Paddle Articles

The following submission was made as an entry to win a OC1 from an amazingly generous donor, who wanted to see the canoe truly enjoyed, rather than turn a profit. Entrants were asked to submit an essay answering the following:

• Part 1: “Describe how paddling has changed your life.”
• Part 2: “How do you plan to use this canoe, and perhaps someday pass it along?”

< View all entries

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Shawn Li, California

Journey Through Paddling

“We are not leaving this place without a medal.” I tell myself. Never in a million years did I think I was going to care so much for something like paddling. And here I am, writing a story about it.

The bell rings, signalling the start of a new school year. I nervously step out of the car and walk towards the school. A fresh new high school student with no commitment to any clubs. My first day comes to an end. A tiny boy walking around aimlessly with absolutely nothing to do. The dean notices me and reaches out, he takes me to the afterschool program where I learn about the school for about a week or so. Although it was boring, it was a way to kill time. Another empty day goes by and I am taken to the school weightroom to clean up. There, I meet some members of the Dragon Boat team, a club I never even thought about joining. After talking for a while, I was coerced into joining by a scary senior who would later become one of my best friends.

First practice comes by, and I am filled with thoughts like: “what if I hold people back? I’m so skinny and weak.” Luckily, I had some other friends who joined as well and were there to support me. It was a cold day. I put on those smelly PFDs and wore a long sleeve which I would later regret as I did not expect to get as soaked as I did. As I took the bus home, I thought: how do people do this on a regular basis? I can never be that strong. I went home and knocked out due to sheer exhaustion. Dragon Boat had earned my full respect and dedication. I go to land training the next day and hit the weightroom. I was put in a group with a junior who trained me. Our group was deadlifting 115 pounds. No matter how hard I pushed off the ground, it was devastating to see that it didn't go up. I decided to weight train everyday just until the upcoming Lake Merritt race.

Lake Merritt comes by in a flash. I felt we had a pretty solid crew. I couldn’t sleep the night before, but it didn’t matter because we had to get up at 5:00 A.M. anyway to drive across the city and set up. I look at the starry skies as we cross the bridge and imagine myself in the boat moments before the race. Seedings blow by quickly along with gendered races, and just like that, it’s time for my D division finals. I pace nervously, telling myself: “We are not leaving this place without a medal!” Adrenaline rushes through me as we approach the start line. I bury my blade and get ready — the first stroke felt as if I was pulling on a cement block. I give that race everything I had — only to lose by one second. This loss was exactly what I needed, though I didn’t realize it at that time due to being so upset. This motivated me so much to workout even more and get stronger to better my paddling.

Although I have only been paddling for about two years now, in a way, Dragon Boat has saved my life. I was extremely underweight (90lbs.) and insecure. Through weight training and paddling, I put on a decent amount of muscle, allowing me to be more confident in myself and talk to people. Dragon Boat has also helped me with my social skills as there are so many people in the community with different stories to listen to. It has also given me the drive to strive for success. I learned to apply my competitiveness from Dragon Boat to my academics as well. Most importantly, Dragon Boat has helped me find a family. All of my closest friends have been met through Dragon Boat and I really hope that it stays that way for the rest of my life.

Now that I have been paddling for around two years, I believed it was time to step into the world of OC. I have not had the opportunity to yet, but it seems really fun. I would like to use it in hopes of improving myself as a paddler. Being a high school student, it has been pretty difficult getting access to an OC1, so it would be pretty nice to have. If possible, I would also share it to other members of the team who might not have access to an OC so we can all improve together. As for someday passing it on, I would love the idea of making another writing contest like this one to continue the tradition

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Shawn Li is a 15 year old San Francisco native. He is currently attending Mission High as a sophomore. Prior to Dragon Boat, he has done various sports like karate and swimming, but never really found it as intriguing as paddling. He enjoys working out everyday in the gym and eating all types of food. Shawn likes to watch anime as it helps motivate him to workout even harder.

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The following submission was made as an entry to win a OC1 from an amazingly generous donor, who wanted to see the canoe truly enjoyed, rather than turn a profit. Entrants were asked to submit an essay answering the following:

• Part 1: “Describe how paddling has changed your life.”
• Part 2: “How do you plan to use this canoe, and perhaps someday pass it along?”

