Category Archives: People

Sup Friends Make the Sport

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Saturday was a glorious day at Elk Lake in Central Oregon with a few dozen standup paddlers (2 OC-1 and one prone) ready for the Gerry Lopez summer race series. My plan had been to do the open class on my 11’3″ Amundson surfboard but when my friend, Randall Barna called late Friday with the offer to borrow the Amundson 12’6″ race board I eagerly accepted.  Five years ago on my first tentative paddle on the Deschutes River, Randall and his family were out for a Friday afternoon paddle. Seeing how sketchy my skills were, he stayed with me for about an hour, providing technique tips and encouragement that made all the difference. Standup paddling in Central Oregon is what it is because of friends like Randall Barna and Cristina Acosta who authored the first and very comprehensive standupflatwater.com blog). 

It’s fairly easy for us to give a casual word of advice or support when encountering an SUP newbie. It’s quite another thing to keep a high level of generous enthusiasm for graciously sharing the sport over a span of more than 7 years – but that’s Randall, all the way!

In his sixties, he’s still got competition in his blood, but always with a grin. Drafting and pulling, often neck and neck with buddy, Tom Burke, Randall’s dead serious about his training and racing. More than personal outcomes, he’s always been ready to share expertise in organizing races, helping with courses, all the way to designing and maintaining local race buoys.

  

It’s not difficult for anyone living near any sort of body of water to notice that standup paddling has taken off like crazy. Everyone and his grandmother can – and seems to be – standup paddling. Inherent to the spread of our SUP culture is a spirit of aloha that can help the sport through growing pains and some hiccups as prone surfers meet standup surfers.  As the cool company, KIALOA paddles, demonstrates as a company mantra, we can be “together on the water.”

If you know someone who’s made a difference and shares the spirit of aloha around your SUP experience, please share your story with us in the comments.

Big Winds Connecting Generations

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Steve Gates of Big Winds in Hood River Oregon has a philosophy that resonates with Elder SUP, ” I am inspired by everyone who is trying to make our planet a better place for everybody.”

Connecting with the younger generation and providing them with skills and a community focused on those values is about the best way to insure a “better planet for everybody.”  Steve Gates enthusiastically shared his commitment to Team Big Winds in a recent phone conversation. There was no denying how cool he thinks the kids are and how impressed he is with their dedication to acquiring skills for their sport.

Team Big Winds showed up in force in early July at the Willamette SUP Cup in Lake Oswego, Oregon. The eighteen member team made up almost a third of the entire fleet! The challenging course had a nice variety of tight turns, long straights, current, breeze, showers and sunshine. Something for everyone!

Team BW placed 4 in the top ten in the men’s Elite, with Ben Grodner in 5th, MacRae Wylde in 6th, Rob Dies in 9th and Steve Gates in 10th (Steve is there in the center of the picture at left). Ford Huntington won the Rec Class in his first ever SUP race. Fiona Wylde just edged out teammate Alyson Fromm (a mere 5 seconds!) as the girls went 1-2 in the Women’s Elite. And, Team BW coach Steve Gates won the Men’s 50+ Class.

It was great fun for the whole team, with many participating in their first SUP race!

Now the training continues in preparation for the Columbia Gorge Paddle Challenge, August 18 and 19, when Team Big Winds will try to defend its home turf as the best racers from all over world descend on Hood River for the spectacular paddling conditions of the Columbia Gorge.

I am both excited and a bit intimidated about participating in my first Paddle Challenge in Columbia Gorge. When my daughter and son-in-law eagerly made reservations to come watch me “swim with the sturgeon” my tummy did a flip flop. Seriously?

I am counting on a training run with Karen Wrenn and advice along with some great equipment from Steve and Big Winds to be a big part of my enjoying the event.  Steve has an extensive background in water sports, with over 30 years of windsurfing, kiting and SUPing. As he inquired about my skills, experience and goals for the race (safely completing it) he reinforced the need to have the right equipment. I am really looking forward to using the Naish 12’6″ Glide that is 30 inches wide (stable and easier to ride at my level).   It’s great to recognize the enormous spirit of sharing and support around the sport of standup paddling, and among the team at Big Winds.

