Would like to hear from others about the growth (or decline)of outrigger paddling in their area. Regattas, LD, etc...in our area of NorCal, Sprint Regatta numbers are declining, LD/OC6 attendance seem to fluctuate and OC1/OC2 events are growing. Is that the same everywhere? And why?
Mahalo,
mstrpaddler
Submitted by mstrpaddler on Wed, 06/13/2007 - 1:22am
I think a lot of people get fed up with the politics and BS of man racing. Oc-1 and Oc-2 let you have the fun of paddling without all the CRAP.
To me I see regatta numbers dropping but I think overall distance paddling is still growing.
poops
#1 Wed, 06/13/2007 - 12:01pm
you set your own training schedule with OC-1, whereas you have to setup a schedule for an oc-6. personal recognition comes with solo racing also whereas a team win is only know for the team name only.
#2 Wed, 06/13/2007 - 4:46pm
ahh yes no paddltics. plus the glory of having everyone know your name. what more could you ask for?
well now that i say that, i guess i could use a million bucks too.
hmmm, actually 10 million would be great, since a million just isn't what it used to be any more.
#3 Wed, 06/13/2007 - 9:26pm
Who would ever want to build a team for years and years when you can just oc-1 your way into whatever club is doing well at the moment? I think the most people I ever saw at regattas was in the late 70s. Remember how many people used to come to the Waimanalo Regatta when they had entertainment? Not all paddlers, of course, but quite an event back then. I think it just fluctuates, but there's gotta be more paddlers now than at any point in history, thanks in large part to the oc-1.
#4 Thu, 06/14/2007 - 4:11am
In both my club and my girlfriend's club, the number of woman paddlers is growing. Sadly, the number of men is dropping.
#5 Thu, 06/14/2007 - 8:44am
OC-6 regatta is like NASCAR. Nothing but left hand turns and it's more about drinking than racing.
#6 Thu, 06/14/2007 - 1:16pm
like any sport, paddling needs an influx of young people to keep the sport going. and interest among children has certainly dropped off. If people aren't starting in as children, this cuts off a major "feeder" for the sport. There are only so many Novice B's out there to be found.
This may sound grumpy old mannish, but the majority of kids in the past few years seem unwilling to invest the type of work it takes to excel at the sport. Not that everyone needs to be competitive, but kids often just aren't willing to invest the work to improve themselves. BTW, I'm not the only coach who has noticed this change. I've discussed it with other coaches and they seem to agree.
It is not that the level of athlete has gotten worse, in fact the top youth athletes are always getting faster. But there is no longer that large portion of the bell shaped curve that is willing to work to try and break into the elite range.
make sense? if not...too bad
#7 Thu, 06/14/2007 - 7:05pm
oldguysrulepaddlin on Guam
While I love to OC1 and OC2 and always think how easy and simple it is to be alone or with a mate on the water; doing exactly what I want, as long and as hard (or easy) as I want, and truly almost a sea creature myself...to paddle a crew or to coach a team and to get the glide, and to lift the boat so that it just sings and to feel that chicken skin and to be well and truly spent togther at the end, well that's pretty cool also.
I've been a victim of (or a cause of, depending on your slant of course) as bad a paddleticin sessions as there can be, and resolved to just screw it and OC1 on alone; but wiht some new friends and some welcoming crews from another club have had more fun lately in an OC6 than I've had in the 10 years before.
Here our overall numbers are way up, mainly because of our High School program, now in its 3rd year. While I am sad to agree that the work and dedication ethic of a lot of the kids is pretty weak, we always have some that 'get it'; feel the history, feel the culture, like the work and stick. Here we try and share the older OC1s to hook more people into the sport, it's all good!
#8 Thu, 06/14/2007 - 8:37pm
Has there ever been a lot of kids (or adults) who really like to paddle? Let's face it, our sport looks like torture to most people. You either catch the fever or you don't. No one can be convinced to participate, it has to come from within.
