We see them almost every day: flotillas of canoe paddlers making their way from shore to buoy and back. Alicia Hatori is one of that proud clan and she recently won gold in the international sprints.
"We did! Our team actually defended gold," said Castle Administrative Secretary Alicia Hatori, "So I had the privilege of paddling with some amazing, seasoned adaptive paddlers. And took gold in the V-6 500, the V-12 5000 hundred and the V-6 1,000."
Alicia lost the use of her legs in a car accident some years back. But thanks to Aka Hemmings, her paddling mentor, she found her passion.
"He did a rec program in Kailua that involved some adaptive paddlers with mental slash physical disabilities and at a certain point, because he had met so many paddlers who were interested in the sport, he started a racing team."
Alicia is quick to talk about the benefits of paddling for her.
"It’s extremely emotionally healing first of all because you’re on the water. I’m an island girl, it’s a water sport so I have that benefit. Also the physical aspect of paddling is incredible workout since I’ve been hurt."
And there’s the social aspect of international paddling competition.
"So that included over three hundred paddlers just from Hawaii, 200 different teams. So there’s camaraderie, too, to people who paddle around the Hawaiian islands as well as internationally. So it’s absolutely incredible. Friendships for life."
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