A Sense of SUP Play

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I had an amazing time at the Elk Lake Resort -Gerry Lopez Race Series kick-off race on July 14. With both KIALOA paddles and StandUp Paddle Bend as sponsors it was a true “hometown” event. Armed with my cool Pipes KIALOA paddle and a sweet Hobie 12’6″ raceboard borrowed from Chip Booth at Standup Paddle Bend, I was eager to get to the water. I’m still quite a novice at turning the bigger board around the race buoys. Luckily, Gerry Lopez was on the shore and quickly tossed a few stance and balance tips my way just before the start (Note to self: Need a LOT of practice!)

The weather was stellar. Sadly, I was the only woman competing in the race. “Competing” is a loose term – because I was simply out on the water on my board paddling hard to get my technique and endurance a little bit better.  I came in last place after all the men – but “won” first place for women. It would have been a lot more fun with some other women to laugh, paddle and race with. I have a laid back outlook on competition as a community building glue for the fast growing legions of standup paddling families and friends. I have a notion that the format of competitive racing may have limited the number of people participating. It was not a WPA sanctioned event, it was meant as a fun race – but still, the format was “race.”

We often point to competition as a tool to bring out the best in people. You will run faster or work harder or fight more ferociously if there’s someone breathing down your neck or a record to be broken.

The problem with competition for a great percentage of most people “playing at a sport” is that it holds them back from leaping into the “game.”  For many, competition takes away the plain old playful fun, the invitation to invent your own method, to find a new way. Competition is great for gathering energy, audience and refining our skills to new levels. But if a huge momentum of new participants in events is a goal, there might be a complementary opportunity for race directors and organizers.

When you have competition, it’s the pack that decides what’s going to happen next, participants merely try to get (or stay) in front. Elder SUP will be designing a new addition to the standup race menu of choices.  We will design 15-30 minute SUP-Ventures, game-like short quests on the land and water for all levels and abilities of standup paddlers.  Generating lots more “race” and event participants, providing an entertaining extra show for spectators, involving more people while building a strong standup paddle community is our goal. We’d love to hear your ideas and comments on this topic.

Meanwhile, as we design and plan new ways to flatwater SUP play, enjoy this smile-generating video – the joy of SUP play!

How old would she be?

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I recently saw a very cool photo on the Standup Journal Facebook page. It was “Mom Feet,” Fran – mother of Standup Journal Publisher Clay Feeter. Meet the team here and remember, “The rest of the team is US!” Cool as a cucumber and smiling broadly, Fran looked totally at home paddling at age 82 – and why not? As she says, “Attitude is everything! I still feel like a kid (except for the joints!). I have on my refrigerator a quote from Satchel Paige: ‘How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you was?’ ” Right on!

Fran dove into motherhood with a surprise bonus of twins. Twin Kurt learned to windsurf early in the day, and got the rest of the family involved, including twin Clay, now publisher of Stand Up Journal. The family became ‘groupies’ in the windsurfing world, going to events in northern California, some organized by Clay and daughter Christi. There we met world renowned windsurfers, and were treated with friendship by all the young people. We never were made to feel like “old codgers”. Daughter Kerry and husband Bob joined in on events and gave them their  first grandchild soon joined by 6 more! I wondered what Fran attributes her young at heart approach to life. She says, “Our four children have been a major part in keeping us mentally young! ”


     

In the collection of photos (above) it’s hard to miss the smiles all around.  No wonder. You’ve been to the beach where 90% of the crowd takes the beach towel/beach chair route for the day. After a spin on the sea it’s hard not to grin. During the pre-2011 Battle of the Paddle festivities on Molokai Fran enjoyed some time with the competitors – and with Chuck Patterson whose grin voltage is in the Fran range! Fran decided to test out a Naish race board. Really, it’s commonplace for “grandma” to return home from errands, like the grocery store, and ask for help carrying in those heavy groceries. With the confidence and strength from a lifetime of sailing, windsurfing and paddling, Fran easily carried her own board to and from the water, like the true waterwoman she is.

