2012 Mickey Munoz Mongoose Cup

This past weekend I went up to Dana Point, California to the third annual Mickey Munoz Mongoose Cup at Baby Beach, in Dana Point Harbor with Bill and Ryan Maloney. I met them up in North San Diego County and we all piled into Bill’s van and were on the road, looking forward to our chance to paddle with surf legend Mickey Munoz.

Bill Maloney going with the now infamous Conner Baxter stroke!

The Mickey Munoz Mongoose Cup is an event filled with fun, SUP clinics and all kinds of watersports vendors and super cool people. All of the money raised from the event goes to benefit local charities and surfing organizations.

Super famous photo of Mickey - "the Quasimoto"

If you don’t know who Mickey Munoz is, take a look, the guy is amazing and a surfing legend! Who is now in his 70’s and paddles like crazy, and lends his expertise as a waterman to the SUP community. I could only dream of being as hip and awesome as he and his wonderful wife Peggy Munoz.

Mickey signing his book, "No Bad Waves: Talking Story With Mickey Munoz".

I first met Bill Maloney through Facebook, his son Ryan is 13 years old and also a type 1 diabetic. We instantly hit it off and I have since become great friends with their whole family. Ryan was interested in paddling and saw that I was a T1D just like him so we hooked up and have since gone SUP surfing and paddling together a number of times. Ryan has inspired me in so many ways and I am stoked to call him my friend.

Ryan and I at La Jolla Shores.

I have tried to show him whatever I can in regards to SUP surfing and racing, the kids a natural. We share information about managing our diabetes and about how to compete as SUP racers successfully and safely despite having diabetes.

Ryan and I talking story with Pam Strom.

We arrived at the event and Bill kind of stood back and let Ryan and I do our thing, we unloaded the boards and took off to register for the race. Then he and I began to run all over the place like two little kids in a candy store, “well one little kid and one grown up that basically acts like a little kid”.

We visited with all kinds of old friends and met all kinds of new friends. I introduced him to the Infinity SUP team and he introduced me to the VictoryKoredDry guys. We met Judie Vivian, the organizer of the “Standup for the Cure” event for Susan G Komen. I think they ought to call it, “Standup for A Cure”. Seeing as how there is more than one disease in this world that I think should be cured. But Judie was super cool and even told Ryan and I that she might include a small piece about SUP with Diabetes in their April 13^th newsletter! Ryan and I were super stoked to hear that.

Brian Hagg, Ryan Maloney and Paul Zacharias. Three generations of SUP racers and type 1 diabetics.

We then tested our blood sugars and took off on the fun paddle around Dana Point harbor with a couple of hundred or so other paddlers. Ryan and I were laughing and playing as we paddled the short couple of miles, and at one point we tried to switch boards and got all tangled up in Ryan leash and both fell into the water. It was cold, but with the sun shining and he and I filled with all kinds of energy, or maybe it was sugar, we got back on our boards and took off laughing.

Then it was back to the beach for some of the awesome SUP clinics being conducted by a few of the sports super stars, we first listened to Byron Kurt talk about being aware of the waters conditions prior to paddling and how to navigate certain situations caused by things like tides, waves and currents. The next one we attended was be given by Rob Rojas, he was offering his expertise on paddling technique. Ryan through him a curve ball and asked about stacking your shoulders at the top of your stroke just prior to your paddle entry, kind of caught him off guard, but Rob being the consummate professional that he is and expert paddler handled it just fine and integrated his answer perfectly with his explanation on how to get the most power from your stroke.

Ryan soaking up information during Byron Kurts SUP clinic.

Ryan and I during the SUP clinic on stroke technique from Rob Rojas

With all that was going on around us we soon lost interest and took off back out on the water to practice what we had learned and to just have some fun! We tried different boards and Ryan let me use his Boardworks M & M race board. I love this board and really think that it is one of the fastest boards on the water. Ryan was on the new C4 Travis Grant race board, equally fun and fast!

