ZANE SCHWEITZER CLINCHES 2019 SURFING AMERICA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES
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The morning of the tech beach race day it was dark with the classic California fog and some small cold beach breaks surf. With waves around knee high the technical surf race in and out of the beach break was still exciting and a lot of fun. I decided to ride the Starboard
Sprint 14 x 21.5 to have some extra speed through the flats on the outside. I ride this board a lot on Maui for training and racing and have learned to manage it quite well through the surf and find it to be exceptionally faster most of the time especially in the clean water outside the waves.”
Coming into the final I found myself up against California’s Tyler Basher where we had a big battle for the line. I knew he was in good form as he was the runner up against Danny Ching in the distance race yesterday, and now he and I were battling for top 2 in the tech race. On the last beach run and lap through the surf I decided to give it my all on the way out through the waves, allowing me to break away slightly before the outside. After turning the buoy I continued to extend my lead in the flats. After the last turn in through the waves and into the beach finish I was able to get in early on a nice wave and run through the finish claiming the title as 2019
Surfing America‘s National Champion in surf racing, along with
earning a position on team USA to the 2019 ISA SUP World Championships!”
After the racing finished, we switched gears into Sup Surfing. The Waves got a little better as the tide continued to change and the waves were pretty fun from knee to shoulder high. My
Starboard Carbon 7’0 EcoBoard pro model was a perfect choice for this event and was excited to start.
My first heat of the day started off slow but I advanced on through. I had two scores that were under six-point rides and was fortunate to get lucky and squeak through into the next round. I did my best to shake that off and build momentum continuing on through.
In the final, we had a solid sheet of riders and competing for qualifying position was Anthony Maltese, Daniel Hughes, Syrus from Kaua’i and myself. I was stoked to start off the heat with a high five ride off the back. I knew I needed something big off the get-go to continue building confidence and show dominance. My third heat less than 10 minutes into the 30-minute final, scored a 9.0! It was crazy because the wave that I scored the nine-point ride on was actually more of a defensive maneuver to get on the same wave as Daniel Hughes who was doing well early on in the heat as well. The defensive maneuver turned into my top offensive maneuver!
As soon as I heard the nine drop I made sure to get another second-highest scoring wave on the board to feel more confident with a high overall score total. I played smart and defensive yet built up on my score total with a 7.6! This sealed the deal for me and I felt so grateful to hear the cheers from my friends from Hawai’i and my supporters! Getting chaired up the beach by my team manager, Chris with Black Project Fins, along with my local California Host, Anthony Maltese was precious- I’m grateful and blessed!
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Record-Breaking HydroFoil Run: Maui2Moloka'i
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I HAD A CRAZY EXCITING RACE (JULY 14, 2018) HYDROFOILING THE PAILOLO CHANNEL FOR THE 26 MILE M2M (MAUI TO MOLOKA’I) CROSSING.
On the blast of the start horn, 40 minutes after the sup start, I popped to my feet and felt like I had already made it to the flying position after just 3 sprint strokes. With that start, I had a nice lead from the get go. I then surfed the entire 26 miles, flying, except for one fall. Near the most exciting part of the race with the biggest, fastest moving swell I noticed that Dave Kalama had a line that seemed to be faster. It seemed he was gaining ground on me.
I moved away from my dad who was my escort boat to feel the water further south towards the line Dave was following. I quickly realized I had made a bad choice getting psyched-out by my competitor and not just following my line and the course my very knowledgeable father had me on! My dad came over to me and reminded me to get back on course and I was able to catch ground on Dave. Soon after, we were neck to neck when we had a change of conditions that gave us an extra challenge.