Fran and Bill Feeter at home on Molokai

It’s no surprise that the ocean has been a tremendously significant influence on Fran’s lifestyle and life choices. “I actually got into making windsurfing sails in the very early days before they became so ‘high tech’. When my husband retired from teaching in northern California, I said, ‘Let’s go where the water’s warm’….so we explored the Caribbean (Belize and Virgin Islands), but decided to stay in the U.S. and move to Maui. We were there 3 years, then discovered that we could afford a house on the beach in Molokai.”

“When we moved here in 1991, we kept our sails rigged and hanging in the carport, so we could just grab them and go when the wind and tide was right (we have a fringing reef – the only one in the U.S. – just offshore, so need a foot of tide to clear it). We actually stopped windsurfing about 10 – 12 years ago. We both had knee problems (I had to drop out of hula). Knee replacement has solved that problem, but we had gotten out of the habit of windsurfing. ” True to “that’s the way Fran does it,” she stays active with the hula group helping with costumes these days.

When I asked Fran how she began standup paddling, Fran recalled her first experience five years ago. She had flown into Boston, then drove a rental car to New Hampshire to visit Clay, who lived with Joyce on a beautiful small lake. She recalls, “It was about 5 p.m. when I arrived, but Clay insisted I go out with them on a standup board right away. I put on my swim suit, sure I would immediately fall in. Well – it was an amazing experience! It was getting dusk, and we paddled around a small island in the middle of the lake, picked a few berries. Then continued on up to the end of the lake. On the way back we saw loons swimming along. I had never seen a loon, and it was ‘chicken skin’ to hear them. And amazingly, I didn’t fall in.”

    

By the way, check out the paddle Fran sports as she’s cruising the crystal clear waters of her favorite inner lagoon these days. The custom and personalized wood inlay paddle was a gift from son, Clay.

At Elder SUP we focus on stories in which people share their connection to the rituals and traditions around the sea and the environment, values and the impact those things have made for them personally. I asked Fran if there any stories she would like to share related to that topic?. “Being in Hawaii means the Ocean is part of your life. I’ve had the chance of sailing on the Hokule’a, the Hawaiian voyaging canoe replica (our neighbor is a regular member of the crew), and have made 3 ‘man overboard’ flags for the vessel. We are also volunteers with the Green Sea Turtle project here in Molokai. We go to Kawa’aloa beach once a week in the summer to see if any nests have been dug. The nest is marked, then when we see the hatching tracks we wait 3 – 5 days then dig the next and count the turtle shells, and rescue any babies that didn’t make it out. Results are sent to George Balazs in Oahu who is in charge of the state program. And of course, walks on the beach are a regular part of my ‘fitness’ program.”

Being outdoors, self-propelled across bodies of water is exhilarating! We have an entire section of our blog dedicated to that SUP Perspective. For anyone reading about the active connection Fran keeps with her local community’s traditions and environmental activities I hope it inspires a local look around. Wherever there is water, wildlife and people there are opportunities to connect and make a difference.

You know, thinking back on Fran’s story of her first day SUPing, I don’t think it would have dampened Fran’s enthusiasm one teeny bit if she had fallen in on that first day. She’s got a zesty sense of humor and easily laughs at herself, taking life with a light spirit.  While the “elder” in Elder SUP refers to tradition and history around the sport we love, the fact that Fran is 82 does make her “elder” in the calendar sense of the word. Because she treasures and honors the sense of family and connection, she’s a true inspiration. Her paddling story has nothing to do with age and everything to do with attitude. I hope to head to Molokai one day soon and take an SUP cruise in her neck of the sea.