#9 Fri, 06/15/2007 - 3:52am
in my country we been introducing oc-6 for the past 3 years and is growing slowly but surely to its true spirit, now i just finish a mold for the first oc-1 and to produce them, i wonder how it will make things grow? since i consider its a diferent ball game, 0c-6 is defently i link to an ancient tradition where KOKUA and teamwork is the ultimate, and there is not that much room for EGO. Oc-1 has a diferent AURA, and there is plenty room for EGO. i wish here in Argentina oc-1 could be enjoyed as a good way to add an extra 2 days a week to your already 3 days a week oc-6 practice and we dont forget that the mother of the sport is oc-6 and its true spirit, 6 paddlers that do it as one, no dramas, no power trips, one without second.
i consider oc-1 gives you the chance to learn plenty about efficiency, how to read the water, build stamina and plenty more things that only make sence if you give it back to your crew when you paddle oc-6 dont you think?????
aloha.
#10 Fri, 06/15/2007 - 7:31am
marianolarghi,
funny because in my experience, it's been the opposite, where the ego and paddletics have been on the oc6, and less ego on the oc1... which is interesting since the oc1 is an "individual" activity, and the six is "team" so it should be more we less me...
maybe because there can be other people to hang unfavorable results or people wanting to be a first crew paddler when you're dealing with crews, but which doesn't happen on the oc1. if you're slow, you're slow. when you put the work in, you get faster. no one to point at but yourself. then again, i guess you can always blame your boat. or your paddle. or your shorts. or your hangnail
a lot of people get burned out on group dynamics and want to stay on the oc1 year around... but the oc6 is still important. i think the team aspect will always be there, and it should, but in terms of growth, the oc1 is the logical path of growing the sport.. and growing beyond the racing aspect, but selling the recreational aspect, and by that i don't mean the pale fat resort recreation (which has a place also), but the downwind run paddling just for the fun of it recreation...
#11 Fri, 06/15/2007 - 8:08am
The problem with Regatta Racing is that over the years rules have been made to mostly accomodate the smaller and sometimes weaker clubs. It is understandable that competing with the larger clubs is difficult, but HCRA means racing, not just participation. There is no incentive for growth for the smaller clubs, as they were granted A and AA status, where most chose to stay instead of moving up a division by getting more crews. On a typical Regatta day for OCRA there are sometimes fewer than 6 clubs participating in an upper division mens or womens event. However there are too many entries to accomodate in "special events" like open 4 and mixed. All of this makes for a very long day and has detracted from the sport more than it has helped. With the current rule of letting Novice paddlers spend 3 years in Novice when many of them have paddled long distance races, sometimes including Molokai. By definition Novice is a beginner, so if those paddlers were to join the ranks of the upper division, the competion should be greater in those events. The fallout is that there would be paddlers that don't make crews, but that is what competition is all about.
Another thing that has taken away the drama of who will win the States is the newer scoring system giving points to all crews that race, instead of the top crews like every other sport does. Just a few comments, there are more, but that would be later!
#12 Fri, 06/15/2007 - 9:01am
Aloha Dacho:as always we can only speak through our experiences and by this i understand your view points, if we consider that the person who gets burnout and feedup with the dramas is the EGO in him that thinks he is better than the crew, or wich is worst , better than his club. we can see he forgot that ever since he started, he grew stronger thanks the zinergy of the gange he paddle with, coaches and mentors, and the first chapters in evrerybodys paddler life could be done only with the kokua of their club and crew members, i belibe, that even if you are supper fast and smart in oc-1, you really show who you are, giving back a little by paddling your division in reagattas and long distance so you can give your club more points, help coaching novice or high school kids,and the hole world that makes your club as strong as can be.
dont get me wrong, i love oc-1, i totally agree is the natural path ( specially excelling performances) to the grow of the sport, but what sence makes to even win the molo solo and have your name up there if you dont give all that back by helping your club racing oc-6??? and even a little furhter, help more people learn the art??
we cannot forget what really lead us here, and even more, we have the responsability to preserve this tradition, i really dont see how this could happend if people only paddle oc-1 year round.
mahalo nui
#13 Fri, 06/15/2007 - 9:27am
In response to jc9_0's comment about kids & lack of work ethic:
Children tend to learn what they are taught and/or exposed to and perform to the expectations of the adults around them. Coaches who are passionate about and dedicated to the sport & the kids they coach can actuallly transform kids from wise-ass, out-of-shape slugs to hard-working, respectable young paddlers (I've seen it happen, to my amazement). My club's kids' program grows exponentially each year, due almost entirely to the efforts of the coaches to bring kids in and keep them involved through the concept that hard work is rewarding & FUN. Of course it would help if parents would instill these values in their kids before dropping them off at practice!
