M2M Hawaii Solo Paddle Race Fund
Donation protected
On April 10th, I will be travelling to Hawaii to paddle my first solo outrigger canoe race, a 26 mile downwind run that crosses the channel from Maui to Molokai. My winter training has been preparing me for the challenge, skills and fitness for this endeavor. The expenses to attend this Hawaiian race add up so I am launching a fundraiser to help with these costs. The funds raised will help pay race related costs such as canoe rental , entrance fee, pre-race practice runs and local flight. I will be paying for a chase boat, (safety boat) for this race since it is my first channel crossing. That in itself will be approximately $700. I am very excited and honored to have this opportunity to challenge myself and paddle one of the best downwind races in Hawaii. Please consider making a contribution to support my endeavor. I am grateful for your support! Mahalo.
A personal statement:
My passion for paddling is rooted to my lifelong passion for the outdoors and connection to nature, both being essential to my well-being and happiness. At age 5, my mother bought me a red jacket so she could find me in the nearby trees in our backyard in NH. I was a wild kid, a little different, my mother would say. In my teens, I met an Outward Bound instructor while fogged in on a sailing trip with my family and on that day decided I would make a career in the outdoors. Off I went to launch my career and to discover myself -strengths and growing edges- emotional and physical -through rock climbing, mountaineering, river kayaking and eventually circling back to the ocean. I have chosen a lifestyle of outdoor adventure, travel and wilderness education as a pathway to empowering others, particularly women and girls, as it has empowered me.
Early in my career when I was devoted to training to climb Mt McKinley and in the Himalayas, I began to experience extreme chronic pain in my feet and hands that was diagnosed as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). I was stubborn and dismissed the advice of the Doctors to change my athletic lifestyle to a sedentary one. I continued to pursue my dreams and my outdoor career path by climbing, and developing as an outdoor athlete, guide and instructor in spite of my physical challenges. I followed the belief that “if you don’t use it you will lose it” regarding our bodies and our health. I also have lived by a quote from Kurt Hahn, founder of Outward Bound, “Make your disability, an opportunity”. The journey of RA, which has a lot to do with managing pain, has offered me the opportunity to learn many lessons about self-care, acceptance and gratitude in addition to overcoming obstacles, both mental and physical.
Thirty years later, I am still an athlete training, now coming full circle to the ocean and considered an “aging athlete”. As I train for outrigger canoe races, I bring a better concept of body wisdom that is helping me stay healthy and injury free in my 50’s. SF Bay paddling has become my current place for backyard adventures. The beach is located just minutes from where I live. I paddle because it makes me happy and is a form of moving meditation. I hope to inspire other women and girls and those who are living with chronic pain to follow their dreams in spite of obstacles. Today, for me, paddling connects me with the fabric of my deeper wild self. Being on the water, among the pelicans, porpoises and sea life is a humble reminder of my connection to this beautiful, mysterious and sacred planet, called earth. I feel gratitude.
A personal statement:
My passion for paddling is rooted to my lifelong passion for the outdoors and connection to nature, both being essential to my well-being and happiness. At age 5, my mother bought me a red jacket so she could find me in the nearby trees in our backyard in NH. I was a wild kid, a little different, my mother would say. In my teens, I met an Outward Bound instructor while fogged in on a sailing trip with my family and on that day decided I would make a career in the outdoors. Off I went to launch my career and to discover myself -strengths and growing edges- emotional and physical -through rock climbing, mountaineering, river kayaking and eventually circling back to the ocean. I have chosen a lifestyle of outdoor adventure, travel and wilderness education as a pathway to empowering others, particularly women and girls, as it has empowered me.
Early in my career when I was devoted to training to climb Mt McKinley and in the Himalayas, I began to experience extreme chronic pain in my feet and hands that was diagnosed as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). I was stubborn and dismissed the advice of the Doctors to change my athletic lifestyle to a sedentary one. I continued to pursue my dreams and my outdoor career path by climbing, and developing as an outdoor athlete, guide and instructor in spite of my physical challenges. I followed the belief that “if you don’t use it you will lose it” regarding our bodies and our health. I also have lived by a quote from Kurt Hahn, founder of Outward Bound, “Make your disability, an opportunity”. The journey of RA, which has a lot to do with managing pain, has offered me the opportunity to learn many lessons about self-care, acceptance and gratitude in addition to overcoming obstacles, both mental and physical.
Thirty years later, I am still an athlete training, now coming full circle to the ocean and considered an “aging athlete”. As I train for outrigger canoe races, I bring a better concept of body wisdom that is helping me stay healthy and injury free in my 50’s. SF Bay paddling has become my current place for backyard adventures. The beach is located just minutes from where I live. I paddle because it makes me happy and is a form of moving meditation. I hope to inspire other women and girls and those who are living with chronic pain to follow their dreams in spite of obstacles. Today, for me, paddling connects me with the fabric of my deeper wild self. Being on the water, among the pelicans, porpoises and sea life is a humble reminder of my connection to this beautiful, mysterious and sacred planet, called earth. I feel gratitude.
Organizer
Priscilla Mckenney
Organizer
Sausalito, CA
