, right Chip Booth, Dennis Oliphant, Michelle Alvarado and many more! If any networks are looking for the in-depth story Bendites can help!
The reality is that by choosing to move ourselves across, over and through the magnificent waters of our world via a board and a paddle we have chosen to be self-powered. That sets the stage for a number of metaphors. Does it inspire you to share your story? Share why you chose SUP or any other power-related tale- we’re interested.
We have one section of this site dedicated to SUP Muses. We define SUP Muses as a category of SUP influencers whose stories inspire! Do you know a SUP Muse like Candice Appleby, Karen Wrenn, Suzie Cooney, Heather Relyea Baus or Brit Oliphant – let us meet them.
SUP Ambassador: I live in Oregon, home of the paddle family of Meg and Dave Chun and their KIALOA paddles. I came by my first Kialoa paddle by borrowing those owned by friends. Over time I have come to admire the technology, feel, strength and lightness of my KIALOA paddle design, but my first connection and commitment to the Kialoa company came from their attitude and traditions. (Design video chat here)
This next piece is from their website: Born on the Island of Oahu in 1991, KIALOA Paddles grew out of Dave Chun’s love for the sport of outrigger canoe racing. Driven by the desire to build the best paddles in the world, Dave started crafting wood paddles on his parents’ lanai. Shortly thereafter, he met Meg, a mid-westerner transplanted to Hawaii. It was a marriage of west and east, island heritage and mainland progressiveness. The Chuns moved the company to Bend, Oregon in 1992, bringing the Aloha spirit with them.
Against all odds, they started an outrigger club in the High Desert. Nowadays KIALOA makes a full line of stand up, outrigger and dragon boat paddles. As a KIALOA Paddles E’lele (ambassador) I take my role with a grain of fun and plenty of listening – to all of you!
I believe that as a global water loving “family” we can accomplish our mission to preserve our planet’s waters and help move them to be even more healthy. One of the cornerstones of the Kialoa vision is Malama: Stewardship.
Love the color of the water
Imagine you are enjoying a cool drink while overlooking the beautiful crystal blue water of the Caribbean and the white sand beaches of the Bahamas. As you think about it, you wonder — where did these ice cubes come from, and where did the water come from that made the punch?
You’re surrounded by the beautiful seawater, but you know you can’t drink it. That leaves a small dot of an island as the only source for your water. More than likely the water in your drink came from a well. But given the small size of the island, the amount of fresh groundwater available is limited.
So the question: Where do tourists get their water? Do they get from it from the same well that the island’s residents do, or does the resort ship in its own water?
A bigger and better question: Could our youngest generation- who will be inheriting such water issues- be inspired to imagine solutions both creative and effective for solving such wicked problems?
(Pause for a moment and watch a video that will inspire and knock your socks off)
More than likely, the resort takes the water out of the island aquifer and treats it to make the water a level of freshness acceptable to tourists. Unfortunately, as the water is drawn from the local aquifer and treated, the fresh water that remains for the Bahamian residents becomes saltier.
Is this fair to the residents? Which is more important, fresh water for the tourism industry or freshwater for island residents? Is the salty water from the aquifer a minor inconvenience for the residents who can buy bottled freshwater, or is it a social injustice that takes away a basic human right from the resident?
There are no simple answers to these questions. The fact is the residents need the tourism industry to earn money and make a living. On the other hand, the degradation of water quality is a negative impact on the islanders’ quality of life.
Such a dilemma represents a “wicked problem” (Rittel and Webber 1973). A wicked problem represents a conflict between stakeholders (tourists and Bahamians in this example) that has no clear-cut answers and no clear winners or losers. More than likely such a wicked problem will continue over time and never be resolved to either side’s satisfaction.
Around the world as people gobble up resource, create too much trash, plastic and waste – and as global weather cycles ebb and flow, the need for creative, unique and imagination-rich solutions is becoming more crucial. Did you watch the video about the billboard that makes water?
We CAN empower our tech-savvy and vulnerable youth who will be inheriting our planet. We can begin with one youth, one school and one community at a time. We can invest in solutions by empowering the very youth for whom we hope to save our global waters. We can begin with a hefty dose of FUN, the SUP kind.
Connecting technology, active ocean sport, resources and fertile ground for nurturing solutions can empower solutions for island communities challenged by wicked water issues. That is the premise of ELDER SUP’s crowd-funding project: STANDUP FOR MOTHER OCEAN. We will begin connecting our support and advocacy in than the incredible Commonwealth of the Bahamas.
Want to learn more? FOLLOW ELDER SUP on Facebook
The countdown to many of our spring and summer races and down-winders is moving from triple digits to double digits. Can you believe it is just 67 days until the Olukai Ho’olaule’a? The Carolina Cup is just around the corner and across the globe there seems to be an event every weekend from March through the summer. It’s time to step up the training!
Today in Central Oregon dawned sunny with 7 am temps approaching 40 degrees – rare and special after seemingly weeks of fog and cold, wet weather. As the temperature rises, so does the wind speed – bummer! Before I head down to grab my 5 ml surf booties, farmer john wetsuit (oh, please do not let me fall in), wool baselayer and a warm hat I need a dose of pure inspiration.
There’s probably nothing better than a pep talk from three Pacific Northwest paddlers who brave the elements in any condition most days of the week: Karen Wrenn, Cyril Burguiere and Beau Whitehead. Fortunately, KIALOA Paddles created a short and powerful film featuring these bold paddlers.
If you’re having trouble getting out on the water when conditions are less than ideal – super charge your motivation with this video.
Elder SUP 