Guam paddlers also conquer Tinian Channel

A nine-person crew from Guam also completed the dreaded and treacherous 3rd Annual Tinian Crossing that saw them join members from the Saipan Outrigger Canoe Club in conquering the two-day journey.

The Tinian Crossing is a 40-mile, two-day challenge that took place during the San Jose Fiesta in Tinian and had teams paddle from Saipan to Tinian and back. The trip back was much tougher due to fatigue and the paddlers going against the wind.

The nine-person crew was composed of Outrigger Guam Canoe Club members Afshin Amoui, Natalie Calvo, Julie Shane, Johanna Pfannenstiel, Nancy Greider, Haldre Rogers, Joab, Michelle Cerizo, and Melissa Langford.

Cerizo, Langford, and Pfannenstiel were also part of last year’s Team Poksai, which was composed mostly by women that beat the SOCC men’s on the Tinian to Saipan leg of the crossing.
SOCC failed to complete last year’s crossing as they had to be towed going back to Saipan due to swamping.

Cerizo and Langford said they were thrilled in completing the crossing again this year. This is the second time that Guam participated in the crossing after being invited last year by SOCC.

“Personally, when we finished the crossing, I felt like I accomplished something,” said Cerizo. “We all had a blast and enjoyed the crossing immensely,” added Langford.

Cerizo, who had been paddling for a few months when she made the trip last year, said the crossing is not something that many people do everyday. “It’s exciting and challenging.”

She said last year’s attempt was a big physical and mental challenge for her since she’s never done anything like that before. “This year, I was in better shape and knew what to expect.”

Langford added that this year they had four paddlers who never participated in an open channel race. “Three of them have never done changes and it was their longest distance ever.”

Crews change every 15 minutes while in the open sea.
She added that they used the Tinian Crossing as a training ground to help their steers person. “Steering in the open ocean is the toughest job of all paddling seats. An open ocean steers person needs to understand the swell and wind conditions to keep the canoe afloat and to prevent “spin out”.

Langford said at first their steers person had a hard time but was able to understand the technique toward the tail end of the channel. “She was exhausted by the end of the run. It is a very mental game out there. The rest of the crew loved it. It is better than a rollercoaster ride.”

Cerizo and Langford agreed that the hardest part of the crossing is going back to Saipan. “Returning is always the hardest because you’re fatigued from the day prior and most of us got busy sightseeing on Tinian [for the Fiesta].”

Langford added, “The first 20 minutes on the second day returning to Saipan from Tinian [is hard]. Getting up in the morning working out all your kinks form the first day is where you question yourself.”

“The water this year was much bigger going to Tinian because of the wind swell. For some reason it was windy in the morning [on Saturday]. Usually the wind does not come up until midday.”

Cerizo congratulated all members of the team for completing the 40-mile challenge. “It was exciting to see a couple of experienced paddlers try something new and get through it. Even the youngest member, which is 15 years old, did amazing. He never gave up and kept up with the rest of us.”

Langford said an event like the Tinian Crossing teaches the crew of the real meaning of teamwork. “There’s no way we could have done this without each other pulling for the team. It’s a great feeling to be part of something like that. Michelle [Cerizo] and Nat [Calvo] are very good at motivating you to keep moving.”
OGCC’s Team Poksai was training for the Molokai Hoe Outrigger World Championship Race last year when they were invited by SOCC to take part in the Tinian Crossing.

The waters made for a good simulation run and helped the team decide if they can survive the waters of Molokai, which is a 42-mile channel crossing from Molokai to Oahu.

OGCC is also preparing to send a team to Hong Kong in November to compete in an around the island race, which is a 25-mile nine-member crew event.