Blah, Blah, Blah....tippy...Blah, Blah, Blah!

Then more blood sugar testing, a little insulin and then lunch. It definitely was not a healthy lunch, but who cares we were starving! Then it was relay / race time!

I was super excited to see which team I was on, turned out it was team one and our teams captain was Byron Kurt! This guy is super-fast and really talented, the other team members were a guy named Dave and I brand new paddler Kelly. We got to race on Byron’s stealthy looking carbon fiber Hobie, I like these boards, especially because my first and only SUP race board was one of the custom carbon fiber Hobie race boards made for one of their team riders from a couple of years ago.

As always the relay is meant to be fun but trust me when Kelly French, the beach Marshall yell’s those famous words, “racers are you ready!”, and the horn blows, it’s on. Amateurs and pro’s hit the water, rails bashing, paddles flying and a lot of cheering from the crowds on the beach. Got to love it!

As always, the crazy SUP start!

Byron killing it along with Bruce Brunson.

Waiting for the transition.

We did pretty well, Byron took off and came back into the beach in second place, then it was Dave’s turn, he had a great paddle out and around the bouys. Kelly, bless her heart had never really paddled much but was so filled with enthusiasm and desire she took off and gave it her all. A lot of the teams caught up to her as she enthusiastically navigated around the buoys. I was jumping up and down cheering her on as she paddled back to the beach. We had a pretty good transition and away I went, I paddled as hard and as fast as I could and was able to pass a number of other paddlers. I hit the beach and ran through the chute to finish in seventh place, the last team to qualify for the finals! I was spent, got some water and ran over to check my blood sugars….trending towards a low and not wanting to crash I grabbed a juicy juice and ran back to the water’s edge for the start of the final.

Grippin' it and rippin' it!

The run up the beach!

Again we all lined up and waited for Kelly to start the race. This time though each team had to paddle the course twice! Byron got tripped up at the start and missed getting out in front of the pack, but the guy is like superman and as always he paddled super-fast and managed to keep us in the race. Again Dave and Kelly both took off and kept us in there, I was left with trying to bring it home. Well that didn’t happen, but I did manage to contribute to a very respectable 11^th place finish out of like twenty-one or so teams.  It was a blast and I would do it again!

Craziest thing ever was that the team that won the relay was led by Brian Hagg, team rider for 404, a good friend of Ryan and mine, and get this, a type 1 diabetic!

Awesome day !

I had lost track of Ryan and his Dad during the relay race, but we met up after and said our good bye’s to everyone and were on the road back home by late afternoon. I ended up having dinner with Ryan and his mother and father. It was awesome hanging out with a super cool family and enjoying a home cooked meal. Ryan showed me all of his stuff and we talked about SUP surfing and racing, having diabetes and living life. By the time I got home I was one tired puppy, within minutes I was sound asleep and dreaming of my next adventure, Hawaii!

Yep, I am moving back to Hawaii! I can’t wait to paddle the clear blue waters of the Islands and experience the pure stoke and Aloha of the SUP community, SUP racing and SUP surfing in Hawaii! Stay tuned......

Long Term Side Effects of Diabetes - What Scares You?

I’m not sure if everyone understands, I know that few choose to talk about it, but there are millions of people out there that have been diagnosed with diabetes and their scared, feeling as if there is no hope. They are worried about the long term side effects of their diabetes. Amputation, blindness and heart disease.

Just ask your doctor, or do the research yourself about all the side effects of the disease and it’s enough to scare the living shit out of you. I am constantly running into someone that has a story about a loved one that had diabetes and eventually went blind, or had to have a leg amputated, or eventually died. “YIKES!”

This is scary stuff, but you can reduce the risk of diabetic complications. When I was first diagnosed about seven years ago I was told that if I chose to ignore the disease and continue on my marry way  I would ultimately fall victim to one of the many possible complications of ill managed diabetes.

