Mid-Atlantic Paddlers Association

Outrigger Canoeing is a competitive sport and although we enjoy recreational paddling, the purpose of participating in outrigger is to compete in races. Our race season focuses around endurance races. If your only physical activity is participating in outrigger practice twice a week you will not be prepared for racing. Practices are managed assuming folks are physically prepared for endurance sports. Cross training is really not an option for the team to be competitive. Please run, bike, swim, or whatever to prepare for the season. It will make us a better team and make you a stronger paddler. A good source of training information is the Hong Kong Paddle Club website at http://www.hkipc.com/2004/index.htm. There is an excellent link to a training manual with strength training and endurance training information. Warm-up before practices should be done not only to get blood into your muscles but also to prevent the tearing, ripping, straining and spraining, not to mention the multitude of other gruesome things that can happen to your body. Practice session will incorporate a warm-up component but it is vital for people who come late to be sufficiently prepared before they are committed to heavy work. Stretching after practice is important especially for those of us paddling under the Master’s designation (over age 40). Please take some time after practice and after races to stretch. This expedites recovery and makes us look like real athletes! Hydration is essential to performance. Make sure you bring a water bottle or hydration pack to practice. As we get closer to race day you will want to use the hydration rig you plan to use in a race. Never use a water bottle in a race. Your teammates may toss you out of the boat if you stop paddling to fumble with a water bottle. Lastly, make sure you provide your team captain and your steersman with information about any medical condition or health issue you may have. The captain and steersman are responsible for the safety of the team and they need to know what things will effect your health so they can adequately assess the risk to the other team members. If you have a medical condition that you do not disclose and a problem develops during a practice or race you may not be allowed to participate in the future.