 [Editor: After the 2007 edition of the Molokai World Championship, several of the top paddlers spoke about how pleased they were that Lewis Laughlin had finally won the race. For example, Dawid Mocke said, "He's such an awesome paddler, very humble, couldn't be a better person to win." Dean Gardiner probably knows him as well as anyone outside Tahiti, and has written this tribute to an extraordinary paddler and sportsman.]
Lewis Laughlin
Over the last few months there has been much written about some of the top paddlers going around. Some of the information has been blatant self promotion and some informative, interesting and well worth reading.
One who has only graced the columns of this website briefly, except for the more recent articles is Lewis Laughlin. Now I am no expert on the man and I don't think anyone is as he leads a very sheltered, almost hermit like existence (or so it seems to us) tucked away on his island paradise.
But there is a lot more to this guy than occasionally showing up to races and if not winning at the very least filling one of the minor placing. Being that, out of the vast majority of people that read or contribute to his site I have known Lewis the longest and therefore feel obligated to share some insights to this truly great champion.
 Lewis at the finish of Molokai '07 (Photo: DeAnne Hemmens)
First met in 1992
I first met Lewis in 1992. I had just finished the Molokai race which that year was raced into a headwind and was a horrendous day on the water. Lying on the dock I was approached by a well spoken older foreign gentleman who asked if I wanted to sell my old Burton to him, and If I did do I know where I can get more from.
Unbeknown to me then this was a major turning point in the sport of surf ski paddling globally.
I convinced the man to help me to my feet and proceeded to negotiate on the price of my boat and of another that was raced by a fellow Australian. It turned out that this man was buying the two boats for his sons who at that time were dominant OC1 paddlers in Tahiti.
I met and talked to the two sons that day and although they seemed like good blokes I was more interested in getting a few beers into me and greatly relieved at not having to take my ski to the airport the next day.
 (Photo: DeAnne Hemmens)
Ski paddling dominated by Australians and South Africans
At the time ski paddling was dominated by Australians and South Africans so the thought of guys from an exotic island deep in the pacific ever using the ski, let alone racing and competing against us seemed completely outrageous. Little did we know that those first couple of surf skis into French Polynesia would introduce the paddling community to a true champion and open the doors for a whole bunch more to follow.
The two sons that day were of course Lewis and Milton Laughlin. These brothers are two of French Polynesia's greatest sporting hero's. In a land where paddling is the national sport you can see how these two great athletes would have the respect of their countrymen. What is lost on the rest of the global paddling fraternity is just how famous these guys are in their homeland. I guess we only hear the ones that want to be heard and the others just do their job.
I have raced in outrigger teams with Lewis and I have gone head to head with him in a mountain of distance ocean races. The one thing he has over everyone else that I have raced is he cannot and will not ever give up.
The sort of guy that you want in the trenches
He's the sort of guy that you want in the trenches with you fighting the battle. In fact I would be taking off out the back door and leaving him to fight the battle then return when he has finished them all off.
In recent years it is mainly just Lewis that travels to the events with Milton pretty much sticking to the outrigger events. For me it would be great to see Milton back on the paddling circus as I believe he also has a lot to offer the sport.
Lewis has spent time living in both New Zealand and Australia honing his doubled bladed skills. His marathon background in the single bladed outriggers gave him a huge base and an ability to really hurt himself in a race. You have to remember they don't have rudders on their one man boats in Tahiti so not only are they racing over huge distances , they do it by using their paddles for power and steerage.
...try paddling a rudderless canoe
Now for those of us that think we are pretty handy out on the water try paddling a rudderless canoe, with a single blade in a side chop in 38 degree temperature in a 60 kilometer race.
Having traveled many times with Lewis I have found conversation with him easy and engaging. He is honest and very easy to get on with. At one stage Lewis was living on and Island in the Tua Motos (probably not spelt right) one of the many groups that makes up French Polynesia. The island literally had nothing on it except a hut. He was managing a pearling operation on this particular island. I asked" What do you do for training out there?" His reply "In the morning I paddle out through the pass and paddle clockwise around the island" In the afternoon I paddle out through the pass and paddle anti-clockwise around the island. How big is the island?
His reply "Each lap takes about two hours" How many times do you do that a week? I asked. "Every day, there is nothing else to do out there" he said.
That particular year he won the Tahiti event, finished second to Herman at the King of the Harbour event in Cape Town and second at Molokai. Based on the three events that year and if we had a world championship point score, he would have walked away with the title.
Lewis has a wife and 4 kids maybe more by now he keeps pumping them out, something to do with living on an island and nothing else to do I guess.
Lewis's oldest daughter has some of her father's athletic prowess regularly representing her country at swim meets in New Zealand and other places.
Winning Molokai
 The Molokai '07 podium three, Lewis, Hank and Dawid. (Photo: Pierre Tostee)
For the last decade Lewis has been denied what he has truly coveted. Winning Molokai. I managed to speak to Lewis before the race this year and could see the determination in his eyes. He knew that this was his year.
The one thing about Lewis is that if it's hot and relatively flat he is the man to beat. This is by no means saying that he's not good in the chop; just look at previous big year Molokai's and his name pops up in the top group every year. His real strength though, lies in his mental toughness and ability to withstand the harshest conditions.
Although he could just be brain dead from paddling those stone age rudderless canoes around.
Prior to the race Lewis was concerned about losing the pack early in the race. He is not one of the fastest starters in the field; he often lets the pack go and then proceeds to pick them off one by one. This year was no exception, the pack did get away early and sure enough he came through the field catching, paddling alongside then dropping each one as he went. By the time the pointy end of the field were in sight of the finished line only Lewis, Dawid Mocke and Hank Macgregor remained. The rest were a along way behind.
Given the right circumstances anyone of these three could have taken the prize. For me the right circumstance was the person who had earned that win and in this situation the right man won. For over a decade he has been training and racing for that one moment. He had told me how much he wanted to win Molokai and for one brief moment I actually felt better about him winning the event than the times I have won it, it was a very brief moment but a moment all the same.
Now with the exception of one other person I believe that those that have earned their stripes and were due to win a Molokai have now won. Herman was the first, Lewis was the second if this other guy who shall remain nameless gets off his ass and starts training again then he may too.
The mark of a true champion
I don't believe there was a single person that raced, watched or had an interest in the race that wasn't happy to see Lewis win. For me that is mark of a true champion.
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Ash Nesbit