Look, I grew up with an older brother who was paralyzed from the waist down and unable to walk, born with only one kidney that he eventually lost in his early twenties. I don't want to have to go through even a little of what my older brother had to, so I choose to fight while I can! My older brother was born with most of his disabilities, and though he fought for many years he eventually lost his battle. But not before spending almost twenty five years on dialysis. He was sad to die, but glad to be done with dialysis. I will try and do everything I can to avoid the complications of diabetes.

It bums me out and I get pissed off when I think about my diabetes controlling me. I want to try and do everything I can to avoid the not so inevitable long term side effects of diabetes. This desire to overcome is what I sometimes draw on for my motivation. What ever your motivation may be, find it and hang on. We are in a fight for our lives, but with a little hard work, some determination mixed in with desire we can gain control and kick diabetes in the butt! 

or the stomach!

I have only had diabetes a short time, but it seems to me that all these things I have heard from others about a loved one suffering from some horrible side effect caused by their diabetes might have been in some cases avoided if they would have fought a little harder to try and control their diabetes better. I am sure that most of these poeple fought to live, but maybe they didn't clearly understand that with a healthful diet and exercise they could have lived a longer, perhaps even avoiding some of the long term side effects of diabetes.

I have read tons of literature about how we as diabetics can live a long and healthy life with diabetes. These complications that happened to your loved ones, be it your grandmother or your uncle, didn’t have to happen. We as diabetics can live a long and healthy life. Serious complications do not have to happen.

Actually from all reports it is not diabetes that will end up hurting you, but poorly controlled diabetes might. Poorly controlled diabetes is more than likely what killed your loved one.

I was told by my doctor that if I keep my A1C below 7.0% I will have a much lower risk of running into serious problems. So taking good care of myself and keeping a tight control over my diabetes will allow me to live a long and healthy life just like someone who does not have diabetes.

This means, regular trips to the doctor, managing my cholesterol, watching my blood pressure, checking my feet regularly, exercising and eating right. I think that there is also a little bit of luck involved, but if you will do these things the fight for your life will be a lot easier than if you choose to ignore the problem all together.

You really can make a dent in this disease and change the overall outcome if you will become fully informed, take positive actions. You can live an active, long fulfilling life filled with adventure and fun if you get the information you need.

So take a big bite out of life and together we can help the world in the fight against diabetes!

Fight For Your LIfe!

Adversity

All of us have had to face it in our lives. Maybe it is some random misfortunate circumstance, an unexpected medical diagnosis, or a period of hardship. If your anything like me, you probably never really gave it much thought that your life could be affected by these things.

Adversity hits us all from time to time during our lives. It may be in the form of marriage trouble, a lost job, financial hardship, maybe even your health. It does not care about who it affects; all of us will face it in our lifetimes. The question is how we deal with it once it is upon us.

When the proverbial shit hits the fan and everything is going to hell in a hand basket most of us have the tendency to run and hide, duck and cover, and withdraw. Most will say that this is not the right thing to do when faced with adversity.

When I feel like a crab in a bucket and nothing seems to be going right, what ever adversity that I have in my life, I try to keep moving forward. There are many times that I feel down and defeated after what seems like a never ending string of misfortune, but I stand up and choose to deal with each obstacle, facing the adversity head on. 

I know that in your heart it feels as if you can't go on, and it feels impossible to move forward, but even one small step can make the difference. Sometimes if we stop for a moment we can find hidden blessings in our lives, it seems hard at times, but they exist.

I find comfort and strength in the water, when I am paddling, SUP surfing, swimming, diving or just hanging out at the beach I feel better and the time I spend in or on the water allows me to think things through and gain some focus. What ever your hidden blessings may be they are out there, you just have to stand up and put one foot in front of the other open your eyes and heart and you will find yours.

Ignoring the adversity I face in my life, and that you might be facing is not the answer, so for today I will choose to continue my fight to overcome!

