[Editor: or "The Continuing Adventures of Oscar the Paddler".  Say what you like about the big man - and people do - he's the most amazing global ambassador for the sport.  He flew straight from Molokai to attend the Japanese Surfski Championships.  This is his story of what he found.]

Epic's new race gear?

ffAfter travelling for nearly twenty hours from Hawaii to my final destination I was met at the airport by a few of the race organizers and a much needed interpreter. Everyone I met was incredibly helpful -- and it struck me as one of the reasons why the Japanese are so successful as a culture. Their hospitality is amazing. The main race organizer Hidekazu put his life and soul into the race and he did an excellent job. Nicknamed "Hide," he works in one of the Toyota subsidiary factories in Nagoya, the world-wide headquarters for Toyota. Because he works nights one week and the day shift the next he gets about 4 to 5 hours sleep a night!!! Though he's married and has a three-year-old son, I never saw his family as he spent every waking hour looking after me and organizing the race.

After a flight where I had plenty of time to reflect on my worst Molokai result, I was taken to a local barbecue spot where a few Japanese beers helped ease the pain and the suffering I endured on race day. (Regarding drinking and driving in Japan, the Japanese I met won't drink a drop if they're driving since the fine for being caught over the limit is $US 30 000, and the limit is half a small beer!!!) Clearly I'd need a chauffeur if I were to relocate. 

Eating a drinking in Japan is costly; it has to be one of the most expensive countries in the world. The bill for four people (with only 4 beers) at one of the cheapest restaurants was $US216. The tolls from the airport to my Hotel, about a 20 minute drive, was nearly $US30. 

After dinner it was off to my hotel where I was presented with my schedule of what was planned for me that week. The Japanese are so organized: Hide had done a brochure for the race and when he picked me up from my hotel then drove us to the race finish.

The weather at this time of the year is fairly hot it was about 30 degrees C. This was going to be my 1st paddle since Molokai.

Above is the finish of the race and also shows you the coast of Japan. Not much in the way of runs or wind. Okinowa would be the best place since it does have wind and waves; however since this is their first race it is better to be safe the sorry.  After the about 1.5hour paddle with Hide we went sightseeing, including the famed Nagoya Castle, and finished with a visit to some of the race sponsors.

The next day I gave a clinic at the Nagoya Kayaking Club. I was told there would be 80 children which was both very encouraging but also daunting. I had one of the school principals act as my interpreter. I couldn't really understand what he was saying but he seemed to get my teaching across. The children are so disciplined in Japan but it's very hard to get them to ask questions or to get any feedback. I had them do two hours of dry land drills! I'm not sure how much their paddling improved but their dancing certainly did. Here are some of the exercises we did:

In fact I showed them how to use their whole body: to pull without bend their arms so that they don't compromise the stroke by using the small muscles of their arms. Imagine that for two hours I talked and they listened. Wish my children did that!!

Showing them that they can make the blade go back with rotation and body only, no arms.

Showing how to use body rotation to push the paddle and not to thrust your arm forward after taking the paddle out of the water.

Afterwards we had a question and answer session with the headmaster/interpreter. Finally I signed autographs -- truly a boost for my sagging self confidence -- and voila, the clinic was complete.

The following morning I led a clinic on the water for about 50 children -- the biggest group I have ever taught at once.  As usual my host took me to another traditional sit-on-the-floor restaurant and then it was off to a pub where the huge!!!!! Japanese women wanted photos taken with me.

Sitting on the floor using my chopstick and tasting the local cuisine. These girls are standing on the same level as me and they had high heel shoes!!!! Tell me what you would order from this menu????

The days in Japan started the morning at about 8 or 9.00am and I would end up in my hotel at about midnight then do emails and speak to my family via SKYPE as my cell phone didn't work in Japan

The morning clinic was again a series of exercises. I had them break up into groups of 4 and I paddled with them down the sprint course in waves. I broke the stroke into four parts: pulling with one arm, then pushing with the same arm, then the same on the other side. The forward stroke is complex as it is so to break it up makes it much easier to understand. In the exercise, concentrating on the pulling arm, not bending, on one side then concentrating on the top arm or push are not straighten till the blade is out the water. Last exercise was bent arm body rotation pull, concentrating on keeping the rectangle symmetrical, that is the shaft parallel with your chest. It was gratifying to see that they were catching on quick.

This was the 1st time a surfski was allowed in the dam and also the 1st time a few of the children had paddled a surfski. They all loved it and Naoya said that most of the school paddlers stop after graduation. Hopefully these clinics will whet their appetites for surfski paddling.

After the morning clinic it was off to the next clinic: a surfski clinic at the finish of the race the next day. I was happy that is was again on land since it was pouring with rain. I had no idea how many people would attend and how big surfski paddling was in Japan. But given Hide's passion and the interested in the first ever surfski clinic in Japan it seems as if the future is unlimited.

The Japanese love to take photos and videos. The sound of shutters clicking was non-stop the entire time I was talking. Naoya Matsushiro, our Epic distributor in Japan, did the translation. The people were so pleased that I had come to Japan that they bowed and clapped all the time. When I ran out of posters to sign I autographed their clothing.

I had to autograph in some strange places!!! The well attended clinic team.