Chip Booth: Standup Guy

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Chip is not only the owner of StandupPaddle Bend, but he is one community minded all-round standup guy. He and his wife, Lainey, worked long and hard throughout this spring in order to deliver an awesome community event on June 16th, 2012. This was the second annual Bend Paddleboard Challenge – and a challenge it was. As with many local events, sponsorship is a tough aspect of delivering an amazing event. When one key sponsor was unable to p[participate, the Booth family reached deep in both time and financial support to make the event happen.

With the help of our favorite KIALOA paddles, all participants and many others enjoy an amazing luau lunch after the race from Kona Mix Plate. After a morning of sun, fun, paddling and racing it was a welcome way to refuel deliciously.  With vendors from Nayad SwimGym, Standup Paddle Magazine, Progressive Screen Printing and Bend Parks & Rec there was plenty to experience all day long.

For a full list of sponsors please go to the website.

In the water the competition was top-notch. The results carry all the details, but can’t capture the energy, smiles, camaraderie and energy. The MC, Al Paterson, did a great job of keeping all up to date with stories, details and race updates throughout the morning.

Difficult to capture, because of his very humble nature, is the degree of commitment that Chip Booth has for the recipients of this community-connecting fundraising event. So many locals have been working for years for the Bend Paddle Trail Alliance. No less dedicated are those who work for the Deschutes River Conservancy – and many are active for both important river initiatives. In this economy, it’s not so easy to reach deep into our own pockets for causes – even when we believe in them with a passion.  We’re all very busy, and investing weeks on end to a community event can be as challenging – as the long course in the Bend Paddleboard Challenge – maybe more. 

But Chip Booth stayed the course and we appreciate the opportunity to enjoy our favorite sport together with paddlers and spectators right in the heart of our home town. If you enjoy our wonderful Deschutes River recreation and sport environment on any sort of floating, fishing, hiking, or other way, take the time to explore the ways you can help Chip, and all the river-lovers in Central Oregon to make our river environment the best it can be.

Just as Chip is a great person-resource for our hometown, so is the beautiful Deschutes, Go out, play and enjoy!

Suzie Cooney: Aloha, Respect and Solid Expertise

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 I recently had the good fortune to meet Suzie Cooney doing what she does so often: providing her expertise for community events with great energy and generosity. You can also catch her working with clients at Suzie Trains Maui.  She has done over 23 free women’s clinics since 2009 that were, according to Suzie,  completely rewarding. Experiencing her enthusiasm as we did, it’s obvious that “giving” of her talent is a natural.

She gave the group doing a “fun race” part of the Olukai Ho’olaule’a event a well-designed warm-up before our event. It warmed us up – and with her encouraging words – helped us get the jitters out.

It is not a surprise that Suzie has chosen to connect her love of standup paddling with her passion for helping others gain fitness and knowledge. Having been an athlete prior to arriving to Maui ( 1999 ), and also having had the opportunity to work with people in sports orthopedics on the mainland, having knowledge of the anatomy – putting the two together made great sense.  Suzie explains this further, “I have worked both sides of the counter so to speak!  As an athlete, getting injured, coming back and then having the chance to help people with a better outcome from their own injury gave me great compassion.  I thoroughly enjoy helping people be their best and providing them an environment to succeed.”

My husband, Ed, and I enjoyed every moment of our 3+ mile down-winder so much that we plan to train for the longer Maliko run next year. We are certain that wind and wave conditions will temper that decision – one not to be taken lightly. Suzie will be a wonderful person to help us through training and that day-of-the-event decision. She paddles that stretch of ocean regularly and shares this insight, “Maliko is a stretch of open ocean that commands respect, supreme water confidence and body endurance combined with the skill of paddle surfing and stand up paddling in the most intense and extreme conditions. A paddler who ventures on this 10 mile adventure must be ready for anything.  The swells combined with high winds usually averaging over 25mph offer a thrilling roller coaster ride down big troughs that can connect with what we call “bumps” up to 200 yards long, sometimes longer.  The exhilarating take offs and drops leave you wanting more. Ten miles of this without having to paddle your brains out is absolutely addicting!” The picture to the right shows Suzie is riding an “addictive” section of “bumps.”