Aloha!

Should you wear a medical ID bracelet?

Sticky Jewelry is a company in Florida that makes medical alert jewelry. They have a huge selection of bracelets, charms and necklaces.  There are all kinds of styles to choose from, I was provided with a medical alert bracelet and asked if I would wear it and write a lttle something in review.

As for looks this bracelet was super hip and kind of fit my character, laid back and all about the surf and the beach.

Believe it or not, the one thing that bugged me to no end was the litlle beed things that secured the thing to your wrsit . They would get in the way when I played my ukulele and just generally would get hooked up on things. I could see this becoming problem for someone who is active and adventourous. But again, killer design (less the beads) and look, decent functionality. All around I’d give it about a seven.

Do you need to wear one?

I have been a diabetic for seven years or so now and there have been a number of close calls during trainging for a distance paddle event where I crashed hard and could have gone into diabetic coma. I always think what would happen if I had no identification or information regarding my being a type 1 diabetic and a first responder would have not a single clue, that could be the difference between living or dying So it makes sense to me, a medical ID may save your life.

Who should consider wearing one?

Anyone who has a condition that may require special attention in the event of an emergency. For me its diabetes, but there is a list as long as my arm of different examples, heart disease, autism, asthma, food allergies…..

So if this sounds like something that might benefit you or someone you know take a look at the Sticky Jewelry web site, there are so many styles to choose from your sure to find something that you will like.

http://www.stickyj.com/



SUP SURFING – AND LIVING LIFE.....

My love for the Ocean and all things water is something that has helped me through so many tough spots over the years.

Growing up surfing and diving in the South China Sea, water skiing and wake boarding in Lake Tahoe, or running with lava rocks under the crystal blue waters of Hawaii, my heart has always been drawn to the Ocean and all things water.

Whether it's a SUP surf session or a distance paddle on my SUP race board I often find myself looking back at the land, gazing at the coast line in the distance and for a moment all life's worries are there on the shore and not in the water. It's a moment of pure freedom, of pure Aloha!

These photos were taken by a guy on the beach who offered to send them to me, "so stoked on random Aloha!"

There had been a really decent West swell that had been producing some really fun waves for the past week or so. This was the end of the swell but still super fun. The conditions in Coronado were near perfect, sunny, gentle off-shore breeze and consistent waves.

I woke up and was in the water at the crack dawn and proceeded to absolutely tear it up for about 2 1/2 hours before these pics were taken, so I actually was pretty spent and was thinking about a juicy juice.

I love this photo, it clearly shows how well the Infinity Quad SUP board that I'm riding reacts to the water and generates speed through the sections.

Short wave, but still having more fun than ever!

The only thing that I cannot escape while I'm in the water SUP surfing of SUP paddling is the fact that I am  a type1 diabetic and so I take a few precautions prior to a session like this one.

I eat breakfast and drink a bunch of water to be sure I am properly fueled and hydrated, I check my blood sugar and shoot for about 190-200. Then I will paddle out and go for it!

I carry a couple of carbohydrate gel packs under my wet suit collar for an emergency. These gel packs would provide me with plenty of sugar if I were to crash and needed to get back to the beach.

I also am very aware of how I feel physically at all times while I'm surfing, so that if I begin to go hypo-glycemic I will recognize the signs and either paddle in or eat the gels and then head in.

Please remember to be safe and take the time to deal with your diabetes, and you can live life !

Aloha.....

The Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle

2011
Doheny State Beach, Dana Point, CA

SUP with Diabetes is an inspirational blog where I share my stories and adventures with Type1 diabetes and Stand up Paddle boarding (SUP). I am trying to beat the odds and turn my diagnosis and passion for SUP racing and surfing into a platform.  As a Type1 diabetic, an Elite and top age group SUP racer I am hoping to inspire and motivate others facing obstacles in their own lives, and too help the world understand diabetes.

