In Need of Some Money?

Aloha nō kākou,

We have had some great training runs this past week, and even though we are still a month away from racing season, our competitive spirits are starting to get the better of us. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, there are 7 or 8 canoes (with six paddlers each) on the water, and as we are going through the drills, crews are starting to “try to win”, even though there is really nothing to be won quite yet.

A typical training session starts with a light warm-up from Kailua Pier to the white coast guard buoy and back, a distance of roughly one mile. The whole purpose of the warm-up is to “find the blend”, which means to paddle completely in sync within each canoe, with everyone in the boat planting the paddle at exactly the same time, at the same distance in front of their bodies, and then pulling with the same power the exact same distance back. The paddles have to come out of the water at the hip at the same time, and the recovery (the process of moving the paddles forward to the starting position) has to happen in the same fashion. This type of warm-up is done in slow-motion, with 50 or so paddle strokes a minute, about 20 strokes less then under racing conditions. It is actually harder (but more beneficial) to paddle slowly, as high stroke rates tend to hide some of the technical imperfections.

Once all the canoes are back at the pier and lined up, the real work-out begins. One of the primary exercises this week was to paddle 15 strokes on one side, followed by 5 strokes on the other, repeating the 5-stroke rhythm two more times back and forth before it goes back to 15 strokes, then back to 5, and so on. This type of drill teaches us to be mentally aware and to constantly anticipate different scenarios, something that is very important under racing conditions. It also emphasizes the importance of the change-over, switching the paddle from one side to the other, as every stroke counts and one has to make sure that both the last stroke on one side and the first one on the other move the canoe at maximum speed the farthest distance ahead. Each half-mile drill to and from the buoy is slightly different, and as we work back and forth through the miles, the body starts to fatigue and the mind starts to lose focus, something that we are trying to avoid. Regatta races are between a half mile and one-and-a-half mile long, so our goal is to be conditioned to such a degree that we can apply maximum strength throughout the entire race. This type of paddling is really about maximum effort for 4 to 8 minutes, a sprint rather than a marathon.

Saturday mornings are all about longer distances, where we go for 60 to 90 minutes without stopping (or with only a very brief break) and cover between 6 and 10 miles. Here, it is all about a huge stroke, as far forward as possible, with a big “rip” on the paddle backwards, with a very long and slow recovery. Once you get this down, you start to get the feeling of the ocean and if the crew is well-adjusted, the canoe moves with the movement of the water and you really become one with the ocean; it literally feels as if the canoe is flying over the waves, barely touching the water. It is a very special feeling, a zen-like moment, and once you are in this zone, you can go for a long time without realizing what is going on outside the canoe, and all the energy in the team is in the boat and the collective power is transferred into the ocean. It is really hard to describe this feeling of oneness, it is truly something that needs to be experienced, but once you have it, you cannot let go and you want to feel this way all the time. I believe this is the main reason why once individuals get into canoe paddling, it becomes their life and their passion and it really is a lifestyle much more so than just a hobby or a sport. You come out of the canoe after a race, particularly a long-distance races where you are paddling on-and-off for up to six hours, and your muscles hurt, you are hot and tired, and often you wonder why you are doing this, but the very next day, you are longing for the ocean, the canoe and the same feeling once again. Paddling is truly a passion, and one that can carry on to old age.

With paddling also comes one of Hawai`i’s quintessential “part-time jobs” – fundraising. Fundraising is a necessity, something that happens anywhere and for anything. In our state, there is always some fundraiser going on, whether to raise money for the food bank, school trips, a pageant, a new canoe, a long-distance race, or simply cash to help out any number of not-for-profit organizations or the needy. If you live in Hawai`i, you better get used to it as you will be asked to kokua all the time. 

Spam Musubi

A basic fund raiser can be as simple as selling cookies, spam musubi, or any other type of home-made product to peers or strangers. In front of Wal-Mart, the local church, or at the gas station, there is always somebody selling something for a good cause, and it pays to always have a few dollars in your pocket when you go to town. The entire visitors industry (hotels, shops, activities companies, and everyone else who somehow is involved with visitors to our island) hosts a charity walk each May on every major island in the state, where everyone donates at least $35 and walks three to four miles. The result is over $165,000 dollars raised, all of which gets distributed to non-profit organizations. Carwashes are another favorite fundraiser, albeit one that requires some muscle and stamina to complete.

Kai `Opua Canoe Club holds several fundraisers each year, including the annual Business Men’s Regatta this weekend. Many canoe clubs organize such an event, which basically is a mini-regatta for all-comers in an elimination format, with the canoes and steerspersons provided by the club (for safety and efficiency reasons). This is a great way for a business to sponsor a group of their employees to go out and have some fun on the water, learn how to paddle a canoe and get the feeling of being on the water in a real (fiberglass) racing canoe. Everyone involved gets bitten by the competitive bug and everyone feels inspired by hovering at the starting line, peeking down the quarter-mile race course where the flags at the other end mark the finish line (these types of races are short so that everyone can complete the distance), and everyone feels like a champion when they cross that line, no matter in what position. For the club, it is a morning of work rewarded by a few thousand dollars in the bank to cover expenses throughout the year.

Men's Regatta

As a matter of fact, it was such a fundraising regatta that got me into a canoe for the very first time back in 2001. An employee named Kimokeo Kapahulehua at The Fairmont Kea Lani on Maui (who later became one of my closest friends) “tricked” me into going to the annual spring regatta at Kihei Canoe Club in South Maui, something that a general manager of a hotel wouldn’t necessarily do (at the time, he told me that all the other general managers on Maui would attend, only to find out that when I got there, I was the only one, never mind the fact that I was also wearing my Italian loafers). I thought it was great fun and a great day at the beach – little did I know what the canoe culture would do for my life. 

In the end, fundraisers are all about community and making it possible for individuals who normally could not experience something to partake in a particular event or activity. It ties action (fundraising) and result (activity) together and teaches everyone, from young to old, that things have to be earned. Even when one is able to pay the money for a particular trip, you still participate in the fundraising efforts – it is all about being together and achieving together.

Me ke aloha, a hui hou,

Chris