#14 Fri, 06/15/2007 - 11:39am
Paddlelikeagirl, I agree and disagree with you. Its well known a good role model (paddling coach in this case) is a very excellent way to teach youths. I agree with you on that, however for some reason these days I see that it is much more difficult to make good impressions on youths by being a good role model that it was say 5 to 10 years ago. Being a good role model just doesn't reach kids like it used to.
Does that mean we should stop being good role models? Nope just gotta find other ways to teach kids.
Does that mean I hate being a good role model? Yep, damnnit can't do half the stuff I would do otherwise.
The next question you gotta ask is does OC-1 paddling diminish or retard the very important transmission of values and education from one generation to another? There is a not less interaction of people in the OC-1 scene. Something to consider.
Ok poopoo
#15 Fri, 06/15/2007 - 12:09pm
marianolarghi,
About ten years ago, I gave a killer paddle to a guy named mariano at Sunset Beach. It was originally a gift from my close friend and steersman. I thought I retired from paddling at the time so I gave it to Mariano cause in his eyes was no ego and a lot of sincerity and big aloha for paddling. It was a no brainer. Seems I did the right thing if this is the same mariano. I agree with your premise for paddlling OC-6 and what's involved. Building it from the ground up and sticking to it is not always the easy way. Yet, with perseverence, results will tend to be more permanent. I always say if you can't be there in the end then don't start in the beginning. Aloha.
#16 Fri, 06/15/2007 - 1:22pm
Manaekahi, looks like your act of kindness helped bring ho'e wa'a to Argentina! The awesome thing about outrigger canoe paddling is that it introduces Hawaiian culture to other parts of the world. Paddling Aloha will save the world! And when everyone get's sick of the paddletics, they can go oc-1 or surfing.
#17 Fri, 06/15/2007 - 4:27pm
mahalo for your words manaekahi, and if the mariano you gave the paddle was from argentina, for sure was me, i lived in sunset area betwen 1996 an 2003. you have to help me remember aswell.
malama pono.
#18 Fri, 06/15/2007 - 5:48pm
I think the best way to inspire kids to do better is to continually race and beat them, unmercifully, over and over again. This will make them want to do better and they will try harder and harder to beat you, therefore making them faster and better paddlers. The problem occurs when they actually beat you, then they will logically stop striving to be better. The only way to avoid this is to secretly sabotage their equipment (paddles, rigging, ama, etc.) before the races so that they can never win, and will continue to just want to practice more and more. This actually worked in an experiment with laboratory rats. In fact, one of them came in top ten in the Molo-solo this year.
#19 Sat, 06/16/2007 - 12:04am
Give me an oc-6 any day ! Oc-1's are only training tools for oc-6.
All oc-1 paddling does is stoke your egos- get in a crew and work together !
#20 Sat, 06/16/2007 - 7:44am
One could say that OC-1, which notices your Ego digs. Hehe. It receive? Your Ego PAINTS.
Man konnte sagen daß OC-1, das Anschläge dein Ego schaufelt. Hehe. Es erhalten? STREICHT dein Ego.
One could say that OC-1 paddling strokes your ego. Hehe. Get it? STROKES your ego.
#21 Sat, 06/16/2007 - 1:21pm
I think the opposite about the OC-1. It humbles me nearly always. It's brutally efficient at exposing every flaw and weakness in your paddling. Even when you do well in a race, you'll still notice which legs and conditions you lagged in. Far from stoking ego, I usually feel like I have so much more I can learn and improve on.
#22 Sun, 06/17/2007 - 5:52am
Kimo, you are obviously not drunk enough when you go one-manning. Four or twelve more beers should be just the right amount so that no flaws can bother you whatsoever.
#23 Sun, 06/17/2007 - 9:10am
...preferably drunk from a "Pimp Cup". I like the old skool Don Juan model. Happy Father's Day, y'all.
#24 Sun, 06/17/2007 - 11:51am
The last time I paddled drunk I steered a canoe into a bridge on the Ala Wai. I think I understand your point though. The problem was not the drinking but the lack of experience paddling drunk.
#25 Sun, 06/17/2007 - 2:23pm