Welcome new USCA President Rebecca Davis! Canoe News PPARACANOEARACANOE 20162016 WWENONAHENONAH CCANOESANOES ATAT 5050 OOUTRIGGERUTRIGGER RRACINGACING HHAWAIIANAWAIIAN SSTYLETYLE && MUCHMUCH MOREMORE!!!!!! Spring 2017 Vol. 50 No. 1 USCA INSURANCE AVAILABLE For USCA Club Affiliates, Business Affiliates & Race Sponsors Having a race or cruise? Need Liability and Participant Accident Insurance? Get it from the USCA! A non-profit organization dedicated to serving its members Excellent Coverage & Rates Available For clinics, clubs, river clean-ups, cruises, races, and more Year round club liability coverage Join USCA and have access to the USCA Insurance Program Go to the USCA Website www.uscanoe.com Click on: USCA Member Benefit – Event Sanctioning & Liability Insurance Contact: USCA’s Insurance Administrator Holly Sackhoff, Specialty Insurance Consultants, LLC 316-558-5181 or 844-558-5181 [email protected] 2 From the Editor: Spring is the season of change: the weather is warming, plants are blooming—and boats are being dusted off and reintroduced to their native habitat! In like manner, Julie and I are intro- Executive Committee ducing a bit of an updated look to Canoe News, President: Rebecca Davis hoping to bring you a top-notch paddling publi- 22940 H Dr S, Homer MI 49245 cation with more color and some cool graphic 517-227-4794 [email protected] stuff. Hopefully you like it. We’re still amateurs, but we’re learning! Be sure to welcome Rebecca Vice President: Larry Latta Davis as our new USCA President; it’s exciting 1188 Broken Bow Ct, Westerville, OH 43081-3262 614-882-1519 [email protected] to have one of our younger—and faster— members take the helm! Secretary: Joan Theiss 12802 Lake Jovita Blvd, Dade City, FL 33525-8265 Keep paddling strong! 352-588-9877 [email protected] Steve Treasurer: John Edwards 1929 Arrowhead Dr. NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33703- 1903 Front Cover: Paracanoe racer Nik Miller. 727-459-6366 [email protected] Photo courtesy of Scott Areman Photography. Back Cover: La Paz Bay, Baja, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Steve Dresselhaus. ————————————————————————— Disclaimer: Opinions and/or advice expressed in this magazine Canoe News by individuals, whether or not they are officers of or delegates Editor: Steven Horney / Asst. Ed: Julie Horney to, the United States Canoe Association, are personal and do 15806 Timberwillow Dr, Huntertown, IN 46748 not necessarily reflect the official position of the United States Canoe Association. Publication by the United States Canoe 260-452-6447 [email protected] Association, whether in print, online, or in any other form, does Advertising: Scott Stenberg not imply endorsement. 3232 Jugg St , Moravia, NY 13118 315-406-4692 [email protected] Canoe News is the official publication of the United States Canoe Association Printing and Distribution: Steve Rosenau 105 Waterford Dr., Mt Holly, NC 28037 Supporting a Five Star Program: 704-483-4130 [email protected] Camping, Camaraderie, Cruising, Conservation, and Competition ———————————————————— www.uscanoe.com 3 CONTENTS SPRING 2017 Inside this issue: View from the Stern 5 The Queen Lili’Uokalani Outrigger Canoe Race 7 Paddle Lore and Bent Shaft Paddles 10 Paddler Profile: Calvin Hassel 14 Des Plaines River Stewardship 18 Builder Profile: Mike Cichanowski & Wenonah at 50 21 Paracanoe Women: 2016 (Anja Pierce) 26 Paracanoe Men: 2016 (Nik Miller & Danzig Norberg) 28 & 30 The Other Canoe Marathon 33 The Legend of Jean Marie Cardinal 37 USCA Membership Application / Renewal Form 40 USCA Officers, Delegates, Chairs, and Affiliates 41 4 VIEW FROM THE STERN USCA PRESIDENT REBECCA DAVIS 2017 is just one year shy of paddlers- old and new- after a six make a point to try different part- the 50th anniversary of the USCA, month hiatus. The camaraderie of ners, “fight” over who gets to be in and coming out of the cold winter the camp is something you can’t the bow, hone our skills, and laugh months (for those of us in northern find too many other places. There a lot. Its confidence building, as climates) into this new year of pad- are people from all over North many of us don’t spend a lot of dling leaves us filled with giddy America hanging out. Nobody is time paddling women’s because we anticipation. Many follow the racing, there are no commitments are “too slow” or don’t live close American tradition, and travel to for the day after the paddle is over, enough, but once we hit the water Florida for Spring Break… with it doesn’t matter where somebody we realize that the men aren’t too boats, paddles, lifejackets, and finishes. We stop for lunch breaks, much