< View all entries

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Anonymous, California

Hi, I’m a second-year paddler on my college’s Dragon Boat team and this is my submission for the Cali Paddler essay contest. In this essay, I hope to explain how paddling, specifically with my Dragon Boat team, changed my life and was an unexpected solution to reshaping my worldview, and how I plan to use this canoe if given the honor and someday pass it along. I hope this essay will inspire others to pick up paddling or dragon boating by demonstrating how it taught me valuable life lessons about trust, working together, overcoming adversity, and focusing on the small things in life

The most memorable moment of my first season paddling wasn’t any of the most fun or exciting experiences I had with the team, from the stoked yet cold-blooded adrenaline of my first race, to the smiley satisfaction of gliding in the water after a first OC stroke, to the welcome retreat party after making the team. It was around midnight on the way driving back from my first race from Long Beach to the Bay Area. It was dark and almost silent, with the only lights outside being the stars and the reflection of red from the sedan ahead us. The desert landscape on The Grapevine was serene and flat. Two of my teammates were napping in the back after an exhausting but fun race day. Another teammate was in the passenger seat talking with me to keep me awake. We would probably get back around 4 am. And as we were talking about life and our experiences, I had this visceral and very raw moment of clarity. Joining dragon b oat was the best decision of my college career.

I was orphaned at fifteen and raised by my uncle and aunt. Growing up in a family that pushed me towards academics as a child, I dealt with my grief mostly on my own by throwing myself into work. I studied hard during my free time, got grades I was proud of and was eventually accepted into a college I’m very grateful to be at. I poured my time into running, trained twelve months a year for four years, and ended up running almost five thousand miles throughout high school and qualifying to race in some incredible meets. I spent all four summers in high school working and secured a summer internship in my junior year. I even threw myself into several side projects from books to businesses. Unfortunately, it was work done with exhaustion, for distraction, and perhaps by a child who was thrown into growing up too quickly. I convinced myself that in order to succeed, I had to do it totally on my own. I justified the time I was taking from myself by measuring my value by the length of my resume when I should have based it on how happy I was. I now realize that’s more important. Work was an excuse to not confront my thoughts or rely on others. And so I was suspended in this odd mental rut between spiraling down, and healing so I could grow as a person.

Enter dragon boat. Dragon boat is a very unique sport with an equally unique community. We race in standard boats of 22 people, powered by 10 rows of paddlers. Although most people, including anyone I knew and grew up with, don’t know the sport exists, the dragon boat community is incredibly passionate and dedicated. I never heard of dragon boat before trying out, and joined because a friend suggested I try out with her when she saw the team’s table on main campus. I tried my best at tryouts and ended up making the team. Now you may be wondering how paddling or dragon boat has anything to do with loss, trust, values, or life lessons.

Dragon boat gave me perspective on what teamwork should look like and what it can do for people. To move the boat forward, everyone needs to be an actively firing piston in the hull’s interdependent engine. Every paddler is equal on the water and feels like they truly matter and make an impact. Because of that, each member wants to do their best to give to the team, and the team wants to do its best to give back to its members. For me personally, joining my college’s dragon boat team forced me to internalize this team mentality. Dragon boat’s environment, where cohesiveness and reliance on teamwork are the only way to physically move forward, taught me the key to moving forward was letting myself rely on others instead of trying to strong-arm my way through a self-created career track.

In this way, paddling with dragon boat also taught me lessons about overcoming adversity in life. On the water, everyone in the boat faces adversity -- through rain, wind, waves, fierce competition, and the challenge of pushing yourself physically and mentally. Paddling is a full body workout that pushes your physical strength and cardio system. It’s also a complex and initially very unnatural movement that requires mental focus to maintain form for, especially in-time with the boat.
Paddling reinforced that overcoming adversity means facing it head on, whether it be by paddling straight through the waves, pushing through non-ideal weather conditions. It also taught me that it means focusing on yourself to maintain form and trusting you’ll do so in races, and focusing on the full boat and trusting everyone else will help you glide forward. Paddling with a finely-tuned team where cohesiveness is the difference between gliding and capsizing taught me that overcoming adversity means facing it head on and embracing the team mentality to surpass challenges that couldn’t be done nearly as well independently.

