The SIC Gorge Paddle Challenge Race Wrap Up. Part 1 of 2.

The boards, paddles, fins, leashes, pfds and Team sweatshirts were packed and we were off to the airport Thursday before the weekend competition.  We knew we had seats but getting the kid's oversized race boards on the airplane was a big concern for me so we were at the Alaska Airlines ticket counter 3 hours before our flight to check in.  Alaska Airlines?  Yep, this time around we knew we needed to get to our destination and there was no room for getting bumped from a flight flying standby on Delta. Ashley was meeting us at the Portland airport with an SUV to carry the boards if and when we made it.

Alaska Airlines was great!  When we walked into the PV airport an Alaska Airlines host of some sort approached us and guided us through everything.  We really didn't need it but with two boards to lug around he was very helpful.  Before we left the ticket counter our boards had been taken by this gentleman, baggage tags applied and handed off to the baggage crew.  In less than 10 minutes, without so much as a second glance at these 13' surfboard bags we had boarding passes in hand and were off to the security line hoping that we would be seeing our luggage in Los Angeles later in one piece.

Alex catching a nap on our second flight.

After  doing the customs/immigration dance in LAX we had to recheck our bags on to our domestic flight from LAX and after a three hour uneventful layover we were off to Portland.  Ashley was waiting for us as scheduled outside the airport and we strapped the boards to the roof of the rental SUV and we were off to Hood where the race would be held.  By this time it was close to midnight Sayulita time, even later for Ashley, so we were eager to get the long day behind us and get to our hotel in Hood Oregon.

Ashley and Trace walk along the river in Hood.

Our hotel was right on the river and only about a 10 minute walk to the event site. The Columbia River is massive and is surround by steep mountains on each side.  Stunningly beautiful and a wind corridor.  After some breakfast, needed coffee and a quick walk to take a look around we decided to get the kids on the river for their first real "downwinder" experience.  With the wind behind you and the current coming toward you, a very unique set of conditions presents itself to the racers so it takes some practice but it is supposed to be a thrilling ride.

I was quite nervous about letting them run the river themselves but I knew they would have to race alone the next day anyway so it was time to just let them go and use their skills and training for this kind of race.  They were together, had floatation devices, boards and there were lots of other racers in the water training as well so they were not exactly alone.  Plus, I had seen both of them conquer much more demanding conditions here in Sayulita then they would see on the river.

The town of Hood as seen from Washington State.

We got them to the State Park where the race would begin 8 miles upstream from town.  After settling some nerves and battling some ripping windy conditions that made carrying their large boards a challenge, they paddled out into the river and were quickly moving downstream at a surprisingly fast pace and gone!  Videos can be enlarged to full screen.

Seeing just how fast the kids were moving downstream Ashley and I also had to move along to get back to town and find a spot to see them come in to what would be the finish line the next day at the Waterfront Park.  Trace arrived first and was absolutely beaming when he told us about his experience on the river and how many waves he caught along the way and how long he rode them.  Alex took a while longer to get to the Waterfront Park and it appeared by her body language and how wet she was that her trip down the river had been a bit less successful but as she paddled closer to shore was smiling just as much as her brother.  This is what we came for.  Epic conditions, new experiences, stories to tell and smiles.

Post day one training run.

The next day was the race so after the training run we picked up the kid's race registration packets and went to an early dinner so we could be in bed early and recover a bit more from the previous day's travel.  It was so great to have good craft beer in a brew pub eating pizza wearing a sweatshirt and jeans rather than sweating in our house in Mexico.

Saturday morning we slept in a bit but the pre-race meeting was scheduled mid morning so we all walked over from the hotel for that.  We found out that Trace, by Oregon law, needed to be wearing a life jacket and not just a pfd waist belt.  We try so hard to be prepared for these race and hate it when important information like this is not relayed so we can be ready.  The same thing happened in 2017 at the Pacific Paddle Games when it was announced all the kids needed helmets to compete...as we were standing on the starting line!  We like to have information.  Luckily we were able to rent one for Trace for two days right there at the park though he was not too happy about it.

After getting the race breakdown from the organizers we arrived a little while later up at the start where we were the previous day. The Men and Women Pro divisions had already left and the kids would start at the same time as the men's open and women's open races.  This posed a real challenge in Trace's race since the shoreline was small and fitting over a hundred men with race boards along the river bank would pose some problems.  It was clear that the the paddlers farther down stream where Trace was would be at a disadvantage at the start.  Most of the other youth boys were already in position in the much more desirable location upstream where they would get a clear chance to get into the current with little or no traffic.

After some brief organization and cold minutes in the water the horn blew and Trace was off.  As predicted the upstream paddlers were already 50/60 meters ahead and taking advantage of the current by the time Trace was even able to get some space to paddle and get into the race.  Lesson learned on that one.

Alex was next and though the women's field was smaller the same advantage of being in the right upstream location was true.  So she also started downstream at a bit of a disadvantage to begin the race.  Alex was clearly nervous and almost forgot to even put her leash on before the beginning of her race.

The horn for Alex' race went off and just as quickly as her brother she was off paddling into the wind and current.  Ashley and I went up to the parking area and were off to drive to an overlook on the way back to Hood to try and pick out the kids on the river. We made it to the overlook and the little orange and pink race jerseys of the racers were scattered all over.  The view really made you appreciate just how big the scenery was as the racers looked like little specs floating along the river.

It's hard to believe but there are at least 2 dozen racers in this photo.