Another Suzi, a recent client of Cooney’s, recently arrived to Maui and found “Suzie Trains Maui” via the internet and through friends. Whatever the fitness level the client comes with, Cooney can customize the program to best meet both needs and expectation. The “other Suzie” was already an incredible surfer, sponsored skateboarder and all around charger.  Cooney was quite busy at the time the new client arrived, but Cooney made space in her schedule for “the other” Suzie. She insisted they start training right away and together they decided Maliko was “it” – just the right event to train toward.  The OluKai race would be her first competition and so the training began.  She felt with her base of surf knowledge and water experience this would be the ultimate challenge for her and allow her to have a goal and get into tip top shape.

She actually bought Cooney’s old race board and immediately Cooney got her out training in all conditions.  She then entered on her own, a smaller local race which turned out to be a crazy, unusual race with head winds the entire way.  Suzie Cooney explains, “It was tough, but a good taste for her. The moment I saw her paddle that Naish 14 foot Glide, I knew she had a special talent. I was stoked for her.”

In talking to Suzie, it is apparent that she is in the business heart and soul. She explains, “It’s a huge reward to prepare someone for their big day down Maliko.  It can go either really great or really bad. Sometimes people think they are ready and sometimes fear overcomes them and they simply can’t stand most of the run.  Coming out of the gulch takes the most out of people. It appears very calm and mellow from the ramp in the bay and soon as you hit the point, the wind can take your board and the swell can take you down so hard and fast you don’t know what hit you.  Most go out on their knees until they get the strength and body endurance to paddle hard against swell and big side winds until you’re out quite a ways.

I try to encourage people to interval train at high intensity because getting out of the gulch can take a lot of energy and there is no time to dilly dally. It’s full on until you get to turn the nose of your board down and head towards the amazing Iao Valley.  I teach people how to read the reefs along the way, where to have land marks and how to manage the changing conditions and often change half way down.  Keeping calm is the most important thing and relaxing your body if your not used to winds blasting at your back up to 40 mph.  Most people who have a wind sport in their life, like windsurfing or kiting do very well. They know how to read the water and wind which helps. 

All of Suzie’s clients first must do mini downwinders withher. A short down-winder could be like the one Ed and I did  from Paia Bay to Kanaha.  That experience serves to get novices  used to all that motion in the ocean.  From Suzie’s experience with many first timers, ” It’s a pretty big deal when we get to the harbor mouth and turn that tight corner in and then this sigh leaves their body, shoulders drop and the tension leaves their bodies! It’s pretty awesome.  Some are shaking, a couple have cried tears of joy and maybe a little relief.”

The people most likely to be labeled “watermen” (or waterwomen) are the least likely to adopt that label for themselves. Our time in Maui, especially at the Olukai Ho’olaule’a event, made us very aware of the waterman culture and spirit. We asked Suzie about that, “I believe always in giving back, for the more you give the more you get, especially from the ocean.  I’ve always admired how long time waterman and waterwomen have taken me under their wings and taught me how to respect the powers of the ocean and I wanted to do the same. So many people have no idea what it’s like to manage big or small waves, about the currents, the tides, the winds and how everything affects all aspects of what we enjoy out there.  Kula Sunn, Rell Sunn‘s sister is the biggest inspiration to me as she has spent a lot of time showing by example in all that she does.  We’ve surfed and dirt biked together and she would give her last gallon of gas or the shirt off her back.

It seems like a lot of athletes focus on what they won last or how many sponsors they have, and it’s really too bad.  They should be rewarded by the good deeds they do around their sport. SUP seems to attract kind and giving people who want to share with the world their joy for the sport. I love that.”

We were very fortunate to get to know Suzie. The true spirit of Aloha resonates within her spirit! When you’re in Maui looking for expert fitness and SUP training, call Suzie Trains Maui and Standup Paddling Fitness. 

