Tag Archives: Randall barna

Aloha of the Paddle

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Our SUP paddle – connecting us to our water, our power, our speed and the aloha of our our sport. Choose wisely and understand small tweaks in sizing and technique that make all the difference.  Part of the “aloha of the paddle” is the great community of people willing to share info and insights about all aspects that impact both performance and enjoyment!

A conversation with Randall Barna, SUP pioneer and owner of FootForm Performance Orthotics Center in Bend Oregon, always leads to great technique insights. During a recent paddle I was absently day-dreaming about my soon-to-be delivered Hulu KIALOA paddle while listening to the steady rippling of wind current under my board.  I wasn’t really thinking of my technique, just sensing the paddle position through the reach and recovery and watching out for river otters. Randall commented, “You might want to try something a little differently as you switch your paddle from side to side.”

I am always up for more power or speed, especially if it’s driven by efficiency. Randall showed me a seamless way to switch my paddle from side to side. Removing the upper hand as the lower hand remains steady on the paddle during the crossover (maybe inching it up the shaft an inch or so) allows the “new” bottom hand to grab at just the right spot allowing an immediate “reach and dig” as the new upper hand slides up to the grip. It was a simple change but really added a solid confidence to switching paddle sides.

Board speed and chop, two foot placement variables

Board speed and chop, two foot placement variables

As long as Randall was sharing insights gained by a lifetime of wind and water sports I invited him to share tips on foot placement. “The key to foot placement is adapting and adjusting to all the variables. As soon as you think you’ve nailed your stance something changes! The two main variables are board speed and chop. The two errors are tail drag and pushing the nose.

You’re too far back on the board and tail drag is a drag. It slows you down more than anything else! Too far forward and you’re pushing water instead of gliding. The key is a balance between the two.”
Variables in board speed require you to make constant, minor adjustments. Take some pictures of yourself on your board while pictures standing still. Is  the tail is out of the water? With a little speed the tail is right on the surface. That’s because under power the board starts sinking into the trough of it’s own bow wave. naishbow
Randall continued, “Progressing into higher speeds the bow wave gets bigger, the board lower, and eventually it hits “hull speed,” a point where it won’t go any faster no matter how hard you paddle.  Every board responds to this differently and is dependent on the weight of the paddler too. You just have to experiment with foot placement at hull speed, find your sweet spot, and mark your toe line on your board as an instant reference.”
Note: huge grin on Randall’s face as he shares this: “The big thrill in riding an SUP is planing! To achieve planing you have to get your bow through your bow wave, up and over it! Nobody has ever accomplished this by paddling. Longer boards are faster due to a longer interval between the bow wave and tail wave,but still no planing via paddle.  It takes a boost from an outside source like wind and waves. As soon a the boards cuts-loose onto a plane you have to adjust your foot position faster than poop-thorough-a-goose. The nose will dive, the tail was lifted by the wave, so step back. You need to constantly walk the board and paddle to keep it on a plane, and enjoy the ride.”
Champing at the bit to get on Naish 14' Glides on Maui

Champing at the bit to get on Naish 14′ Glides on Maui

Experimenting on flat water is not easily transferred to choppy waters. The nose of the board becomes the focus.  If your nose is pushing, it will slap each chop and be very slow. Find a foot position where the nose will penetrate the chop without slapping or pushing. Side chop, and accompanying wind, can catch your nose and flip you over! Try a surfer-stance for more stability, with the wind at your back. You won’t be switching sides with side-winds anyway so this works. Another source of choppy water is when drafting another SUP. Then you’re dealing with their tail wake, your bow wake, and the chop all at once! All of this is a never ending challenge and one of the things that makes standup paddling so darn much fun!

Randall Barna: Insights and Imagination

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My education and 17 years in the classroom provided me with the title of “teacher” for a great part of my life.  As all good teachers know, the best learning often comes (surprisingly?) from the students.  Last week I took an early morning paddle through the Old Mill section of the Deschutes River in Bend with Randall. We talked about teaching. My first week as an SUP-er I met Randall as my husband, Ed, and I were launching our boards in the river -full of beginner trepidation and wonder.

Randall and his family happened to be paddling that evening as well.  Off went Ed, Cristina and Bella while Randall hung back and gave me 2 miles of coaching, SUP stories and exactly the confidence I needed.  It makes good sense that when we talked for this article that teaching would be a topic we discussed.

Growing up in Oregon, Randall much of his youth in, around and on the Columbia River and then during college he moved on to surfing.  His move to Bend in the 70’s did little to dampen his enthusiasm for surfing. Winters were busy with work in his ski shop, summers were constant trips to the coast for waves or up to Elk Lake for some great sailing. In time, work (as it seems to love to do) took over as a full time endeavor, so Randall sought a way to continue  his summer “surfing” without so much driving to the coast.  Luckily for him, windsurfing (which became sail-boarding) had hit the Pacific NW.

No one seemed to be leading the way in Central Oregon so Randall added sailboards to his inventory. Unlike SUP which can be taught in a few minutes – at least enough for some good fun – sailboarding took quite a bit of training. if Randall was to ever sell a sailboard he was going to have to teach each customer the skills they’d need for fun. That was usually a 5-6 lesson challenge. Sharing his enthusiasm through teaching is a constant. Randall became a certified instructor, developed curriculum, racing opps and solid community around the sport out in our high lakes. He enjoyed racing and honing his skills – so much so that he sailed in three Nationals and gained both friends, skills and a community built around another watersport.

What Randall learns from his students is that in these sports people like to gather in groups, talk story, refine skills and build a community. While Randall has the competitive drive and ambition to race, he realizes that many SUP-ers simply like to gather – building community more than building a shelf full of race trophies. You will not shake the “racer” out of Randall though. From his early days of sailing, then on to surfing, he has learned that the best way to home your sport skills and be the safest participant you can be, it pays to compete. Not to win, but to better your own level.

Randall Barna cruising to a win on his 60+++ birthday

Randall Barna cruising to a win on his 60+++ birthday

One thing Randall hopes to see more of in the community-building potential of the SUP race scene is a balanced focus on both the high-level racers and the social-just-for-fun racers.  Trophies, yes! Ranking, of course! But just as important is a great after race gathering, some opportunity to eat, maybe share a beer and story as part of the event. One example of a “race” that built community and was a powerful good time was the Bend Paddleboard Challenge. More recently in July 2013 was the 33rd annual Odell Lake Race with its own “SUP community” flavor (read more here).

Benefitting the Bend Parks and Rec’s Recreational Scholarship Fund and the Bend Paddle Trail Alliance’s efforts to raise money for the Colorado Dam Improvement Project.  It included a 2 mile short course for beginner racers and a 6 mile long course for serious racers.  It was part of the WPA NorthWest Regional SUP Race Series. What isn’t mentioned in the blog was the months of community-building, sponsor-developing, enthusiasm-building efforts of Chip and Lainey.  Take a look at the array of local sponsors who came together to make this as much fun for the families and spectators as it was for the racers.  Winner, losers, speed-racers and cruisers alike had a blast on and off the water. We all sport our shirts with the cool logo, we all (almost) won some sort of door prize, and we all gained a few new paddling friends along the way.

Randall imagines more of this for a sport that can bring almost anyone out for a few hours enjoying the natural resource that our lakes, rivers and ocean provide.