Coach Mike led a group around Brooks Island
Training Day
Ohana enjoyed not one but two Tuesday night RFL sessions led by Coach Kristine Blike-Morales on July 2 and 9. Coach Kristine had paddlers practice an "armpit drill" on land to replicate the feeling of activating muscles in their armpits as they take a stroke. With a partner, one person held the paddle blade between their arm and body and the partner tugged the other end as the first person clamped down with their "armpit" to trap it. Coach Annie channeled David Wells and showed everyone a new kind of turn for rough water that involved using the paddle to brake then turning that into a back paddle to turn. After the drills, they headed out to enjoy the warm and beautiful conditions seen above from Kristine's board. Coach Kristine returned the following week a la Groundhog Day to offer more keen insights and drills. Ohana folk just getting better and better!
Around the World in 80 Turns
Helen's map of a deer with antlers perfectly captures Coach Shirley Heinneman's Sunday Race League on Sunday, July 7. Buoy turns were on the menu and no one was going to leave hungry
Coach Shirley started on land demonstrating some twists and turns and other tips she offered Connor Baxter before heading to the lagoon to practice, practice, practice. Can you ever have enough practice on buoy turns? The answer is no, of course; there can never be enough buoy turn practice! At least one of the buoy turns included a group rendition of Happy Birthday to Karen Miller, who was celebrating her latest turn around the sun.
The Birds
Coach Mike Wang led out the latest installment of the Bridge and Island Program with a circumnavigation of Brooks Island near Richmond. Brooks Island is home to numerous Comorants, sea gulls and the largest colony of Caspian Terns in the Bay Area. You cannot land on the island and bother them, and the birds know they run the place. Ohana paddlers had to deal with notable side chop and upwind (the forecast lied!) and took 2.5 hours to cover the 7-mile trip. As they paddled around the island the bird chatter drowned out the human chatter as the birds showed who was the boss. At lease they kept their distance; they only assaulted everyone's ears and weren't trying for a Hitchcock sequel! Seals and dolphins also made an appearance to keep the paddlers company!
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Not sure if this thing will eat you or you should eat it. Only Helen knows the answer to this question - be sure to ask her about it!
Field of (Watery) Dreams
Coach Mike Wang, Levi, and Alex led a Bayfoils group along with LeeAnn and Mike Richards across the bay to a Giants game, earning a brief local TV shot for their efforts (no home run ball, though!). Mike's crew was also practicing their drone shots and camera work in preparation for doing media at PaddleSplash.
The Pursuit of Happyness
When she's not sharing her considerable wisdom with Ohana paddlers, Coach Shirley loves to compete in races. She participated in Lake Tahoe's recent Waterman's Paddle Jam and couldn't shake her instructor responsibility of riding sweep to ensure all was well and to note everyone's form. They were fine and she enjoyed her paddle, so a win-win for everyone!
Back to the Future
PaddleSplah 2024 is coming up - have you secured your digs and signed up for your races?
Coach Annie has created a new What'sApp group, PaddleSplash 2024, to discuss details about the upcoming trip (July 26-28). Please let Annie know if you're coming so she can add you to the group. You can sign up via TeamSnap or reach out to her directly. Hopefully you will be joining us at the Ohana tent!
Some deets from Annie:
Board Care: we have left our boards on the beach during the days. A VAMO cover or padded board cover is nice to drape over your board. I usually get my board wet every so often to keep it cooler. You cannot leave your board overnight in the park. Most everyone leaves their board on top of their car. I’ve never had any problems with anyone touching my gear. But I do use the VAMO locking straps to secure it at night.
If you don’t have a rack: Check in with Mike & Alex about soft racks if you need them. Lots of us have extra straps, so ask.
Parking: show up early so you can get a parking spot and unload your equipment. Have shoes so you can walk back and forth on the SUPER HOT asphalt.
