Tag Archives: Kanaha

Talk Story: GoPro Wordsmithing

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Just over a year ago, my husband, Ed, and I did our first SUP downwind event. It was a short, 3-mile fun race off the north shore of Maui from Paia to Kanaha Beach Park. (story here). Four days later, Ed had rotator cuff surgery, a 6 month road back to paddling that included lots of pain, rehab and determination.  Through all of that we had the plan to return to Maui on May 11, 2013 in order to do the full-out 8 mile run from Maliko Gulch to Kanaha beach Park no matter what. The weather, a fresh, large swell and little wind made the “no matter what” a bit more than we’d expected – but we did it!

As adventures, even of the “bucket list” kind fade over time, there’s something we can all do to preserve them for ourselves and anyone else who’d like to share with us.  Using a GoPro camera and any of the various mounting accessories, capturing active adventures is as easy as pushing a button and getting out there.

Making the story something that friends and family will enjoy as much as you (star of the show) do requires a little more time and planning. Using great tools available from GoPro, iMovie, Windows Movie Maker or any number of easy and inexpensive editing tools you have the ability to take hours of action and collect in smaller buckets of interesting and quality segments.  Adding the right music is usually the most fun lots of us.

The next part takes a bit more time. Watch your project from start to finish again and again. Watch it with someone who wasn’t with you during the action. What do they wonder about, WOW about or seem most interested in?  What questions come up?  Once you really “know” your visual story you are ready to do some “wordsmithing.”  The more you practice the art of magical and creative wordplay , while still maintaining the essence of the story the more comfortable you will be as a wordsmith.  We may not ever become a master at crafting new words or cobbling together fresh phrases but we can add substance to our videos by adding a carefully scripted dialog from time to time.

This video, Reflections – SUP Lifestyle is a bit long but it solidly inspired me to try harder on my video scripting.  VIDEO SAMPLE: This is a 4 minute example made from over 3 hours of GoPro footage.  I’d love to hear your comments and link to projects you’re proud of.

Suzie Trains Maui – and Eddie!

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Back in the day – 1966-1970 to be exact – Ed and I were playing at surfing the mushy calf-high waves we had in balmy South Florida. We were the Beach Boys-era sweethearts. From 1970-2007 we didn’t surf, using our ocean time to sail, scuba, windsurf, fish, finish college and raise the family.  2001 found us moving life to Oregon, and by 2007 we discovered standup paddling and were back in the surf 4 decades later!

In the natural progression of things, two diverse events influenced our Summer 2012 activities.  One was Ed’s second rotator cuff surgery (yes, he was brave enough to go through that torture twice) and our trip to Maui to try the short version of the Ho’olaule’a event. Four days after the coolest downwind adventure either of us had experiences poor Ed went under the knife. But not before we were hooked on downwind, open ocean fun!

   

In the pictures above, it’s easy to see we are still the happy ocean-loving “kids” we were back in 1967 but it’s also easy to see that our abs are a bit worse for wear at age 63. Fortunately, just before the start of our event, Maui local and globally respected standup paddler/athlete, Suzie Cooney, provided a pre-race warmup. That gave us a chance not only to meet Suzie but to get to know a bit about her dedication to training a diverse group of clients from the casual paddler to elite athletes. As Ed went from wearing a sling to hefting the 3 lb weights he’s now using in PT we both made a commitment to getting into our best functional fitness over the next 8 months.

As much as we already know about exercise and nutrition, we realize that insights, motivation and programming provided by a respected professional is mandatory, especially as we embrace our seventh decade. Over the summer, Suzie Cooney has been kind enough to listen to our plan to follow her training “at a distance.” Nothing can replace actual time at her training facility with her customized training delivered face to face. Just the same, we have made a decision to glean as much as we can from her blog and conversations.  We have a solid goal in mind. We plan to be at the start line on May 11, 2013 ready to enjoy the full Olukai Ho’olaule’a downwind run from Maliko Gulch to Kanaha.

“Pie in the sky” – This Saturday I plan to join other hopefuls as I buy a couple of lotto tickets – would be cool to win $5000 or so. We’d probably jet off to Maui in November and prepare for Maliko at Suzie’s upcoming clinic. Meanwhile, training in Oregon is underway. The “training table” is becoming ever more healthful and an Indo Board is on its way to our home.  The digital age could very well allow us the best connection with our partner in preparation, Suzie Cooney. Most watched film this week – this training session from the Suzie Trains Maui blog. YES! We want endurance, core strength and balance. This is an excellent overview of some training options. Bring it, Suzie!