Santa Barbara hosted the California Sprint Championships on Saturday, bringing outrigger canoe clubs to Leadbetter Beach from all over Southern California and beyond.
The men’s team from Marina del Rey Outrigger Canoe Club and the Lanakila women’s team from Redondo Beach captured the Open Elite A races as the fastest 6-person teams of the day.
The event’s hosts, the Santa Barbara Outrigger Canoe Club, produced several quality results, including a runner-up result in the Men’s Open Elite A. Oceanside finished in third place in the Men’s Open A, while Hanohano and Kai Elua – both from San Diego – placed second and third, respectively, in the women’s A race.
SBOCC’s other top races included the Novice men placing second, the Masters men placing third, women’s Open Elite A in fourth, women’s Open B in fifth, and women’s Open C in 4th.
Newport Aquatics Center (NAC) brought its Superhero Team. (Presidio Sports Photos)
The Sprint Championships marked the end of the novice season and many of the first-year competitors finished the day participating in a creative variety of fun initiation rituals.
The paddling season, run by the Southern California Outrigger Racing Association, now enters its 9-person phase that ends with the Newport Beach to Catalina race in early September.
Complete results from Saturday’s races will be posted on the SCORA website.
A canoe races towards the beach during one of Saturday’s sprints.
