More Splatter

Went paint balling again this weekend, despite the dire heat of August.  Had another great time and an equally fun turnout.  We did pretty well, though the field was crowded, I think the local Groupon stuff made the place hopping popular.  (Happily avoided the little kids birthday party.)

My "fans" at the field are trying to convince me I'm good enough to play in some kind of organized team? Pffft no I don't think so.  (Unless that means I can play for free??)

I have some very pretty bruises from the experience, though I think each of them was pretty well earned, and I took out a couple people most games, probably due to how crowded the field was.

I'm now "scouting" the interwebs more frequently for deals on paint, because man that expense can add up quickly!  Happily we have some pretty good places around here that stock it high on occasion, you just have to go at the right time.  Looking forward to more frequent trips to the field when summer officially ends.

Capoeira!

Capoeira!!! "As if you needed another activity."

I know, I know ... but it's just so darn fun!  Okay, so backing up, what started as a 5 week Groupon deal resulted in me committing to joining a Capoeira studio for weekly classes.  For those of you who not know, Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that involves music, dancing, sparring, culture, and gymnastics.  It dates back to African slaves who trained in secret, disguising their fighting techniques in dance and music.  It is incredibly fast paced, utilizing speed, power and creativity.  The SB Batuque studio Chris and I joined is a small space in Goleta that shares the week schedule with a ballet studio.  It's lead by a true character of epic proportions, Mariano Silva.  (Pictured below ... that was his outfit at this year's solstice.  If you care to look up more, they are all equally or more intense.  He may have the most continuous energy I've ever seen in a single human being...)

The long, long history of this art/sport is quite fascinating, and close to impossible for me to simply summarize here.  There was a period of time in history when anyone caught practicing Capoeira or fighting for any reason would be arrested by police, possibly tortured and mutilated.  It's a dark but rich legacy that we as new students are only barely scratching the surface of, and it's exciting.

Because Capoeira was so underground, it has become a tradition over time for students to receive a nickname (like a undercover identity) at their initiation ceremony (the Batizado) from a master.  I was given the name Allegria (Joy), Chris is Ferugen (Rust) and Ben is Sorriso (Smile).

Our timing when joining was a little strange, because we were swept up in the tail end of the training year just prior to new students receiving their belts.  So essentially, a bunch of folks on our same "level" have been training for nearly a full year, so we are not nearly as sharp as they are.  I feel particularly clumsy at times since this is also the first martial art I have ever tried out.  The music appeals to me greatly.  The people at the studio are friendly, laugh easily, and welcoming.  I am looking forward to getting to know everyone a little more.  The classes are intense and challenging.  Chris has discovered that going to them is having a positive effect on his Su Bak Do work, and I have found that no matter what is going on, I feel light, unstressed, and loose after every class despite how difficult it can be.  Sometimes my shoulder starts to bother me after too many cartwheels, so it is possible I will have to really take it easy during the current intense period of paddling.  So far once a week isn't toooooooooo bad.... hopefully I can stick with it long enough to be able to feel confident when I get to play in the roda.

Change Season - Dana Point 2nd Place!

So in change season, typically our tiny team runs two gender crews in the "minor" races before the Catalina US Championships.  Everything, of course depends greatly on logistics with our limited budget and paddler supply, but either way change season has always, always been my favorite part of the sport of outrigger.  You go crazy long distance, you have to think strategically, you have to go crazy all out yet you have to be ready to be in the canoe for a very, very, long time.

This past week was the Dana Point 9-man race (change race) and the first of this season.  To our delight, we were told we would be running co-ed with our top people.

Expectations were pretty high, but happily we had an amazing race, during which we had first place a few times, but ultimately were bested by a large club from down South.  This 2nd place tasted very sweet nonetheless, and reminded all of us once again why we love this sport so much and that hard work really does pay off.  As our coach said as we were out on the water, "These are the moments that make coaching totally worth it."

A few of us stayed behind for the afternoon to collect our bling.  (Which included a really cool plaque made of island wood of some kind ... it was very special, so we decided to give it to our coaches.)

Only a couple months ago many of us would have said Ka Nai'a was going to have a laid back, more relaxed year which was less focused on being competitive and more focused on building its base.  Oops? :)