The wind started to die and the swell was getting flatter as we neared our finish at Kaunakakai and I knew this was a good time for me to take advantage of the hard sprint, interval and Pump-training that Larry Cain with Paddle Monster has had me on for about 3 months. As the swell and wind died we then felt the wind on our face. At that point we still had almost 4 miles to the finish. I was sprinting and pumping hard doing my best to mentally block out the raging cramps in my legs. I was relieved to see Dave Kalama on my side touching his board onto the water- I knew it would be very hard for us to get the foil back up flying after touching down in these flat waters so I kept sprinting and pumping and flying as much as I could.
I worked through my cramps and exhaustion until finally my board touched down and I was paddling the last 2 miles or so on a 6’9” Hyper Nut and my Iwa GoFoil. Dave was on a shorter board than I was so I knew I had to keep on padding and grinding. We both had a tough job, Uncle Dave, like me, was pushing water and pulling a foil.
And then I was at the FINISH! I was stoked to break the new record time across the channel and win overall between all crafts! My time was 2:24 with the help of the 25 knot winds and big swell- although the last 2 or 3 miles were into the wind and flat. If the wind was its normal NE Trades I believe I could have crossed the finish line foiling in close to 2 hours! It was a tough paddle when landing in those last ~2 miles of flats dragging the foil on my 6’9” after max focus and pumping for 23 miles!
But man was it a fun session and run filled with countless epic full-speed drops and rides I couldn’t even time they were so long!!
Big mahalo to my team for the support firstly to my Dad and his crew on the escort boat; Uncle Joe and Uncle Scott Shoemaker, my coaches Larry Cain (Paddle Monster), Uncle Braddah Kamansi (Native Action) and my brother Matty Schweitzer! Also mahalo to my supporters and sponsors for the best equipment, Starboard 6’9” HyperNut, GoFoil Iwa, 5’ Revolwe BioLeash, VestPak Hydration, and as well Kim Yap and Donica Shouse for the meal prep and race fuel!
It was an epic run!!
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Believe and Create
Innovate & Inspire
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It was an honor for Kim and I to meet Anote Tong, the former president of Kiribati and current spearhead of climate change and global warming awareness with the United Nations and around the world. In a time when it is crucial for each of us to use our talents and time to innovate and inspire wherever we can, connecting with those who have decided to "believe and create" the future they dream of is a gift.
I was feeling grateful being able to share some inspiring conversations, drinks and get insight into Anote Tong life. Being the former leader of Kiribati, he shares his personal experience from his people and culture in the center of the world in the Pacific. Kiribati is on the meeting point of the equator and the international timeline and consists of over 30 atolls spread across over 3,000 miles of ocean. These atolls and this nation has been experiencing the affects of climate change and rising sea levels directly- with the highest point of land on the atolls only being about 4 meters high off the surface of the ocean, you can imagine the seriousness and passion to create awareness and a positive change in lifestyle choices and policy.
We are all connected in this world, and it’s all of our responsibility to be open to this connectivity and take care of our choices for the greater good of our land and oceans.
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Moloka'i 2 Oahu Channel Crossing
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07/28/2019
What an epic Ka’iwi crossing for this year’s
Moloka’i To Oahu World Championships!
The winds and swell were cranking and record times were broken in more than 1 category. I finished in 3 hours and 7 minutes from the west end of Moloka’i to Hawai’i Kai, O’ahu!
My race started off on a great note, getting up off the water and quickly moving to a flat water fly, pumping towards the windline. Shortly into the race I realized the bumps were moving fast and I started hitting some of the highest speeds I’ve had on a downwind foil run. I felt in rhythm and in the right place to finish well under 3 hours until...
Until I had a BIG CRASH! Flying 20mph+ and falling from ~8ft to splat flat really was the biggest mistake I made throughout the race. That one fall. It cost me a lot of time and energy. I also twisted my shoulder and lost the remaining water in my water pack on impact. It took me a good 5-10 minutes to get back off the water and flying again. Once I was up I knew I had lost a lot of ground, so I did my best to stay focused and make up for that distance.
Coming into the finishing miles of the race around Portlock and into Hawaii Kai, the conditions started to get tricky and my body was starting to give out. But I knew that in this portion of the race it was more important than ever to keep moving at foiling speeds. I kept pumping until my back calf locked up.