Shade structures: we will have a sign-up sheet for delivering, assembling, and taking down the shade covers every day. Morning people have to show up early to claim our spot.
Water, water, water: There is potable water in the park, and we will bring coolers. Please bring a re-usable water bottle to cut down on single-use plastics. No glass allowed in the park.
Food: The PaddleSplash Festival site on Facebook says that there will be food trucks. You might bring some additional snacks - that won’t melt - so you don't have to leave the parking lot (it can be hard to get back in if it fills up).
Alameda West End AKA the "Hard Half" (Saturday, August 10)
Also remember that Coach Jen Fuller will return to lead the "Hard Half" of the partial paddle around the entire island of Alameda. Coach Jen will have already given you many helpful tips about nutrition and endurance, so now will be your chance to see the results of your hard work! Details to follow.
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Welcome New Members!
Welcome to the new members of the Ohana Paddle Club! We are stoked to share the Ohana spirit with you on the water. All members - you can check out the status of events on our website or use the TeamSnap app on your cell phone. You can sign up for events using TeamSnap.
We publish this newsletter as a resource for Ohana Paddle Club Members, so that everyone might stay up to date on upcoming training, trips and events. Please share with us on WhatsApp any suggestions about events we might include, issues we might cover or to share that “perfect” photo of a club event that you think we might want to use in an upcoming edition. We are looking forward to an action-packed season!
The Way We Were
Fortunately, it's NOT too painful to remember . . . past Ohana events!
Training Day
Ohana enjoyed not one but two Tuesday night RFL sessions led by Coach Kristine Blike-Morales on July 2 and 9. Coach Kristine had paddlers practice an "armpit drill" on land to replicate the feeling of activating muscles in their armpits as they take a stroke. With a partner, one person held the paddle blade between their arm and body and the partner tugged the other end as the first person clamped down with their "armpit" to trap it. Coach Annie channeled David Wells and showed everyone a new kind of turn for rough water that involved using the paddle to brake then turning that into a back paddle to turn. After the drills, they headed out to enjoy the warm and beautiful conditions seen above from Kristine's board. Coach Kristine returned the following week a la Groundhog Day to offer more keen insights and drills. Ohana folk just getting better and better!
Around the World in 80 Turns
Helen's map of a deer with antlers perfectly captures Coach Shirley Heinneman's Sunday Race League on Sunday, July 7. Buoy turns were on the menu and no one was going to leave hungry.
Coach Shirley started on land demonstrating some twists and turns and other tips she offered Connor Baxter before heading to the lagoon to practice, practice, practice. Can you ever have enough practice on buoy turns? The answer is no, of course; there can never be enough buoy turn practice! At least one of the buoy turns included a group rendition of Happy Birthday to Karen Miller, who was celebrating her latest turn around the sun.
The Birds
Coach Mike Wang led out the latest installment of the Bridge and Island Program with a circumnavigation of Brooks Island near Richmond. Brooks Island is home to numerous Comorants, sea gulls and the largest colony of Caspian Terns in the Bay Area. You cannot land on the island and bother them, and the birds know they run the place. Ohana paddlers had to deal with notable side chop and upwind (the forecast lied!) and took 2.5 hours to cover the 7-mile trip. As they paddled around the island the bird chatter drowned out the human chatter as the birds showed who was the boss. At lease they kept their distance; they only assaulted everyone's ears and weren't trying for a Hitchcock sequel! Seals and dolphins also made an appearance to keep the paddlers company!
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Not sure if this thing will eat you or you should eat it. Only Helen knows the answer to this question - be sure to ask her about it!
Field of (Watery) Dreams
Coach Mike Wang, Levi, and Alex led a Bayfoils group along with LeeAnn and Mike Richards across the bay to a Giants game, earning a brief local TV shot for their efforts (no home run ball, though!). Mike's crew was also practicing their drone shots and camera work in preparation for doing media at PaddleSplash.