faster, or any more skilled electrolyte powders in tow. swim breaks, and have “points” for and stable. My particular version of taking not-so-great short cuts, or I’m not trying to sell my Florida centers on the Suwannee touching a turtle before it leaps off version of Florida (although please River, a place relatively unknown its sunning log. join us!), but I think it does some to tourists but a hidden gem for We do paddle hard, and really good things to develop our paddlers. It may not boast the pic- people are scouting out potential sport, and keep us connected. The turesque beauty of some of the partners, but with a whole week of camaraderie, skill training, willing- spring fed rivers to the south, but it paddling in front of us, it’s a ness to change partners, and the provides the opportunity of pad- chance to jump in with people that welcoming of new people, are not dling THREE different rivers with- there wouldn’t be the opportunity always at the forefront during the out ever having to get into the car. to otherwise. At lunch, most of the racing season. It’s not about The State Park doesn’t have room top guys switch partners, giving “sacrificing” every race or training service or high class amenities, but those that are not as fast or experi- day, but really going out and hav- it does have clean bathrooms, hot enced the chance to really go. ing fun on the water, offering help showers, electric hook-ups, and a Maybe the fast guys don’t know where it is needed, cheering on our washer/dryer. What more could a what they are giving to the rest of competitors, and having perspec- girl ask for? the group by doing this, but it real- tive in both triumph and disap- ly is one of the appeals of the pointment during the coming sea- Paddling in Florida is one of th my favorite parts of a season. It’s camp. No partner is too unattaina- son. The challenge for our 50 not the sun, or the whole week that ble for this one week. year is to look ahead and see where I get to spend on the water that We also make a point to do we can reach out to share the joy makes the week so great- although a women’s paddle, which is proba- that paddling brings. those things do help a lot. The best bly my favorite day. With all of part is getting so see all of the other the women paddling together, we 5 6 THE QUEEN LILI’UOKALANI OUTRIGGER CANOE RACE TOM THOMAS Roxanne Barton racing OC6 with an all-women’s team at the Catalina race in California. OC6 racing is extremely popular in Hawaii and throughout the Pacific Rim. Most marathon canoe rac- Pacific islands, but it is growing in The two major outrigger ers are highly familiar with the popularity in inland areas. One races in Hawaii are the Molokai single hull marathon racing ca- notable example of this growth is Hoe (or Channel Race) which is a noes we typically use for competi- the recently added OC1 class to 40 mile race from the Island of tion on lakes and rivers. We deal our USCA Nationals. In spite of Molokai to Waikiki Beach on the with rapids, boat wakes, wind pro- this growth, outrigger canoe rac- Island of Oahu, and the Queen duced waves, and people asking ing remains a relatively unknown Lili'Uokalani Race which is an 18 us “is that a home-made canoe?” sport in the contiguous United mile race along the Kona Coast of But another type of canoe racing States. Head out to the Pacific is- the Big Island of Hawaii. The has captured the fancy of many lands, however, and this all Queen’s Race is billed as the marathon paddlers: outrigger changes: outrigger canoe racing is world’s largest outrigger canoe canoe racing. a major sport in these regions. It race and attracts outstanding is the State Sport of Hawaii and is crews from all over the world. very popular- and heavily partici- This race was originated in 1972 Outrigger racing is a sport pated in- throughout the Pacific to honor Queen Lili'Uokalani, who primarily associated with ocean Rim. was the last reigning monarch of racing along coastal areas and the 7 the Kingdom of Hawaii. She world. (See a video of the Molokai ly a sprint and very intense. In the reigned from January 1891 until Hoe race filmed in live in 1985 by Double Hull Races the ama and the overthrow of the Kingdom two going to: https://youtu.be/ the iako (the arms that attach the years later in 1893. The race is ZgeripgIc2M) ama to the outrigger hull) are re- well attended by crews from Ha- moved from the OC6 canoes. The waii, the US Mainland, Canada, hulls are then catamaraned togeth- The following year (1986) a New Zealand, Australia, Japan, er with two 4 by 4’s and paddled group of marathon women pad- United Kingdom plus other coun- by a 12 person crew.