I knew that I could get another last ride in on a wave along China wall into that strong head wind and long, flat paddle into the finish. Sure enough, my last ride in was a solid A-Frame that was plowing towards the sea cliff. I felt I was going to be pushed into the wall but held the steep foamy drop and pointed towards the channel - but not soon enough.
I hit the reef that was near dry. From here on it was a really tough grind in on the flat water and against the wind. Ahead, I saw another competitor just out in front of me and I continued to sprint in till we were side-by-side and having a paddle battle. It was Bernd Roediger and we had to sprint all the way to the finish. Bernd ended up having the edge on me by just by a few seconds. In the end, it was a smoking run and I was stoked to learn so much through my first Ka’iwi Channel Crossing on the Hydrofoil from Moloka’i to Oahu!
Mahalo for all the aloha and support from all my friends, I appreciate the good energy you guys sent my way before this epic race!
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Protect Your Local Home:
Water, Air, Land
Each of us can make a difference in the world, in our local world by caring about and protecting what we love. We came up to Mauna Kea to not only join the ku kia’i mauna (guardians of the mountain) and oppose the construction of the Telescope,
(learn more here) but to also learn and find inspiration from this amazing gathering of Hawaiians uniting together from all islands to share with one another in kapu aloha.
The problem is not so much the telescope, but the location where they want to construct it. The mountain, called Mauna O Wakea by Native Hawaiians, is the tallest in the islands, and its summit is considered sacred in traditional Hawaiian culture — the place where the sky god, Wakea, met with Papa Hanau Moku, the earth goddess, leading to the creation of the islands. Only the highest-ranking chiefs were historically believed to be fit to go there. There are other cultural sites on the mountain, including a sacred lake, significant burial sites and a historic quarry where stone tools were made.
The value of lōkahi is present between one another and with that amazing things are being created. The organization and infrastructure seemed to have exceeded many people’s expectations and it was great to see this community being created here. One of my favorite experiences was taking part in classes at the learning site of the Puʻū Huluhulu University, where multiple classes throughout the day are hosted by Kumu (teachers) of different backgrounds and area of expertise including Hula, Oli (song or chant), lomi lomi (massage), ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i (HI language), arts and crafts, and many more!
Mahalo to all Ku kia’i mauna and aloha ‘āina!
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Check out my Upcoming Schedule
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SAVE THE DATE: August 12-18, 2019
In just a few weeks I will be in Hood River Oregon for the Columbia Gorge Paddle Challenge and the AWSI Board Sports Expo the week before.
AWSI is a non-profit trade association dedicated to representing Windsurf, Kiteboard, and SUP companies in the outdoor sports world.
The SIC Columbia Gorge Paddle Challenge (CGPC) is a Festival celebrating the sport of Stand Up Paddling in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge.
Let's connect!
The New York SUP Open will kick off on August 31st, 2019 with a unique Long Distance Race around the Statue of Liberty Race that will allow participants to take in the City's most dramatic landmarks and unmistakable Manhattan skyline and enjoy a fun filled Festival activation at Pier 25.
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It's always exciting to see the talent developing in the groms around Hawaii, and in the case of Kiribati's Josh McDermott, across the globe. I spotted 14 year-old Josh during my visit to Kiribati. Stay tuned for more on this talented guy.
Not yet 13, Chrislyn Simpson-Kane is approaching her surfing (and all the ocean activities she loves) with her personal mantra of , "Never limit your dreams, Be-YOU-tiful."
You can follow her on Instagram.
In the same event in which Chrislyn scored a double win ( 2019 Pohai Na Keiki Nalu), young Zolten Poulsen nabbed the title in the age 10-12 group. He rocked a nose ride to win the boys longboard 10-12 title.
Follow Zolten on Instagram. Check out his photo by 1More Photography.
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