Pacific Paddler magazine - August 2011 - (Page 35)

Featured paddler - question & answer Andrea Moller sport, a big canoe, and a lot heavier boat. I admire it with all my heart. It is embedded in the Hawaiian culture, and it has the history that motivates me to keep being involved. The stroke is a little more forward then all, the stated position uses a lot of my legs and a overall combination of my body. Paddling in a crew is something special, the timing has to be perfect and the goal has to be united. The OC1 is the light, fun, fast and easy way to train. Down wind runs on an OC1 is definitely the most fun I can ask for. You can feel the speed and control it all yourself. Once I started racing OC1 canoes, I learned a lot about paddling open ocean waves. It is also a great tool for training when my schedule is upside down. The paddling position of on a OC1 is more upper body then OC6 or SUP. SUP is the ultimate leg workout. I TELL US A LITTLE AbOUT YOUrSELf: I grew up on an Island called Ilhabela on the southeast coast of Brazil. I was raised next to the ocean, inside my parents marina, always surrounded by boats and water activities. Since a young age, I always loved to be an athlete, from swim teams, to mountain biking or sailing. WhEn dId YOU STArT pAddLIng? I moved to Maui at age 18 to achieve my goals in windsurfing and also to study college. Paddling became part of my life from the moment I tried it. The canoe club, Lae Ula O Kai, was the biggest influence for me to paddle. I joined them in 1999, when I was still very new to Hawaii, non-english speaking, and unaware of the Hawaiian culture. They taught me how to paddle, and I became part of a big family of lots of good Maui/Hawaii people. From there, I met many other paddler heroes and friends throughout the island that guided me to be who I am today. WhAT WAS YOUr fIrST rACE? My first race paddling was a Maliko to Kahului Harbor, a 9 mile race on Maui; that was a great down wind run in a 6 man canoe. That day was my third day paddling overall, and I still remember missing tons of strokes, being off timing, and missing the changes. But I was hooked! I knew I would learn, and I was in love with the sport. On SUP, when I started there were no races yet. The first race I did was the Molokai to Oahu channel in 2005, teaming up with Maria Souza. There were only two other teams wanting to do SUP in the channel, and thanks to the race director Mike Takahashi, he allowed us to participate in the crossing during the paddle board race. That was a tough channel crossing! The SUP equipment was still in the process of development, and we had a lot to learn in those long paddling hours. WhAT ArE ThE dIffErEnCES fOr YOU In pAddLIng An OC6 And An OC1 Or SUp? There are many differences among all of them. Starting with OC6, it is a team and stretching. My goal is to finish school next year and be able to have a better routine to train for races. WhAT WAS YOUr MOST MEMOrAbLE rACE? Every race is a special race in my heart. I truly have a hard time choosing one. I would say the channel crossings are the most memorable ones. I’ll never forget the very first time I paddled to Oahu. It was an incredible emotion, I felt like crying, it didn't matter what place we got or what time we did it in, we were happy to challenge the Kaiwi Channel. Another very memorable race was the year I joined Team Bradley and had the first experience to win the Na Wahine O Ke Kai. I felt blessed to be there and humbled to be a part of an amazing group of women. WhErE dO YOU SEE pAddLIng gOIng? Paddling is a forever sport. It is part of our culture and it is spreading more and more worldwide. Paddling on OC6, OC1 or SUP is fun and easy in many ways. It is a great recreational sport which allow friends and family to be involved outside the competitive world. Any person that enjoys the ocean and is interested in a healthier life can start paddling without much difficulty. The paddling competitions are also getting more interesting and challenging. The increase in sponsored events and the boost of money prize-giving are raising the bar in competition which makes paddling bigger and more powerful. WhO IS YOUr SUppOrT? My biggest support comes from my family. They allow me to follow my dream, and together we manage the time to train, work and enjoy life. I am sponsored by Kai Waa canoes, S.I.C SUP boards, Quick Blade paddles, Maui Jim’s sunglasses, Planet Sun sun care and Da Kine accessories. I am very thankful to every sponsor that gave me the extra strength that allowed me to be the athlete I am today. Without their help, it is nearly impossible to enter that many events per year, especially with top quality equipment like they provide me. believe it is the most cardio training among all the three sports. The fact that you are standing up for the whole time, it leaves you with no time to rest. You must keep working your balance during every bump, which is a lot different from OC1, which you may have the chance to rest while you surf. WhAT OThEr SpOrTS dO YOU EnjOY? Surfing is the biggest distraction I have during paddling race season. I love surfing big glassy waves, and Hawaii is the best place to be during the winter. On Maui, we have places like Jaws and the outer reefs that give me the adrenaline rush I look for all year. Besides surf, I also enjoy swimming, biking and working out in general. WhAT IS YOUr TrAInIng SChEdULE LIkE? My training schedule varies a lot with what I have going on in my life. I took this year off from racing to complete my paramedic training. I also work full-time as an EMT in the Maui’ ambulances, and have a family with a eight-year old daughter. With the few hours I have to train, I usually paddle early in the morning to do some sprints workouts. In the late afternoon, I try squeezing in a Maliko run, my favorite downwind training. I also workout on the beach, mixing some running, core exercises pacificpaddler.com august 2011 35 http://www.pacificpaddler.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Paddler magazine - August 2011

Contents
Walter J. MacFarlane Regatta
Waikiki beach Boys Regatta
Liberty World Outrigger Challenge
OHCRA regattas
The 2nd Event of the Triple Crown
Hui He’e Nalu
Jimmy Austin
Gold Coast Cup
VOS' Chasedown in Vancouver
Round Bowen Island
SCORA score
Na Wahine O Ke Kai schedule
Andrea Moller
Hine Moana blog
Fiji Outrigger International
Kris Kjeldsen 1943 – 2011
Hui Waa Champs
OHCRA Champs
Calendar

Pacific Paddler magazine - August 2011