Lastly, paddling with dragon boat helped me realize the small things in life are often the most important. I spent much of high school chasing achievements that are mostly irrelevant now that I’m in college. In contrast, I’ll never regret the memories I had and know that they’ll never become irrelevant because of that. To be a member of the dragon boat community means to be part of the friendliest and most giving group of people I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know. I could tell in the first week of paddling these people lived their lives with thought and heart, and were happier for it too. The little things dragon boat gave me -- spontaneous cookies, the freedom of gliding on glassy water, stupid poop jokes, loud chants before a last race -- taught me how important and liberating living in the moment is and how much less meaningful living without these little things can be. Paddling with dragon boat taught me valuable life lessons that helped me heal from my most difficult challenges and experiences and helped me move on from a mental rut I had been stuck in for years. I hope to continue paddling for some time, and that others find something similarly meaningful in their own lives.

If given the honor of receiving this canoe, I plan on taking it out to glide as much as I can this summer, and then bringing it to college in August so my team can enjoy it too. After I graduate, I plan on donating the canoe to the team so future generations of dragon boaters and paddlers can enjoy it. Giving the canoe to the team would also give future paddlers a chance to experience other forms of paddling and give them a more full and diverse range of experiences.

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< View all entries

The following submission was made as an entry to win a OC1 from an amazingly generous donor, who wanted to see the canoe truly enjoyed, rather than turn a profit. Entrants were asked to submit an essay answering the following:

• Part 1: “Describe how paddling has changed your life.”
• Part 2: “How do you plan to use this canoe, and perhaps someday pass it along?”

< View all entries

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Jimmy Luong, California

1: Describe how paddling has changed your life.
Surging. Flowing. Gliding. Building. These are the feelings that all paddlers know and what I’ve come to love. Surging as you build momentum to catch the wave. Flowing as you round the peak and start to sync. Gliding as you surf and go faster than you ever thought possible. uilding camaraderie and community with your boat and your team with every stroke.

My paddling journey takes place in two parts: the first as a high schooler looking for something fun to do, and the second as an adult looking for a sense of community.

I discovered paddling on a whim as a teenager. A friend of mine told me about her dragon boat team on the other side of town in Cerritos, California and I checked it out. Little did I know that I would end up joining one of the most competitive U-18 dragon boat teams, known as JAWS, in the United States.

This team took paddling very seriously - the end goal was to win the annual championship at Treasure Island in San Francisco. JAWS introduced me to a world of serious athletes juggling high school responsibilities with intense paddling practices. I became much more disciplined in order to keep up with school, which in hindsight helped me become a better student.

Come race day, the beating of the drum and the stroke counts in perfect unison got my heart pumping. The feeling of surging towards the finish line pushed my body past its limits. The aftermath of celebrating with my team of 40+ paddlers gave me a feeling of intense pride. To this day we still keep up with each other and some of my teammates have even gone on to join the USA national team!

Fast forward many years later and I found myself living and working in the Monterey Peninsula. Despite living in Monterey for many months, I was struggling to find a sense of place. My whole life I had lived in big cities with thousands of things to do and a multitude of distractions.

Then I discovered the Ke Kai O’Uhane Outrigger Canoe Center. I’ve learned so much since joining the team. I learned to appreciate the beautiful water of Monterey Bay, to be grateful that we’re able to return safely to the shore after each padde, to appreciate the hard work of everyone around you, and to embrace ‘ ohana’ or ‘family’. In the past it’s taken a long time for me to feel part of the community around me, especially in a new city, but the family at Ke Kai made me feel supported and welcomed from day one. No matter how stressful or challenging the work day can be, I know that I can find peace on the water with the team.

In sum, paddling has given me the opportunity to become part of communities that make me a better person. Whether it be through intense race sessions in grueling conditions or relaxing recreational paddle outs in calm water, I know that paddling will continue to be an anchor point in my life.

2: How do you plan to use this canoe, and perhaps one day pass it along?
The competitive spirit from my dragon boat racing days still lives strong within me. I’ve had my eyes set on OC-1 races for quite some time now and I want to get out there and compete! My gym workouts have been tweaked to improve my performance on the water. I’m watching videos on YouTube on paddling technique.

I’d also love to have this canoe be available for anyone to use and train with in the Ke Kai Outrigger Canoe Club. The upkeep and maintenance of the OC-1 would be primarily up to me. In the future, I’d like to use my engineering background to research and develop ways to improve outrigger canoe performance and design. Current designs are streamlined and beautiful but I believe there’s always room for exploration!

