SAN ANTONIO OUTRIGGER CANOE CLUB
Aloha ... Welcome to our San Antonio Outrigger Canoe Club website.
San Antonio Outrigger Canoe Club is a non-profit organization based right here in beautiful San Antonio, Texas. Our mission as an outrigger canoe club is to perpetuate and educate the community with respect to the Hawaiian culture and the sport of outrigger canoeing. To include, but not be limited to, Hawaiian family values “Ohana”, Hawaiian/Polynesian traditions, the art and history of outrigger canoeing, developing “keiki” (young paddlers) and promoting health and wellness in the San Antonio area.
Our club welcomes paddlers from ages ten and up. We offer opportunities for paddlers of all levels from beginner to advanced and everything in between. Limited experience is not a problem as our coaches take great care to ensure you learn the art of paddling.
In just over two years, our club has grown by leaps and bounds. Come and be a part of our growing Ohana and help us to continue…
Sharing the spirit of Hawaii in the heart of Texas!!
ABOUT US
In 2016, several of our founding members (Uncle Bebee, Auntie Lainy, Rob Forti and Uncle Frank) were brought together through a mutual friend (Uncle Chester) of the Dallas Outrigger Canoe Club, “Hoewa’a”. With the help of Hoewa’a after a community gathering/paddling event, the founding members started the process of forming San Antonio’s first outrigger canoe club and the fifth outrigger canoe club in Texas.
Since spring of 2017, the club has been a non-profit organization working diligently to expand the club all while serving San Antonio through various community services and voluntary endeavors. To date, we have assisted with the San Antonio Asian Festival, Texas Alamo Aloha Fiestaval,Texas Folklife Festival, and most recently Morgan’s Wonderland Luau Gala. In 2019, we hosted our second annual Lokahi (harmony & unity) Paddle Fest in conjunction with Momentum SUP of San Antonio bringing paddlers of all types together from across the state.
Come, join us and be a part of the San Antonio Outrigger Canoe Club.
E lauhoe mai na wa’a/Paddle together
THE WA'A
In the last hundred years, paddling has evolved into one of Hawaii's most loved pastimes and competitive sports. Outrigger canoes sit at almost every beach and in the nearby waters canoes pass by and teams practice for regattas. Outrigger canoe paddling is a physically and spiritually fulfilling experience. It is a way to connect with the beauty and mana of the ocean and lakes.
The parts of the outrigger canoe or "wa'a" include the “ama” (the outrigger that keeps the canoe afloat), the “Akea” (the outrigger canoe's hull), the “Iako” (the plank that connects the ama to the wa’a), and the “manu” (the front most part of the canoe. There is also the “wa'a kaukahi” (a single hulled canoe) and the “wa'a kaulua” (a double hulled canoe).
The seats of the 6 man wa'a include:
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Seat 1/Stroker - who's job is to set the pace of the canoe
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Seat 2 - backs up seat one in the pace of the wa'a and, when at a standstill, in charge of the front of the ama
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Seat 3 - power seat and caller of changes
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Seat 4 - power seat - in charge of the back of the ama
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Seat 5 - power seat and back up to steersman
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Seat 6/Steersman - steers the wa'a, calls the shots, keeps the canoe on course and the team paddling together.
Come, join us and enjoy paddling with the San Antonio Outrigger Canoe Club.
PADDLING
Our first wa’a was purchased from the Arizona Dry Heat Canoe Club. Thanks to Rob Forti and Marvin Longboy for making the 3200-mile trip from Texas to Arizona and back with SAOCC’s first canoe. She was blessed at our club blessing by our spiritual advisor Kanani Clark and appropriately named "Ke Alaula" (New Beginnings).
Currently we have been blessed with the usage of a second Wa’a – leased from the Texas Outrigger Canoe Club. Her name is “Kekou” which we are told means “buttercup”.
Six in a canoe paddle as ONE!
Our goal is to have three levels of paddling as we build our club:
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Competitive - for the more advanced paddlers who enjoy competitive racing
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Recreational - for those who wish to have the experience of paddling in an outrigger canoe at a more leisurely pace
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Keiki – for children ages 10-17 who we wish to train and grow to be the future leaders of SAOCC
At all levels of paddling, we respect our fellow paddlers, competitors, teammates, Polynesian culture, and the values that brought us together.
Come, join us and enjoy paddling as part of the San Antonio Outrigger Canoe Club.
PADDLING Practice Information
Schedule
We schedule paddling practice through a SPOND app, you can request access by going to this link https://group.spond.com/EUATC
New Paddlers and Guests
New paddlers, please download, print, and complete the 2021 Membership Application form and the 2021 Liability Waiver form. Bring these forms to the next practice.
Please contact us prior to coming out to paddle with us as we do cancel for special events and or weather beyond our control.
Lokahi Paddle Fest
