On Saturday, November 13, paddlers descended on Parker, Arizona, for “Another Dam Race”(ADR). It was a glorious day of racing on the beautiful Colorado River, with nearly 200 entrants and 400 paddles in the water, including 35 6-man outriggers.
Paddlers from Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Texas, and Hawaii competed in a 7-mile short-course and a 10.5-mile long-course races, for teams and individuals, featuring outriggers and many other watercrafts.
The fastest teams and paddlers included: (Long Course OC-6) Kihei Maui Kane (Open/male), Team Hawaii Outrigger (Legends 60+/male) and Kai Elua (Open/male); (Long Course Singles & Doubles) Cindy Cakes (60+/mixed/OC-2), Quien Sabe (60+/male/OC1) and Candia Katich (50+/female/OC1); and (Short Course/various watercraft) Scott Diederich (50+/male/Surfski Single), Matt Norfleet (50+/male/OC1) and Tracy Turner (50+/female/OC-1). For complete results, visit: https://racehubhq.com/races/AnotherDamRaceParker2021/results
The Many Other Winners
The winners don’t stop there. ADR itself was a huge winner, the perfect venue for a long-awaited post-pandemic race event that some thought would never happen. It took the tireless efforts of many individuals to make it a reality, spearheaded by event director John Burns, whose gratitude couldn’t have been more heartfelt.
“I really appreciate the many people whose support made this happen,” said Burns, “including my 11-year-old daughter and inspiration, Isabella, who was instrumental in helping plan the event. Also on hand was Maui’s “Uncle” Kimokeo, a long-time caretaker of the paddling culture, who blessed the race—thanking the water, the earth, the heavens, and the surrounding tribal land. “No one has Uncle Kimokeo’s energy!” added Burns. “It was a blessing just to have him there.”
Winning an OC1
Another winner was Dina Stephenson, who won an ARE Tahiti OC1 Mana outrigger in a fund-raising raffle, donated by ARE Outrigger World. She couldn’t have been happier.
“I have been paddling for nine years, and this is my very first canoe!” exclaimed Stephenson. “I have never, ever won anything in my life. I am so, so excited!”
Perhaps the Biggest Winner Oregon’s Gorge Canoe Club was also one of the big winners because of ADR. The outrigger community takes great pride in helping new paddling clubs get started. No one appreciates this more than ARE Outrigger World director, Joey Alvarez, who, in addition to donating an outrigger, generated substantial sales in raffle tickets. “We are thrilled to to see proceeds from the ADR fund-raiser donated to the Gorge Canoe Club,” said Alvarez, “just as we help outrigger canoe clubs across the country. It’s my way of giving back to a community that has given me so many blessings, both as a paddler and as a business owner.”
