Sports///Paddling
New perspective
Paddling offers a triad island experience There is no other sport in the world that the people of Guam can connect with more culturally than paddling. By John I. Borja
T
he indigenous Chamorros were seafaring people, often using canoes for transportation and fishing. While the people have since adapted new ways of harnessing those industries, the practice of canoeing still flourishes. Today, the canoeing community is a mix of recreational and competitive paddlers who glide across Guam’s pristine beaches, whether it is on a single-seat or six-seat canoe. Numerous paddling clubs and organizations open their doors for anyone — locals, tourists or military members — to engage in the family-valued sport. The equipment and guidance is there; all that is needed is the willpower. “Don’t think that paddling isn’t for you until you try it,” Jessica E. Rohr says. The 26-year-old has been actively paddling for about two years and is a member on the Guam women’s national team. She was recruited through paddling group Animun Tasi, where she got into the groove of the sport. Starting off in paddling wasn’t easy, Rohr says. When she was first learning, she says she spent months feeling discouraged because she felt she wasn’t contributing enough to her team. “It’s physically challenging, but you realize that it’s mostly mental,” she says. “When you’re in the boat, especially when you’re out of the reef, you can’t get out of it. You have to get your mind to kick in and pick up the slack.” It’s fortunate that the paddling community is so helpful and encouraging. The longer you’re in the canoe, the more you trust and rely on your teammates to act as one, she says. Paddling has become a fun-filled activity for her, but she says others see it as a competitive sport. This can be seen at the local level, with high school competitions filled with approximately 250 paddlers, as well as the
regional level, with the Micronesian Cup, Micronesian Games and the Pacific Games. Guam teams square off with other Pacific islands to earn the title of fastest paddlers, either on sprints or long-distance races. “Discipline is a huge part of it,” says Joshua J. Duenas, head coach for the Guam women’s national team. On a six-man canoe, each paddler has a particular role to play. The most competitive paddlers know how to work with each other in these roles to power through a race, he says. Competitive paddling on Guam took off in 1994, according to Duenas. The interest has boomed since. Still, Duenas says the sport can be viewed as a recreational and fitnessbuilding activity. “It’s great exercise and a good way to get healthy. And when you paddle off-shore, you get to see parts of the island you haven’t seen before,” he says. Jermaine Alerta, president of the Guam Kayak and Canoe Federation, says the federation assists local companies in planning paddling events for employees and memberaffiliates to enjoy. Member clubs with the federation have programs for children to get them out of the house, too, he adds. “There are very few feelings better than that of looking back to the shore and being in awe of the land’s beauty. It truly allows you to be one with nature and appreciate life in general,” he says. Rohr encourages all first-timers and visitors to Guam to try paddling, because it helped her see a part of the island she hadn’t seen before. “I was born and raised here, but I’m not Chamorro. But paddling has opened up this whole new perspective of Guam for me, and it made it feel even more like home.” 11