After we were able to spot both kids as they went by we headed to town to wait for them to arrive. Having started first, Trace came paddling into the finish line looking strong and just as energized as he did the previous day.  With his hair up in a ponytail and thinking his name was pronounced as "Tracie", the announcer mistook Trace for a girl and declared him the first woman overall to finish in the Womens Open class.  You can hear the announcer on the video.  So hilarious to hear and Trace had a good sense of humor about it but the story gets better.

Alex arrived at the finish line shortly after.  The announcer, seeing that Trace and Alex had the same last name and thinking that they were "sisters", was asking for some clarification about the "Ostrowski sisters" which made Ashley and I just crack up and Trace continue to cringe.  Again, you can hear the announcer on the video.

Everyone finished with smiles and we hung out and waited to see the professional racers come in after their second run and who would be declared champion that day.  We got some lunch, looked around at some of the vendor booths and awaited the posted results of the race.  That is when things briefly went sour.  Trace's time was totally missing from the posted results.  He name was not to be found anywhere.  We assumed he placed 2nd or 3rd in his division since he was sure he made up the distance and passed the racers who had an advantage at the start of the race.  All timing was done manually and racers were logged in at the finish line.  This is much different from any of the other races we have been to where timing chips were worn.  We are not really sure why such a big race runs this way but we were able to convince the timers table just where Trace finished in the race.  We had video as well.  Problem averted but this caused some other problems.  The young racer who thought he finished 3rd did not know the results were updated once Trace was correctly placed back into the results so when the top three kids were announced he came running up confused as to why he was not included in the top 3.  He didn't know what had happened after the results being edited.  Kind of an uncomfortable moment, especially for Trace, and one that might have been avoided had the race had timing chips. So, after a few moments of uncertainty the race organizers figured out a solution and everyone was stoked!

Alex improved immensely from her practice run.  She was in a division that unfortunately did not have a lot of participation and competition for her but she was pretty happy about the way the first day of racing went for her as she stood on top of the podium that afternoon.  Looking at her time, she actually finished finished 4th overall for women on 12.6 race boards.  She was pretty proud of that.

A very successful day for the kids at their first downwind Gorge race.  As usual, Alex and Trace took on the challenge and made the best of it so we celebrated that night by finding another brewery and ate well preparing for the next day of racing.  The course race for the kids would be in the morning and would be the very first race to run so we had to be ready for another long day.

Part 2 on it's way soon.

Another SUP Race North Of The Border. The SIC Gorge Paddle Challenge!

Back in March it was announced that the SUP race the kids looked forward to each October would not run this year.  The Pacific Paddle Games(PPG) was a chance for our SUP Team's Elite paddlers to go north and test their skills against kids from all over the world.  It was special for many reasons.  The Elite Team came together early in the season and trained hard to be ready for the two races that would run over the fall weekend.  The race provided focus and energy to a group of kids who hardly ever got to paddle against kids who are not already part of the SUP program here in Sayulita.  The last two years the kids have made relationships, though distant, with other youth paddlers from the west coast to the east coast US and it is always fun to see those friendships rekindled at each race. Many of the kids recognize each other and keep in touch via social media like Instagram.  Lastly, it is just fun to travel with the Team and support each other in all the age groups and classes the Team would compete in.  A great bonding session.  The parents have a great time too!

After the PPG cancellation and the Carolina Cup completed back in April we were looking at a period of time where there would be no north of the border races for the foreseeable future.  It may, in fact, be a year, year and a half or possibly even longer until the kids competed again on the world stage against their SUP peers.  Living here we just do not get to race anywhere near the amount some of their SUP friends do in programs up north unless we travel.  A calendar year or more is just a long, long time to train without a goal to focus on and push towards for anyone.

One of the big three races in the USA is The Gorge Paddle Challenge in Hood River Oregon.  The other two races, The PPG and The Carolina Cup, the kids have already competed at. This year the "Gorge" will be sponsored by the brand of board the kids race on, SIC Maui, and be held the 17th-18th of this month.  We saw this as the last chance for a long while to go to a race plus we get to see a part of the country we have yet to see, the Columbia River Gorge.

Problem was the $1000s of dollars required to travel with lodging, food, airfare and race fees etc was just not available after spending part of the summer traveling around Mexico.  To solve this the kids volunteered their savings account balances to pay for the costs needed to get there and back.  Of course we would pay the amount back over the following months but the cash available would prevent us having to put things on credit cards or digging into house funds to head north to the race.  Traveling to international races is not cheap!!  Creative financing for sure!

Photo from The SIC Paddle Challenge FB page.

The "Gorge" race is famous for being a "downwinder".  This means the racers will be aided by a tailwind but they also have to navigate challenging currents and water conditions.  The Columbia River Gorge is a world class location for all things "wind" so the event will be a new challenge for the kids since experiencing the epic conditions at the race really cannot be duplicated near us.  This gives a big advantage to racers who train there.  Several pros are already at the race a week early to develop some strategy and understanding of the conditions they will see come race day.

Photo from the SIC Gorge Paddle Challenge FB page.  Hood River Waterfront Park.

The kids will finish up training in the first half of this week with their offseason trainer/coach, Ryan Helm, and then we will be off.  Ashley will fly in from Atlanta to meet us and have a rental SUV ready to accommodate the kid's race boards and drive to Hood River where all the race activities will be held at the waterfront park.  Our hotel is just a 10 minutes walk from the event! Fingers crossed that we make our connections in LAX and Alaska Airlines (yes we bought tickets) will allow the oversized baggage on the plane.  Should be a super fun event.  We just wish other team members were making the trip with us.  This one is going to be up to us to represent the Sayulita JR SUP Team.