There are many young students in the Ke Kai club. I can see the canoe serving as a teaching tool to talk about how the canoe shape, weight, and material can affect the drag, buoyancy, and feel in the water. I hope to eventually find a student/parent combo who would one day be the next caretakers of the canoe :)

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Hi! My name is Jimmy Luong and I want to thank you so much for your generosity to the paddling community. I’m 25 years young and I’ve been paddling since I was in high school in Long Beach, California. My whole life I’ve been fortunate to live by (or in) the water - in high school I was a competitive swimmer, water polo player, and dragon boat racer. I spent my undergrad years at UC San Diego where I would sneak surf sessions at the beach in between lab sessions at Scripps. Currently, I’m paddling in Monterey with the fantastic Ke Kai O’Uhane Outrigger Canoe Club!

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< View all entries

The following submission was made as an entry to win a OC1 from an amazingly generous donor, who wanted to see the canoe truly enjoyed, rather than turn a profit. Entrants were asked to submit an essay answering the following:

• Part 1: “Describe how paddling has changed your life.”
• Part 2: “How do you plan to use this canoe, and perhaps someday pass it along?”

< View all entries

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Denise Jaeger, Pennsylvania

It was the darkest of times, a fall into a deep, black cave.  It was the most frightening period of our lives.  There was no light at the end of this tunnel.  All of the clichés could ring true.  Except they don’t. There are so many more pieces to the story and mere clichés trivialize the discoveries that were to come.

At the time my husband Art was successively diagnosed with three primary cancers between Christmas and Valentine’s day, our youngest had just graduated college, our middle had just married, our oldest was building a successful business. And we had discovered kayaking.  Oh, the sheer fun of it! Oh, the adventure! Each weekend we loaded the car and gleefully ventured into literal and figurative new waters with our kayak cohort, a diverse group of people dedicated to adventure, nature, and loving life. Often since, we have talked about how quickly we became family to strangers connected solely by a love of paddling.  We camped, hiked, ate, and spread cheer together – but mostly, we paddled. Our fellow paddlers taught us to roll and rescue. They taught us to pack light and dehydrate things never imagined dry.  They took us to wild places and brought complete joy to our world.  It was a beautiful time of camaraderie and discovery for Art and me.

The cancer diagnoses were so shocking that there was no time to wallow. We set our purpose: cure, restore.  We did not enter a tunnel sans light or even a cave. We had no time to feel dark and sullen. I was, however, frightened. But not for long. While the march to cure consumed five and half years of our life together and Art endured multiple revisions of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, we found hope, once again, in shared community. University of Pennsylvania Hospital became our new home and the fellow patients and medical staff enveloped us in a world of hope that left little doubt we would come back from this experience and take to the waters once again.  My role, aside from caregiver, was manager and researcher.  I studied the latest research in all modalities of treatments from holistic to medical; I Ninjaed the hell out of kale; I was psychologist and taskmaster.  Together, we approached this journey as another adventure, another challenge to revel in.  We paddled on.  Sans water. With the spirit we had developed on the water.

Once the shadow of the cancer demon diminished, we set into routine. But without the focus of the past years, I felt adrift, uncertain and unstable. My caregiver role had once again been disintegrated. Thankfully, of course.  Art was healing and understandably needed time and space to do so. I loved my work as always, but I felt I was lacking an identity.

Fugues of fun times slowly crept into my daily thoughts. I would stare at the sleek, graceful 18-footers dangling temptingly from our garage wall.  I longed to pull through the water once again.  But it was clear Art would not return to the water in the same way.  Both his lungs and his confidence had taken a hit. He legitimately hesitated to test his lung capacity in water.  And I could not load and transport a 50 plus pound boat alone. Ultimately, I bought myself a smaller, lighter kayak and headed to local venues for solitary paddles that, despite the time for reflection and quiet contemplation, were lacking in camaraderie and personal, physical growth opportunities. I felt defeated and quietly acquiesced.  But Art, in an exceedingly unselfish act challenged my acquiescence; he clipped an article from the local paper introducing an information session for a dragon boat team. Timidly and with my sister accompanying me, I attended.