SUP Perspective – Honoring and Conserving our Ocean

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I recently had the good fortune to visit Honolua Bay on Maui. It was quite a different experience from the last time I was there for the Billabong Women’s Surf competition. In early May, the waves were small and the view from Lipoa Point stretched forever. Snorkelers were bobbing over the reefs toward shore, reefs that have enough threats from water temperature changes and need knowledge and protection for their future health.

One surfer had begun a paddle out from the smallish was breaking off the point. He was easily a mile or more offshore. From our vantage point high above the sea we could see a line where two currents and the out-going tide collided. The teeny silhouette of the paddler prone on his board approached the line. Suddenly we saw a consistent movement of splashing. It looked like some huge fish feeding – or a school. Then it got closer and we saw that it was a pod of spinner dolphin. They were leaping, spinning and playing right at the current line.

As the paddler approached he slipped off his board and into the water. the dolphin continued playing, surrounding him while keeping a safe distance. This went on for about 20 minutes, then they began heading further out to sea and around Lipoa Point – with the spinning and jumping show still going full on! The entire experience was breath-taking. The gift of having this area on West Maui is no small thing.

Like most other spectacular places on earth, developers have taken full advantage of deep pockets and real estate for sale. Singer and song writer, Bill Keale tells the story of this in his beautiful way in “Waimanalo Blues” – take a listen.

Lipoa Point is no different. Luckily for the area, there is a strong group of people dedicated to saving Honolua Bay and its unique environment and sea life. I saw a May 30 post on the KIALOA Facebook page that made me very happy. Not the topic (Honolua Bay threatened by development), but the message (youth working with community to make a difference). Please take a look at this video by Joseph Graves.

The “Save Honolua Coalition” has gotten developers’ plans for a golf course and luxury homes retracted for now, but the land is still owned by the developers. The hope is to revitalize the bay and to acquire the land as part of a land trust – using traditional Hawaiian beliefs and practices. The group is very wise in preparing not just to acquire the land but to establish a management plan. Not only is Honlua bay home to many marine species, even a rare breed of sea turtle, but the reefs are fragile cornerstones to all life in the area.

The reefs impact the unique waves for surfers and snorkeling areas – all important to the tourism industry on the island.  Honolua Bay is a state marine life conservation district, but that alone is not enough to save the area.

Please watch the beautifully created video that Joseph created for a school project and please share your ideas or experience in this type of conservation effort – together we can help each other.

Aloha Spirit the Olukai Way

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Not too long ago I downloaded an app for my phone so I could learn some Hawaiian phrases. When spoken authentically it’s not only music to the ears but it’s a solid study of meaning and nuance. For many reasons, the app sits unused on my phone these days.  The more I experience the language from those who live it the less I want to “pretend” to understand it.

For example, at the recent Olukai Ho’olaule’a events the experience surpassed the words. To quote from the event’s website, “Ho’olaule’a – literally means “celebration”, but for [Olukai], it’s also an expression of gratitude. Each May, we hold our interpretation of this storied Hawaiian tradition on Maui’s north shore. The event blends elite competition with family-friendly cultural activities and gathers some of the world’s best SUP and OC1 paddlers to race the legendary 8-mile Maliko downwind run. Friends and families come together to enjoy canoe sailing and surfing, ancient Hawaiian games, traditional luau, hula, and live music. We take this opportunity to recognize and honor our ‘Ohana Giveback partners, as the community shares collective gifts of time, energy, and spirit.

After the event, Ed and I strolled down the beach to wait our turn for a ride on the Olukai sailing canoe. The team’s canoe had been blessed in the traditional ceremony just the evening before. A group of guys wearing the yellow Olukai shirts were sitting in the sand, so we joined them. One, Ross Ka’a we later learned, greeted us with a smile and drew out our stories of sailing, our love of the ocean and such. We learned a bit about his life, paddling and a few races but not much more. It was obvious that he was a waterman, but the extent of his spirit of aloha hadn’t hit us yet.

