We recently sold a paddling adapter to Kiwi outrigger paddler, Ross Gilray, who was pretty intent on training for upcoming races, despite being over 12,000 miles from home and his usual training routine. We asked him for his story…
I am an outrigger paddler from New Zealand and I am currently living in Spain for 6 months. Back home I paddle Waka Ama at a competitive level and last year placed second in the Masters grade (40-50 year olds) at the NZ National sprint competition, a massive week-long event with over 3000 competitors. In 2014 I represented New Zealand in the master’s grade at the World Vaa sprint competition in Rio, Brazil and placed 4th in the V1 500m event. Going forward I intend to compete again in the 2016 New Zealand national sprint championships, which are held annually in January at Lake Karapiro. I hope to place in the top 5 and earn a spot on the New Zealand team for the 2017 World Champs, to be held on the Sunshine Coast of Australia in May.
It hasn’t been easy to train while living in Spain, there are not many Vaa floating around.. My friend in New Zealand has a Paddlesport Training paddle adapter and he recommended that I get one to train on. I have had my paddle adapter for a couple of weeks and it is fantastic. The stroke is very realistic and simulates well the feel you get when paddling on the water. The extra benefit of training on the paddle adaptor is the ability constantly monitor your power output. It is very easy to make small alterations to your stroke and look at the different power output achieved by adjusting your technique. I have found this aspect particularly helpful and I am really starting to understand my paddle stoke and change it to achieve greater power. I would recommend the Paddlesport Training paddle adaptor to any outrigger paddler. It doesn’t matter whether you are a competitive paddler training for a specific event or a social paddler who just wants to spend more time doing the sport you love, you will get plenty of benefit from this machine.
Check out this video of last year’s Waka Ama Sprints with Ross barely out of first place (by .57 sec) and you’ll see why he is so intent on training! Best of luck with your training and racing, Ross! Congratulations on your previous results — can’t wait to hear how you do going forward!