Four years later, my life resonates again with the joy of paddling! Once again, I am venturing into literal and figurative waters!  I have found camaraderie in a community of paddlers who have become a new family.  They challenge me to push harder, tap my unseen potential, and embrace the unfamiliar.  They provide laughter, acceptance, and security. I even experienced huli on a lake for them. More. Than. A. Couple. Of. Times. My commitment to them drives me to lift, to push, to pull. Stronger, stronger I become in body and spirit.  There is nothing that compares to pounding water with heart in synchronicity with 19 others and then quietly sharing dancing gleam on sunlit waters as we breathe in this life. There is nothing like feeling the tightness of muscles after working the swing of a paddle and the connection to a boat – dragon boat, OC, or kayak – and the electricity of water.  I am renewed. I am engaged. My paddler’s back can carry any new challenge presented. The physical demands of paddling coupled with the life-giving aura of nature have built a better person.  I am whole.

Why would I not want to share this incredible gift as others have so generously shared with me?  I believe unequivocally that Art’s adventures in paddling allowed him the strength to win his battle and me the strength to steer his victory.  I continue to thrive and grow in the joy of paddling and the community of paddlers. I am grateful for those solitary, quiet paddles where the lapping of water on the hull of my boat fosters contemplation and reflection.   If I were to be gifted with this beauty, I would feel gratitude beyond words and would celebrate life molded to its movement.  I would continue to better my stroke in concert with the water in the hopes of broadening my paddling experiences. I hope to be selected to represent my team in international competition in 2020, something my younger self never imagined for me!  I would have access to waters and territory that lift my soul.  And when the day comes that I can no longer glide across the water in her grace, I would pass her to another to feel such inspiration.  She is a symbolic vessel of storytelling and of all the stories to come that bind our disparate, connected journeys in this paddling world. 

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Hello!  I am Denise Jaeger, an adventurer just a tad into my sixth decade.  I am sincerely full of gratitude for the opportunity to add my story in honor of this beautiful vessel and generous donor.  I am the mother of three awesome human beings, wife to a man of courage, high school teacher for the past two decades (came to this late as well!), and an avid paddler of any vessel. I work with teens on environmental issues and bridge them with the most experienced of our society.  I love my family, my students, my work, and most assuredly my time on the water. Thank you for this opportunity.

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< View all entries

The following submission was made as an entry to win a OC1 from an amazingly generous donor, who wanted to see the canoe truly enjoyed, rather than turn a profit. Entrants were asked to submit an essay answering the following:

• Part 1: “Describe how paddling has changed your life.”
• Part 2: “How do you plan to use this canoe, and perhaps someday pass it along?”

< View all entries

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Tony Galimba, Washington

Aloha Friends, I am responding to the generous opportunity to win an OC-1 Outrigger Canoe. I am submitting my story for your consideration.

My name is Tony Galimba. I am of Hawaiian heritage. My Aunt, Shirley Avilla and my Uncle Julian Avilla, Jr started a Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe Club in 1984 in Monterey, Ca. Our home beach was Del Monte Beach right next to Fisherman's Wharf to honor our Hawaiian Culture.

I moved back to the Monterey Bay area in 1987 and joined the Ke Kai O'Uhane Outrigger Canoe Club of Monterey Bay. I gained a greater appreciation for my heritage because of paddling sports through paddling in the Masters Men's Division, as Youth Paddling Coach and Club's Board Vice President. My wife paddled and served the Club as the Treasurer as well.

From the Avilla Ohana's Vision for cultural awareness of the Hawaiian Culture and Hawaiian paddling sports; the Ke Kai O'Uhane Outrigger Canoe Ohana grew to represent our sport in Northern California, Southern California and Hawaii. From the Outrigger Canoe Club's presence a Hula Halau was started soon after.

Ke Kai O'Uhane Outrigger Canoe Club built the canoes of the Malia style. They were fiberglass. As the sport the OC-6 canoes evolved into long boats ie. Hawaiian Racer, Bradley & Walter Guild. We did a fundraiser and purchased our big ticket item Hawaiian Racer Canoe.

In 1989, Ke Kai O'Uhane Canoe Club was going to have their annual Luau fundraising event. This was the same year I was building my own OC-1 Fiberglass canoe. I had painted the OC-1 with a custom paint job. At that months board meeting and the luau date fast approaching the club was far short on available revenue until after the luau. I at that point offered my Custom OC-1 for a fundraising raffle. The OC-1 Canoe's name was Aloha Mua (First Love) representing my love for paddling, my culture and my Ohana.

