THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PADDLE
Distance can seem gapingly vast
“ I now have so many friendships that span across various age ranges, backgrounds, and things in common,“ — Taylor Doherty
when you’re not at the place your heart feels most at home—even if home is just an island hop away, as it is for 22-year-old Taylor Doherty. The Hawai‘i Island native left the comfort of home and an expansive group of family and friends to move to O‘ahu in pursuit of a graduate degree at Chaminade University. Nevertheless, the local girl took another leap of faith, seizing the opportunity to join the Outrigger Canoe Club’s paddling program. The decision has proven to be worthwhile: “I
waters. Paddling with Outrigger has allowed me to explore the ins and outs of O‘ahu’s ocean, particularly the South Shore.” With life beyond the Club currently saturated in academic rigor and intellectual demand, Taylor appreciates the challenges put forth by training with the novice crews. “I really appreciate the coaches presenting us with difficult situations, conditions, workouts and races that we can rise up to accomplish together as a team. When they push me as a paddler outside of my comfort zone, but still offer enough guidance to do so safely, I feel like that is where I grow the most.” The people that make up the Novice crews—those who’ve only been paddling for three years or less—include local and international faces, parents, divorcees and long-time couples, football players, military members, vegans, a welder, a cancer survivor, lawyers; a roster of individuality. Leaving behind their ‘real world selves,’ the dedicated hui have already grown exponentially in their paddling abilities, and in so many other ways, too.
now have so many friendships that span across various age ranges, backgrounds, and things in common,” notes Doherty of her time with the crew. “I’ve enjoyed having quality conversations with my teammates—throughout practices, get-togethers, and at races—that I normally wouldn’t have outside of paddling.” Discovering a natural inclination towards navigation, Taylor’s time as steerswoman has allowed her to get to know another aspect of paddling: the aquatic landscape of the Island. “Paddling has helped my knowledge of O‘ahu’s oceans grow tremendously. Being raised on the Big Island, I was used to knowing every reef, shoreline, current and more. Even after living on O‘ahu for a few years, I was having a hard time learning the intricacies of this Island and its
18 AMA | JULY / AUGUST 2023
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