The Pursuit of Happyness
When she's not sharing her considerable wisdom with Ohana paddlers, Coach Shirley loves to compete in races. She participated in Lake Tahoe's recent Waterman's Paddle Jam and couldn't shake her instructor responsibility of riding sweep to ensure all was well and to note everyone's form. They were fine and she enjoyed her paddle, so a win-win for everyone!
Back to the Future
PaddleSplah 2024 is coming up - have you secured your digs and signed up for your races?
Coach Annie has created a new What'sApp group, PaddleSplash 2024, to discuss details about the upcoming trip (July 26-28). Please let Annie know if you're coming so she can add you to the group. You can sign up via TeamSnap or reach out to her directly. Hopefully you will be joining us at the Ohana tent!
Some deets from Annie:
Board Care: we have left our boards on the beach during the days. A VAMO cover or padded board cover is nice to drape over your board. I usually get my board wet every so often to keep it cooler. You cannot leave your board overnight in the park. Most everyone leaves their board on top of their car. I’ve never had any problems with anyone touching my gear. But I do use the VAMO locking straps to secure it at night.
If you don’t have a rack: Check in with Mike & Alex about soft racks if you need them. Lots of us have extra straps, so ask.
Parking: show up early so you can get a parking spot and unload your equipment. Have shoes so you can walk back and forth on the SUPER HOT asphalt.
Shade structures: we will have a sign-up sheet for delivering, assembling, and taking down the shade covers every day. Morning people have to show up early to claim our spot.
Water, water, water: There is potable water in the park, and we will bring coolers. Please bring a re-usable water bottle to cut down on single-use plastics. No glass allowed in the park.
Food: The PaddleSplash Festival site on Facebook says that there will be food trucks. You might bring some additional snacks - that won’t melt - so you don't have to leave the parking lot (it can be hard to get back in if it fills up).
Alameda West End AKA the "Hard Half" (Saturday, August 10)
Also remember that Coach Jen Fuller will return to lead the "Hard Half" of the partial paddle around the entire island of Alameda. Coach Jen will have already given you many helpful tips about nutrition and endurance, so now will be your chance to see the results of your hard work! Details to follow.
Brannan Island Campout (Friday - Sunday, August 16 - 18)
Keep this weekend free as Camp Counselors Jo Kwas and Joey spearhead the first-ever group campout and paddle trip at the Brannon Island State Recreation Area in Rio Vista. A campsite has been reserved for Friday afternoon through Sunday morning for up to 30 people. There will be a paddle on Saturday on 7-Mile Slough. Way more details to follow, but don't make any other plans that weekend!
Just a reminder - the Bay Area Bridge and Island Program is the brainchild of Coach Mike and was inspired by his own trip under and around every bridge and island in the entire Bay Area (https://www.mikespaddle.com/blogs/paddling-bridges-and-islands-of-san-francisco-bay/bridges-and-islands).
Fun Times: Ongoing Ohana Events
- Tuesday Race and Fitness League
The Ohana RFL offers a series of fun training paddles to work on skills and fitness. To elevate all members that attend, we try to stick together as a large group, but sometimes split off into different groups for different skills, paces or to have sessions with a visiting coach. All levels are welcome, but highly recommend taking the Level Up Clinics if you are a newer paddler.
Coach Chris Churilo will be the guest coach on Tuesday, July 30 and Tuesday August 27 a before and after video stroke analysis. Come on out and watch yourself improve in real time!
Tuesday Evenings from 6:pm to 8:00pm (arrival time: 5:30pm) - Mike’s Dock. Please sign up on TeamSnap. Please note the new time change.
- Weekend Race and Fitness League
If you have missed Coach Shirley Heinemann in the past, you have another chance on Saturday, July 20 for Buoy Turns 3.0! If the weather is agreeable, there may be a focus on beach starts to prepare for your upcoming PaddleSplash races. Arrive at 9:00am for the9:30am-11:30am session.