After the clinic is was time to check into my seaside hotel. This was a first for me as they gave me my room key and said that I had 1 hour spare before a traditional supper.  I arrived in my room to find no bed or shower!!!

Luckily my room (above) had a futon on the floor. The futon was about 20mm thick and the pillows made of a soft cement!!!! The bath was the hot communal spring and you had to put on Kimono get to the spring!!! Quite the look, eh?

The pre-race "pasta party" was filled with traditional Japanese seaside cuisine. The only carbo-loading I could do was drink a few glasses of beer. 

After the fantastic meal I woke up in the morning feeling a little fragile -- must have been something I ate!!! We drove for about an hour up the coast to the start, 27km from Utsomi. The weather was improving and so was I, especially after another carbo-laden breakfast of raw fish, raw eggs and some rice.

I had no idea how many starters there would toe the line. The beach at the start was perfect, but there wasn't a breath of wind. There were a handful of skis and sit-inside skis of all shapes and sizes as well as a few outriggers. Some of the entrants had driven more than 8 hours to get to the 1st ever Japanese Surf Ski Championships. In all, 28 people had entered, which struck me as a great start!! Unfortunately, Hide the organizer and one of the top paddlers in the country, didn't race as he had too much to do. What a pity. Still he was l happy that I made the trip and that his inaugural event was a success. He says he will come to Hong Kong.

It was good to see that life jackets are compulsory and you had to have it on your craft. The start was a very organized. Not one person jumped the line -- a stark contrast to Molokai where all 132 paddlers false started!!! I started slowly and spent time with as many of the paddlers as I could before heading off to catch the leader. I knew that one of the paddlers had done the Molokai three and was no slouch.  I would have to keep him in my sights.  He did take off fast but is was glassy flat so I could see him all the time as he disappeared at the front of the pack while I zigzagged between all the paddler trying to help them with their techniques, using my best Japanese!!!! They really appreciated me taking time to chat. Most Japanese can say a few words in English and they all said "Thank you" a few times. At about 6 km I caught the second guy in the race. It was just as we reached the Nagoya airport to our right. The planes fly in an out at a rate of about one every 3 minutes!!! I thought I could teach this paddler how to ride my wave. It was difficult with no English at all so for the next 16km I tried to put him on my wave making arm gestures. He was lucky I was with him as he had a surf rudder on his Epic V10L and it picks up weed easily, so twice i paddled into him to stop him and take off the weed.

With about 5km to go I started chasing the front paddler. It wasn't that easy as I had been cruising for while and had given him about a 1km start. I paddled at about 14km/h and caught him with about 1.5km to go to the finish and stayed with him till 1km to go then took off for the finish. I would have been mad had I lost because I got caught in a fisherman line; I wasn't going to take any chances!! Even though I paddled the first 6km at about 8km, my average for the whole race was 12km/h and my heart rate was 109 beats per minute.

Above is the finishing beach and the guys that came 2nd and 3rd. The event was a great success and next year will be bigger and better. The surfski word is spreading and we will have a World Series race in Japan next year. 

I have to thank the whole Japanese surfski and kayaking community for showing me such great hospitality. It was a trip that I will never forget. Special thanks has to go to HideKazu Kameyama who never saw his family as he spent every waking moment with me, thanks.

I am now in the plane flying to the Epic factory in China, where I will be meeting Greg Barton where we'll be making more Epic innovations. From China I will be flying to Hong Kong for a day on the 1st of June to do a surfski clinic. Then it's back home to see the family and start training for the Durban World Cup.

Nagoya, Japan

Route: 2008 Japanese Surfski Champs

Results - Inaugural Japanese Surfski Championships

Comments (5)

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written by teresa, June 03, 2008

you are just a legend. Thanks for your enthusiasm it is always very interesting reading about what you top guns do. You are quite welcome to come to australia and give us girls some tips just joking. When you get to China find out for us what is happening with the epic paddles. There has not been very good reports about them here. I was looking to get one to go with my fantastic epic V10L (which i only bought in feb); but the paddles, they were all recalled. I had the best service when i bought my epic, tony and jacqui king in sydney i have never been so pleased with salespeople, they could not do enough for me and my friend. well all the best to you, and thanks again

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written by nell, June 03, 2008

Thanks for the article, Oscar. I enjoy reading about the "surfski culture" and your travels as much as any race reports.

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written by Greg, June 04, 2008

I spent a lot of years in Japan so I have an interest in racing this event some time. Knowing a little about the people I can guarantee that the Japanese will really get behind this event and moreso if other elite paddlers put it on their calendar. Well done Oscoar.

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Oscar posters ?
written by Steve H., June 07, 2008

This sport would be a lot less fun without the O factor! Are the Oscar posters available worldwide? Anyone know what kind of 'skis' those two red ones are in one of the photos?

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Ayahavela by SCOFITS
written by Masaru Tamura, June 11, 2008

Those surfskis are Ayahavela by SCOFITS in Japan.Specifications are as follows:
Length 598cm,Width 46.5cm,Weight 15kg(Glass).

Ayahavela suit for light weight paddler between 45 and 85kg.
Much stable like Mako XT.
The ski has tested Amami in southern region of Japan fronting the East China Sea.
If you need more details,Please email me!
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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