The Luau funds were now available and my Aunt and Uncle started P.I.C.A Organization, to further educate Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and communities in Northern California about our beautiful Culture. Pacific Islanders Cultural Association was born, P.I.C.A for short.

In 1992 my wife and I moved to Hilo on the Big Island to follow my Grandmother's stories she shared with me as a child. While on the Big Island my wife and I learned about KOA Canoes and Koa Canoe Restoration @John Kekua's Kamehameha Canoe Canoe Halau. Although making a living required me to give up paddling briefly I would look out from Hilo towards Monterey Bay and I would recall my Aunty Shirley and Uncle Julian's Mission Statement for P.I.C.A to share our Hawaiian Culture and most fondly for Polynesian children to learn their culture through Hawaiian language, Outrigger Canoe Paddling, Hula & Olelo stories. Little did we know that Coach John Kekua was the conservator for the Hawaiian Koa Reforestation Project on the slopes of Mauna Kea. We would ride our horses with friends to chase the wild cows out of the conservation zone to save the small Koa trees. Little did we know that the 'Full Circle' was soon to approach its destination.

In 1999 we saw a friend at our church that we hadn't seen for awhile and I asked him how he was and where he had been. He shared that he had been diagnosed with Cancer and he invited my wife and I to his estate sale. As coincidence would have it; he told us that he had 4 antique Koa Canoes that had been in his family for generations. Knowing that thousands of miles separated us from our Monterey Ohana; we asked our Aunt and Uncle if we were to buy these canoes, would they be interested in taking them back to California to teach the keikis and Kupuna how to restore these precious paddling treasures. They responded 'YES" !

We arranged for Aunty Shirley, Uncle Julian and Ke Kai O'Uhane's Kahu Sam Hart to come to Hilo to visit us and arrange for the canoes to be shipped back to San Francisco. They came to our house and we enjoyed Ohana time. During their stay, we arranged a personal Koa Canoe Restoration clinic with John Kekua and Bobby Puakea. We went to the Koa Forests and harvested Hou Wood from our secret Hou Tree Forest for lakos and Amas. We knew that the canoes would fill a much needed gap in the cultural void between Hawaii, Mainland and generations gone by.

Two Koa Outriggers were restored, a 16 foot Koa Outrigger fishing canoe built in 1959 in Hilo Bay and 27 foot Koa Outrigger Surfing canoe built in Kealakekua in 1925 and surfed in Waikiki from 1927 to 1940's.

I have since moved back to the mainland to be with my Daughter and Grandchildren in Spanaway, Washington. I am respectfully presenting my OC-1 Essay in hopes to come full circle and share Outrigger Canoe Paddling with our MooPuna.

My Aunty Shirley and Uncle Julian passed away earlier this year and we just represented Ohana in a tribute to their lives as we paddled their ashes out into Monterey Bay to honor their memory prior to the Ke Kai O'Uhane's Memorial Day Long Distance Canoe Races (Races that Aunty and Uncle had dreamt of doing for many years}

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< View all entries

The following submission was made as an entry to win a OC1 from an amazingly generous donor, who wanted to see the canoe truly enjoyed, rather than turn a profit. Entrants were asked to submit an essay answering the following:

• Part 1: “Describe how paddling has changed your life.”
• Part 2: “How do you plan to use this canoe, and perhaps someday pass it along?”

< View all entries

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Mikaela Matin, California

Paddling has made me happy, because it showed me benefits of exercising and working as a team. It also helps me to apply the skills I learned in the exercises into my home life. this essay will explain and demonstrate the things I have learned over the course of 7 years.
In the beginning of my paddling career, I was 7 years old, I paddled with Kapolika’ehukai Outrigger Canoe Club. I have competed for 2 years. During the 2 years, I have gotten more than 10 medals with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. This made me proud that I tried my hardest and was able to achieve such an award.

Later, my family decided to take a one-year break from paddling to deal with our financial issues. In 2014, We transitioned back into paddling with a new club gave me the opportunity to start with a clean slate. The older I’ve gotten the more I realized that it is very important to stop talking and listen. I also had to learn to communicate when the input was needed here and there with the keiki crew. Which taught me that sometimes you just need to listen, and there are times when you need to speak up.