We took our turn on the sailing canoe, zooming through the surf and sun – WOW! what a chicken-skin ride!

Soon after that it was time for the awards ceremony. At the front of the stage was a full sized outrigger paddle made of a blend of koa and native woods. It was set on a base carved in the shape of four Makau, or bone hooks. That Makua is the Olukai mark, the traditional Polynesian symbol worn for strength, good luck, and safe passage over water.

Later during the awards ceremony for the Maliko Gulch competitors for the Ho’olaule’a event we had another treat. Little did we know that we had been chatting on the beach with Ross Ka’a, the master craftsman who created that award. He never gave a hint as to his relationship with the team or his expertise in building traditional paddles and crafting with wood. Speaking with some who have known Ross for decades, we learned he is a master wood worker gifted in the craft of making art pieces from native woods. He has been a friend to Olukai for a long time.

Toward the end of the awards ceremony Ross was called up to present the trophy he’d created to Olukai team leader, Marvin Otsuji. Marvin has been leading Team OluKai as master steersman for 25 years. The team broke the longstanding record in the Na Holo Kai race and captured the overall 2008, 2009 and 2010 season championships. Marvin led the team to the most winning record for the past 15 years straight.

Not only is Marvin a great waterman with an innate knowledge of some of the trickiest channels in the world, he competes with pure “aloha.” In a sport where wind and weather, equipment and demands of the sport can wreck havoc on any given race, his consistent success could be rooted in his love of the sport – without expectation. That’s pure aloha mixed with tradition and culture.

Yes, I think it is time to delete that app from my phone. Learning to pronounce a few Hawaiian phrases pales in the face of experiencing the meaning behind the words. Practicing pronunciation – not so much. “Living” a life with aloha and embracing the day with Ho’olaule’a – now we’re talking!

Finishing with a Grin is a Win

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As each finisher in the Olukai Ho’olaulea race came to shore, they tossed their paddles, leaped from their boards and sprinted to the finish – sometimes on wobbly legs. Not so for our friend, Deja Howard, we had met earlier in the week at Hawaiian Island Surf and Sport where we’d rented our SUP gear.  Splashing toward shore she added a quick “thank you” to the volunteer hauling her board out of the surf and with her trademark grin she started the sprint to the finish going strong.

The energy expended in the run from Maliko Gulch had to be killer. Ed and I took our time heading on up to congratulate Deja thinking she’d need a few minutes to catch her breath. Not so!

By the time we made our way through the crowd she’d located a fellow paddler named Peggy and they were into re-hashing their race already. Peggy, it seems, had been right on Deja during the entire race – sometimes they jockey-ed for position but they spent the run neck and neck.  Deja was quick to thank Peggy for the constant push, “I wouldn’t have booked it so hard if you weren’t right there on me the entire time.” 

Graciously, Peggy smiled and they continued on – now about the wind, the waves and the fun. Although both women were obviously strong competitors (having placed in their respective age groups) the journey was the WIN!

If you have the chance to visit Maui, swing by  Hawaiian Island Surf and Sport and plan to talk story with the team.  You can schedule a lesson and enjoy meeting new friends there. It’s that kind of environment.

Until next year, we plan to practice our technique and maintain those smiles – it’s the way to go!

Super SUPer: Fun and Focus

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Whenever Central Oregon’s (Bend) Brit Oliphant is out on the water training or competing there are two things you’ll notice: brilliant smile and laser-focus. A busy teen, Brit balances her many outdoor interest, friends and work with a dedication to training toward her standup paddling goals.  That’s not to suggest she spends all of her time on flat-water.  Give that woman a glassy wave, open ocean chop or wind-whipped swells and you’ll make her one happy camper!

Take a look at a short video clip of Brit and fellow SUP competitor, Vanina Walsh in the 21012 Quicksilver Waterman Waikiki Paddle SUP Contest.