Saipan paddlers find success in Palau

Months of training and preparation paid off for the men of the Saipan Outrigger Canoe Club, as they placed third overall last week in the 5th Annual Micronesian Outrigger Cup held in Meyuns, Palau last Oct. 23 and 24.

This year the SOCC sent two teams to the event, and was the only club that represented the CNMI in Palau. The local paddlers sent one men’s team and one women’s team, and the men’s team was able to place among the top teams in the region.

The team of Gill Burnbirch, Eric O’Malley, David Palacios, Richard Sikkel, and paddlers coaches Ed Johnson and Robert Jordan competed for the men, while Kristy Withrow, Sachiko Adachi, Kathy Plaza, Hilary Stevens, Thu Tran, Anna Diaz, and Jacquie Tesson took to the seas for the women against teams from Guam, Palau, Hong Kong, and Japan throughout the two-day affair.

The men were among the top five finishers in the 500-meter, 1500m, and the 8-mile distance races on, and though the women didn’t place as high as they would have liked, they are proud of their accomplishments, and having the opportunity to display their strengths.

Paddler Hilary Stevens said that she believes that all of the hard work that the team put into their training paid off, especially while executing the inertia-battling turns during the 1500m race.

“I think we did very well for ourselves. Turning those canoes is a difficult maneuver, but we had practiced hard and it really showed,” said Stevens.

Teams traveled from all over the region to participate in this event, including Haggan, Animun Tasi, Team Ohana, and Team Tataga from Guam, Mokedau, Obuu Obuu, and the Koror State Outrigger Club from Palau, the Hong Kong Outrigger Paddling Club from Hong Kong, Asterix and Team Mission Beach from Australia, and Ohana Hoe Japan from Japan.

The men competed in the 500m, 1500m, and an 8-mile distance race and qualified for the finals with the eighth fastest time for the sprint.

This event is sanctioned by the IVF—International Va’a Federation, and was created in 1999 to promote the sport of Outrigger paddling in Micronesia and the west-north Pacific.

The annual event originally rotated yearly between the islands of Guam, Saipan, and Palau, but Guam is no longer a part of the cycle beginning this year. Next year, the CNMI will host the 6th Annual Micronesian Outrigger Cup in Saipan.

Though no dates have been scheduled thus far, the event is traditionally held during the month of October.

The local paddlers are looking forward to hosting the competition the next time out, and plan on returning the challenge and the hospitality that they received in Palau during an event that is planned for the not too distant future.

“Palau is beautiful, and racing is a fun way to travel and meet local people where you go. We are hosting a race in December, and I look forward to seeing some of the same folks here for that. Palau may have the rock islands, but we have Kilili Beach to host races,” said Stevens.