After Surf Expo I left Orlando and drove to Miami for the Jimmy Lewis Orange Bowl Paddle Championship.
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| Orange Bowls |
I have never been to Miami before. I had visions of sunshine, pretty girls in bathing suits, blue water, and a tranquil Biscayne Bay. WELL.... 3 out of 4 ain't bad.
Upon arriving at Miami's Bayside Marketplace race venue, I was greeted with everything I had hoped for except a tranquil bay. The wind was blowing in the high teens with some gust close to 25. In addition to the wind, the waves bouncing off the seawall created some serious psycho chop. At 7 in the morning I knew it was going to be a long day. I just didn't realize HOW LONG.
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| Gusty winds filling in at sunrise on Biscayne Bay |
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In addition to some of the top pros from around the world including Candice Appleby, Danny Ching, Jimmy Terrell, and Anthony Vela, Maryland was well represented by Dawn Ehman Marohl, Sandy Deeley and Ron Gossard from Ocean City, and Basil (Chip) Tydings formally from the area and now residing in Chicago. I knew from the beginning I was completely outclassed. Still, there are not many sports where the pros and amateurs can line up on the same playing field, and I headed for the start both excited and more than a little nervous.
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| Danny Ching and Candice Appleby before the start |
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I had borrowed a M-14 from my friends at Jimmy Lewis to use for the race. The M-14 is a great board, but it is designed primarily for going downwind, and its upturned nose was more than a handful in the wind and the chop. It wasn't long after leaving the protected harbor that I took my first of many swims. I bought a new leash at surf expo and was happy to have it. It would have been tough to catch the board if it had gotten away.
RULE # 1; USE A LEASH. I honestly have never paddled in such rough conditions. If it is that windy, I'm going windsurfing, not paddling.
RULE #2; IF YOU ARE GOING TO RACE IN ROUGH CONDITIONS, YOU HAVE TO TRAIN IN ROUGH CONDITIONS.
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| Chop City (photo- TKS Miami) |
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I soon found myself fighting it out with 3 or 4 others for for DFL. They would go for a swim and I'd get a lead. I'd go for a swim and I'd be behind. I thought about quitting, but I just kept trying to make it to the next float, the the next buoy, the next marker and finally the turn buoy at the Rickenbacker Causeway. I don't know whether I'm stubborn, stupid or a maybe a little of both, but I just kept paddling. One stroke at a time. RULE #3; DON'T QUIT.
I paddled, crawled and swam on the right side of the board going out, and now it was time to do everything on the left side going back. A little side trip up and down the Miami River, one more beating in Biscayne Bay, and then back towards the harbor and to the finish... ALMOST. Just as I was entering the harbor, I found myself headed right into 92 paddlers starting the 3 mile race. Oh well, nothing like a little insult to injury. I managed to thread the gauntlet and cross the finish line. Speaking of injury, I had picked up a sweet new Sawyer TRS paddle at Surf Expo and used it for the race. Unfortunately it is about 2 inches longer than I usually use. I did a spectacular job of killing my shoulder.
RULE # 4; A LONG HARD RACE IS NOT THE BEST TIME TO TRY NEW GEAR!
Danny won the mens class in 1 hour and 12 minutes. Candice beat the ladies at 1 hour and 26 minutes. Dawn, Ron, Sandy, and Chip all had respectable finishes. I dragged in at 2 hours and 14 minutes.
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| Candice taking home the money! Equal $ for men and women. Awesome!! |
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| Tired and beat up, but still smiling. (photo- Ken Russell) |
I'm a little embarrassed to have finished at the rear of the pack. I wish I had done a better job of representing team East of Maui. I paddled as hard as I could and I finished where I finished. I think I had fun. I know I had fun. I saw some old friends on the trip and met some new ones. I learned some new stuff, and reinforced some stuff I already knew. I know I will be never be a top finisher (or even close), but I will paddle harder, I will paddle in rougher conditions, I will do my best, and I won't ever quit. RULE #5; I WILL HAVE FUN! Oh yeah, I also have a craving for Cuban food, but hey, that is another story.
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| Sunshine, pretty girls in bathing suits, blue water, and yes, after the race a tranquil Biscayne Bay |
To Ken Russell, Garry Menk, Jimmy Lewis, and everyone that made the Orange Bowl Paddle Championship happen, great job and thanks for all of your hospitality and hard work.
Aloha,
MB
