MS Wildplay Warriors at the Lotus Ice Breaker

Hi Meg and Kialoas'

There are no words to describe our gratitude for your generous sponsorship. Every one was so excited about their new paddles and our first race. We felt we did extreamly well finishing before four teams. Truly was an amazing day for all,thanks for part, in believing in a little team with spirit. We are the boat on the left.

The Lotus Ice Breaker, is held at Barnet Marine Park in Burnaby BC. It is an Outrigger V12 race, and has a reputation for being freezing cold. They have hot tub and small fire outside, with lots of heaters in their club house. This years race course was 5.7 kilometers. When we arrived at the site we could not see the course, due to a thick fog. We were surprised to see snow on the ground.

There were 12 of us, 6 members with MS (Multiple Sclerosis) were able to make it. There are 18 paddlers,10 having MS. On a good day we will have two boats with our coach in his OC1. There are many times when it is only the MS paddlers showing up. Five core MSers are always there.

We were one chair and several canes,trudging through the snow, sand and water to get into the boat. Lotus Club members, went out of there way to help us. Two members were carried onto the boat, with others needing two helpers to get to and on the boat. The paddling community has really embraced us, we feel so lucky.

We had so much fun, everyone was amazed at our fabulous day. We MSers were the most chatty,sharing our life's experiences, some admitting that MS is the best thing that happened to us.

With out it we probably never would have had or taken the chance to enter the paddling world. A year ago we never imagined that we would be outrigging, let alone enter a race. Personally, I felt I was living in the moment and embracing every second of it. We may have MS but it does not have us. I was very fortunate to have my best friend husband attend our race, told me how proud he was.

The whole team could see his pride. This was a very special moment for me.
I emailed the days photos to the team and friends. One of our friends, with MS, returned a message. "It looks like you were having the time of your lives, after talking to you I thinks that is exactly what you are doing" Her husband, a paddler himself, "You better watch out that you don't all get your disability tax credit taken away, for being better than agile teams!!!"

Trisha Sim

MS Wildplay Warriors

3 Disciplines of SUP by Dave Chun

There are three popular forms of Stand Up Paddle Surfing and having the right paddle can make a difference. Below is an article written by Dave Chun that was inspired by the ever growing aspects of SUP and KIALOA's promise to provide the best equipment while always listening to the stand up paddlers needs.



SUP Surfing:
Paddles used for surfing should be small. Surfers need quick short bursts of speed to catch waves, and small blades excel at this. Resistance is greatest on the surfboard when it is not moving, a common situation while waiting for a set. A small blade will allow for a high stroke rate and get the surfboard up to speed more quickly. The higher stroke rate facilitated by the smaller blade, also aides in balancing and maneuvering in the rough conditions associated with surfing. Performance surfboards are also getting smaller and less buoyant. Because these surfboards sink deeper in the water, they are inherently slower when paddling. As a general rule, the slower the watercraft, the smaller the blade. Good choices in the Kialoa line-up are the Methane, good for most surfers, or the Shaka Pu’u, if you are a big strong paddler like Mel Pu’u.

SUP Racing:
SUP race paddles should be chosen based on the length of the race, type of board, and fitness and strength of the athlete. In very short sprint races, a larger blade may be of benefit. Less paddle slip will occur with each paddle stroke, which in theory should translate into a more efficient transfer of energy. However, this must be balanced with fatigue. Race boards are faster than a pure surfboard, so this should allow for a larger blade.

The most important factor in choosing a distance paddle is the physical condition of the athlete. Strong fit paddlers have greater potential for high hull speeds and can use larger blades. A good choice for long events and most mortals is the Methane. For general use by a fit experienced paddler, the Shaka Pu’u is excellent. (The Shaka Pu’u is the paddle that was used by Chuck Patterson, to win the $10,000. first place prize in the 2008 Rainbow Sandal “Battle of the Paddle” ).

For an aggressive downwind racer who is able to link swell after swell and prefers a larger blade, the Nalu can be a good choice. Water conditions (the board moves fastest when it is flat on the water and not bouncing up and down), wind direction, the conditioning of the athlete, and type of surfboard, are all “moving targets” when trying to pick the optimum blade. Just keep in mind; if you are moving more quickly, you can use a larger blade, if you are moving more slowly, you need a smaller blade.



Fitness paddling:
SUP Surfing and Racing are both great fitness activities, but there are a number of SUP paddlers who do not use their boards to surf or race. Fitness paddlers generally use boards which cross over from surfing. Because of this, we recommend that paddlers use equipment similar to that used in surfing; with the first choice for most paddlers being the Methane for women, and the Shaka Pu’u being a good choice if you are stronger and/or more fit.

KIALOA's 6th Annual Student Scholarship

KIALOA's Live Like You Paddle Student Scholarship is awaiting applicants to enter for the chance to be one of 10 winners to receive a free KIALOA outrigger paddle. Students 18 or under must express how core Hawaiian values are learned, expressed and enhanced by participating in the ancient sport of outrigger canoe paddling and racing.

The great thing about this scholarship is that it doesn’t matter how good you are in school. We’re not going to grade your project on spelling or grammar and we’re not going to judge your ability to draw or anything like that. You just have to show us how much you love Outrigger and that you understand how important it is to Hawaiian values; values like Laulima (cooperation), Kuleana (responsibility), Kokua (helping), Ohana (family), or Ha’aha’a (humility).

Visit KIALOA's website to learn how to enter and direct any further questions to amy@kialoa.com.

We encourage teachers, coaches and parents to make sure that students are aware of our scholarship since many may not even know about the opportunity without your help.

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