Self-righteous Cyclists (LOL!)

Gotta see the humor in everything.

SOCC Open Women - the boat to beat!

My second sprint regatta under my belt. It's only been 1.5 months of paddling, but I can feel my stroke has improved so much since my first race back in May. And, I got my reward(s) for working on my stroke...ribbons galore! On Saturday, we raced on Silver Lake in Everett, WA.

The SOCC's Open Women rocks and there's talk in the PNW outrigger paddling community that our boat is the one to beat in the upcoming distance races. And, here's why: our last race of the day was a 1500 sprint with 5 turns - the longest one of the day and the last race for women. I had already done 5 races prior (should've been 6 for 7 total races that day but I will explain later) so we all had to suck it up, dig in, and leave it all on the lake. After a little shaky start, we found our timing, and Sabine steered us around the buoys for some of the best turns I've ever seen...tight around the buoy and we paddled strong out of our turns towards the next buoy. We won the race - actually blew everyone out of the water and finished strong about 29 seconds ahead of the second boat!! With each turn, we kept building on our lead which is why everyone is looking at our boat as the one to beat in the distance races. I was really excited to be picked to paddle in this boat because in the prior race that I had missed at Green Lake, they blew the competition away and won by 20 seconds over the next boat. As we finished our last turn, there was such amazing energy coming from everyone on that boat and in the end, we all felt like we could've kept going for 5 more turns! It was a perfect ending to what turned out to be a fabulous day. Woot! Mahalo Kristi, Melissa, Janelle, Naomi, and Sabine for the most awesome race of the day. F'ing A....we kicked some serious ass!!

However, we didn't get off to a great start - we, um, missed our first race. It was a 500m sprint and somehow we missed the last call to get our boat out there and before we knew it, the horn sounded and the boats were off!! But, I had plenty of chances to paddle because I was signed up for 7 races. Of the remaining 6 races, I got 3 1st place finishes (1-500m, 1-1000m, and 1-1500m) a second place finish for a 1000m sprint, and a 3rd place finish for another 1000m sprint - all a mix of women and co-ed boats. I should've gotten one more but we missed 3rd place in the 1000m novice women by .30 seconds...yes, you read that correctly..... 0.30. M***** F*****!!! Oh well, guess I can't be too greedy. Definitely, one of the most satisfying days ever for me in any of the activities I've done in my life. And, when it was time to dig in and turn on the power, there was no doubt that everyone was giving their 110%.....excellent team effort! As far as OC-1 races, I may give it a try but I must admit that there is nothing more enjoyable for me than team events and I am really luvin' the OC-6 boats.

Great all-day event in the warm sun....I am so happy to be paddling with this club and to have a new set of good friends to hang out on the water with. Imua Seattle Outrigger!

Outrigger Kanu Racing Schedule - Summer '09

(Image Source: Seattle Outrigger Canoe Club)

Racing schedule? What the hell?! Well, I did the usual JRitchie thing and found a new sport that I absolutely love so I've completely immersed myself into it. This summer, I had planned on just practicing with the Seattle Outrigger Canoe Club and then enter a race or two towards the end of the season. Well, it didn't exactly happen that way and pretty much just jumped right in and signed up for a slew of races.

This morning I had my first long-distance practice. We paddled from our put-in site on North Lake Union, through the cut into Lake Washington, and down to I-90 which turned out to be 14 miles. Paddling time, it took us 2 hours and 20 minutes but we were out for over 3 hours as we practiced various elements of our paddling. Yes, I am *really* looking foward to the long distance races because that's more like what I am used to doing on a bike. But, on top of that, I will be training for the change-outs which is the reason why I got into the sport in the first place because it just looks so bad-ass! I'm really happy with how my paddling stroke has been progressing and have been getting awesome feedback from Sabine and others. And, my very own hybrid Kialoa paddle is on its way in time for my first long-distance race in Portland. Whee! So, here's the schedule so far.

June 13: Hui Wa, a O Puget Sound Regatta - Everett, WA
June 20: Hui Heihei Wa, a Sprints - Silverdale, WA
June 27: Rooster Rock Distance Race - Portland, OR

July 11: PNW - ORCA Sprint Championships - Silverdale, WA
July 18 - 19: Gorge Distance, Gorge, OR

August 1: Seattle Grind (Distance) - Alki Beach, WA (SOCC sponsored race)
August 15: Race Around the Island (Distance) - Mercer Island, WA

September 12: Catalina Change-out race and US Championships - Newport Beach to Catalina Island, CA (I'm an alternate)
September 19: Race Around Hat Island - Pac NW Long Distance Championships - Hat Island, WA

Unfortunately, my cycling has taken the brunt of the time I spend paddling. I no longer go out for 5+ hour rides and can only fit in a couple of hours, max :-( So, my Seattle-to-Portland ride in 1 day will have to be put off for another time while I work on my outrigger kanu paddling obsession. I think it's a fine trade-off. Imua!