In conclusion, paddling has helped me meet new people paddle in different positions, and work as a family. It has also showed me how to teach other teammates if they don’t understand or is lost in the middle of the drill. Lastly, paddling is helping me perfect my craft with my health and social skills.
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< View all entries

The following submission was made as an entry to win a OC1 from an amazingly generous donor, who wanted to see the canoe truly enjoyed, rather than turn a profit. Entrants were asked to submit an essay answering the following:

• Part 1: “Describe how paddling has changed your life.”
• Part 2: “How do you plan to use this canoe, and perhaps someday pass it along?”

< View all entries

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Keona Martin, California

How did paddling change my life? Paddling changed my life by teaching me how to be a team and how to think as one nation. I have been paddling for 7 years and I enjoy seeing my family and friends paddle with me.

Over the last 7 years, I have learned the fundamentals and the jobs of each seat. I have been training in seats 1 and 2. Seat 1 is the paddler that sets the pace, while seat 2 sets the rhythm and calls the changes. I enjoy sitting in seats 1 and 2, because it helps me focus on the specific job for the seat.

Paddling also taught me to think as one and to move as one. Paddling in the canoe gave me a mindset of you go into the water with your paddle as one and you come out of the water as one. It taught me to move with my team/family as one together. I love this part because it shows how much each person comes together and how we grow as a family together.

Lastly, paddling has helped me mentally, spiritually, and physically. Before going on the water during a race or just practice we sing our prayer to the lord to keep us safe during our travels. It physically gives you a workout throughout your whole body and test your mental capacity.

In conclusion, I love paddling in everything that it teaches. From the history of the canoe and the people who started the fundamentals of paddling. My overall experience in paddling is fun, amazing, and challenging. This is the best sport I have ever played.

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< View all entries

The following submission was made as an entry to win a OC1 from an amazingly generous donor, who wanted to see the canoe truly enjoyed, rather than turn a profit. Entrants were asked to submit an essay answering the following:

• Part 1: “Describe how paddling has changed your life.”
• Part 2: “How do you plan to use this canoe, and perhaps someday pass it along?”

< View all entries

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Cash Martin, California

Paddling changed my life physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially. I have been paddling for 7 years. 2017-18 was the year that Ikuna Koa’s 10 and under crew won 1st place. It changed my life mentally, because it gave me the nerve to interact with other kids and adults that I’ve never met before.

It changed me physically, because before I started, I went to Hawai’i with my mom (Hauoli) for 6 months, As I was there, I started feeling a change. So, After the vacation my sister and brother have noticed somethings about me. So, when we started paddling it encouraged me to workout and get fit. So, I can feel prouder of myself and some other life goals that still must be achieved.

It changed me spiritually, because I didn’t know much about my culture. Until I started paddling before paddling, we sing a special chant talking about the gods and to let us be blessed on our journey out on the ocean. It taught me the religious and cultural ways of my ancestors. Also, its been amazing to learn about my culture and being able to know myself as a Hawaiian.

In conclusion, it changed me socially, because it got me to communicate to younger and older kids. It also gave me enough courage to make friends. But not only me but my parents as well.

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The following submission was made as an entry to win a OC1 from an amazingly generous donor, who wanted to see the canoe truly enjoyed, rather than turn a profit. Entrants were asked to submit an essay answering the following:

• Part 1: “Describe how paddling has changed your life.”
• Part 2: “How do you plan to use this canoe, and perhaps someday pass it along?”

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Paige Zetooney, California

You are on the beach getting ready to go out on the water. Then begin pushing the boat into the bay. Once you get on the water, you may see some seagulls flying overhead and fish soaring out the bay. You now are beginning to paddle. Before you begin to paddle, you should know what every seat does in an oc. 6. Seat 1 sets the pace of how fast the paddle goes in and out of the water. Seat 2 calls the changes and paddles 3 and 4 are the powerhouses. Seat 5 bails out the boat and if the boat starts to flip the person in seat 5 must push the ama down to stop the boat from flipping. Lastly, seat 6 is the steersman of the canoe. In paddling you learn to cooperate with others, race against other crews and you make friends and family with people in your crew. What paddling means to me is, since I love the water, and when I put the paddle in the water it gives me a connection to the ocean. Same with any body of water I feel at peace.
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