Hawaiian Supermom

 

Okay, so you probably know that my world, when not centered around writing and family and more writing and more family is all about paddling. Last summer I spent regatta season (short races) with a really good club in Hawaii Kai on O’ahu and then did long distance season with another really good club at the Ala Wai in Waikiki. I made friends, had fun, scented the air with my team spirit (uh, sorry I was trying to get all Nirvana on you but I just remembered that would be teen spirit, which would be something that I have NOT been scenting anyone’s air with for the last like uh, 20 years or so. But yeah you get what I’m saying.) Anyway, I don’t have a theme song for any of that but I do have a moment.

*Invoking Sophia Petrillo*

Picture this. Dad’s Center race, August 25, 2013. 25 miles from Kailua Beach to Waikiki. Me and my team practiced together 3 days a week, did huli drills (where we would purposely flip the canoe and then right it, bail it, and paddle again, not for fun but for safety) water changes (which means we have to change paddlers every so often because it’s so far. The way this is done is a bunch of us jump off an escort boat and act as live bait float in the depths of the ocean until the canoe comes next to us. The same number of paddlers jump out on one side and the floating paddlers climb in to relieve them. The jumpers swim back to the escort boat and the relievers hammer away at the water. Harder than it sounds but it’s fun and the bruises you get during these changes are pretty impressive.)

Anyway, I won’t speak for anyone else but I was nervous and excited. Water was a little choppy inland but outside, huge sets were rolling in. At one point I was really scared because it was BIG and I’m sitting there, sipping my Branch Chain Amino Acid juice eating my poi with my fingers for energy and out of the blue, my girl friend starts singing and dancing at the top of her lungs and suddenly, I wasn’t scared anymore.

It was such a cute and funny moment that I will probably never forget it. Epic story short, THIS is the song (HER song) that brought me back to the race.