For Something New … Canoe

The Kahakai Outrigger Canoe Club is located on Mother’s Beach under the Second Street bridge on Appian Way in Naples. As I was running by the other day, I had the opportunity to meet Connie Jensen, one of the coaches of the club. She was so friendly, she almost had my sister and I jumping into one of the canoes.

I always had the impression that canoeing (or its sister, rowing) was something that you grew up doing or that you had to know how to do it to be on a team. Jensen said this is not the case, and she said repeatedly throughout our interview that everyone is welcome (with the exception of non-swimmers since they do go out on the open ocean). They definitely want beginners to come and join and give it a try. It is a competitive club, but the first year that anyone paddles is a novice year which, Connie says, is the best year of all.

The club’s website is full of great information about the club and its history, which is rich in Hawaiian culture. I asked Jensen about the ins and outs of the sport and how a beginner would get started and what the requirements are.

Q: Can you explain what outrigger canoes are and a little about the sport?

CJ: The sport is called paddling and it is done with six people in the canoe which has an outrigger along the side. These outriggers were used by Pacific Islanders in ancient times to travel around the islands. The competitive sport of outrigger canoeing is very popular all over the world, including Hawaii, Tahiti, South America and Japan. Every seat has a different job. There is a steersperson who steers the boat and also paddles; everyone paddles.

Q: What kind of skill and/or fitness level does one need to have to join the club? Do you need a lot of arm strength?

CJ: This is a sport where you use all of your muscles, especially your core and your legs. If you used your arms mainly, you could never do it. We do 62 strokes a minute, so you must rely on core stamina in order to make the boat go. You are doing it wrong if you only use your arms.

As a coach, I encourage cross training. I am a runner. We have people in the gym cross training with swimming. Any kind of cross training (is good); it is a full body workout so all cross training helps.

Q: How do you deal with different levels? Is it OK to show up and be a beginner? What age range does the club include?

CJ: We have a Keiki program for children. They can start as young as 7, and 7- to 15-year-olds are in the Keiki. Children race only in the sprint season which is from July 9th through July 23rd. They start practicing in June. There is a competitive group for age 16 and over, 18 and over, and 19 and over.

For all age groups, there is a novice year where they only compete against novice groups. It is a lot of fun. Some people started in their 50s and are doing great.

After your second year, you become an open paddler. We have three seasons of racing starting with the iron man which is 9-12 miles, the sprint season has three races of 1,500 meters and the nine-man season where we have an escort boat and go 18-32 miles switching people in and out of the canoe while it is moving. We end our season with a race for women from Newport Beach to Catalina and the men go back from Catalina to Newport Beach which is September 10th.

Q: What is your regular workout schedule?

CJ: On Mondays and Wednesdays, the women go from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. And men go Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30pm. On Saturday, the men go at 7 a.m. one week and the women at 10 a.m. and then they trade the times the next week with women going at 7 and men at 10.

Q: What is the cost of being a member of the club and is there any special equipment needed?

CJ: It is $350 for the year which includes 13 races. We provide the paddles. Participants wear clothes that can get wet, like jerseys and windbreakers.

Q: Is there anything else you would like people to know about the club?

CJ: We also do fundraisers such as paddling to support Long Beach Team Spirit Breast and Ovarian Cancer Walk in 2009. (Featured in photograph with women wearing pink lava lavas and bikini tops and pink lipstick.) We have a luau at the end of the season. We also go to Hawaii and race every other year.

Anyone can come and try it out. Come and try it if you want a good workout and a competitive water sport that’s a real team sport. What brings people to our club and other outrigger clubs is the real family atmosphere. It is a team sport where timing has to be perfect, you must all work together to move the canoe (as well as you); you must believe and trust each other because you are paddling as one person. Everyone can do it, whether you are a former athlete or not. We are very fun; we like to be competitive and get to know each other. Ohana means family in Hawaiian and we are big on Ohana. Children will get involved and sometimes we recruit parents from the children. The club is a second family to us.

The new season begins March 5. The men’s team will begin practice on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Weekday practice will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. The women’s team will begin practice Saturday 10 a.m. to noon. Weekday practices will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6 p.m. The club is recruiting new members. One needs only to bring clothes that can get wet, a water bottle and he/she can come and give it a try that day.