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On May 18, 2008, Itsuko Oda will be the first Japanese female surf ski paddler to tackle the Molokai World Championships. Ayumi Matsunaga (Kobe SLSC) sent us this profile.
 Itsuko Oda - paddling in Japan
Itsuko Oda came 4th in the 2007 All Japan Lifesaving female single surfski race, and on a tandem Sea Kayak, she won the 36km Amami Sea Kayak Marathon three years running. Currently she is a member of Kobe Lifesaving Club, and also an active member of Central Surf Club for paddlers.
Where do you live, and how long have you been paddling?
Itsuko: Lifesaving came first. I went to Australia when I was 19 years old, and have been involved in surf lifesaving since then. I became more and more interested in surf craft, and started seriously paddling in 2003 when I was 27 years old. So my paddling career is quite short!
I always have been a swimmer, since the age of 11 and I still swim now, but I find paddling much more exciting!
How old are you?
Itsuko: I am 32 years old now, which may sound a bit old for an athlete, but my swimming time for 400 meters is faster than that when I was a competitive swimmer at 17, which I believe is due to all the paddling training I have been doing.
What ski do you paddle?
Itsuko: My current ski is a Twogood Mako: I have been paddling this for a couple of years now. I love my ski, but at Molokai, I will be paddling Epic V-10, which I have paddled before: I know that it will be more stable than my Mako, but I am feeling a little bit nervous since I am not used to it!
What sort of training do you do?
Itsuko: During the weekdays I have to work from 8:45 in the morning to 7 at night and cannot paddle at all, or have time for weight training or other things.
So the only training I manage is over the weekends, when I paddle for 20 to 30 kilometers a day in surf off Kobe city.
Do you have big waves and wind in Japan for you to practice in similar conditions to Hawaii?
Itsuko: Unfortunately, my local beach is Suma, and it is usually flat, so I try to go to Aichi or Shirahama, where they have bigger surf, a bit smaller than Hawaii though, but at least I am trying to make the most of what I have here.
I paddled in Hawaii last year in OC-6, but that's all the experience I have in Hawaii.
However, I have surfed and paddled in beaches with bigger surf like Hawaii, in places such as Burleigh Heads on the Australian Gold Coast where our sister surf lifesaving club is, and on other Japanese beaches with big surf.
 Itsuko Oda - first female Japanese paddler to tackle Molokai
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