This past weekend I competed as an Elite paddler and an age-grouper in what the SUP community considers the premier SUP racing event of the year, the 2011 Rainbow Sandals Jerry Lopez California Battle of the Paddle.

The fourth annual Battle of the Paddle in Dana Point, CA, held on Sept. 24-25, brought out the best Stand Up Paddlers in the world. The extremely competitive races drew approximately 1,000 competitors, who chased the $25,000 prize purse, as well as thousands of local spectators. The weekend’s events were broken into multiple divisions and race types, including elite, long distance, age group races and SUP surf relays.

Thousands of spectators gathered along the shore to watch the Battle of the Paddle.

From North to South the beach was packed!

My first race was the Elite race - heat 1, with only the top half of the 80 or so racers advancing to the Elite finals.

I knew I could paddle the distance without any problem, it’s the speed and intensity of the race that I had to pay attention to. My blood glucose level was about 180, thirty minutes before the start so just about five minutes from the star I drank a bottle of Hint Water combined with a carbohydrate supplement, "good to go".

I got caught up in traffic and never recovered, stayed pretty much in the middle of the pack the whole time.

After a couple of super crazy buoy turns and some massive carnage in the waves and on the beach, I was paddling hard and determined to leave it all on the water.

My blood sugars  would not be an issue due to the short distance short distance . But they could become a factor due to the extra excitement, adrenaline, chaos and the flat out speed of Battle of the Paddle.

The crazy board to beach transition, boards flying, thousands of people screaming, some of the most fun I've had in a while. At this very moment I'm living!

In the end I finished in the middle of the pack and would not advance to the Elite finals.

Theres always next year!
 Results:
http://raceresults.eternaltiming.com/index.cfm/20110924_Rainbow_Sandals_Battle_of_the_Paddle.htm?Fuseaction=Results&Class=Elite+SUP+Heat+1+Individual%7EAll

I grabbed my board and began to prepare for the Open Age group race. My blood glucose was at about 150, I needed to eat so I had a snack and took around 3 – units. With 2 hours until the start I knew I would peak just before. So just prior to the race I tested and was around 120. So I drank another bottle of Hint Water and carbohydrate supplement and ate a Cliff bar.

The start of the Open Age Group race.

I'm feeling great and had a great start.

The bouy turns in the Open race were wild, alot of different paddlers to deal with.

No waves on the way in.

Just about to the beach and the finish.

Jay "Sparky" Longley, Paul Zacharias and Jerry Lopez

2nd Place in the Open Age-Group Race SUP Stk. 40-49 Mens division.

FullResults:

http://raceresults.eternaltiming.com/index.cfm/20110924_Rainbow_Sandals_Battle_of_the_Paddle.htm?Fuseaction=Results&Class=Age+Group+SUP+Individual%7EAll

Age Group SUP Individual Results - Stock M40-49

http://raceresults.eternaltiming.com/index.cfm/20110924_Rainbow_Sandals_Battle_of_the_Paddle.htm?Fuseaction=Results&Class=Age+Group+SUP+Individual%7EStock+M40-49

Erik Nordskog of OnIt Pro after my race. Thanks to Erik and OnIt Pro for hooking my board up with Xtreme Cream And Blue goo, its working great I feel like I am flying through the water.

http://onitpro.com/index.php

The start of the Elite race.

Just over 80 paddlers who advanced from the earlier heats line up for the start of the

2011 Battle of the Paddle

The start of the race.

This is about thirty seconds after the start. These guys are flying.

This is a great shot from the water at the start.

The carnage and mahem that took place at a few of the bouy turns was off the charts!

Here a wave breaks just as the middle pack is coming around the bouy.

Boards crashing and people flying into the water, this is racing!

Chain reaction!

 Racers and boards handelers.

The run up the sand and through the flagged area.

At the finish Conner Baxter, Jamie Mitchell and Danny Ching.

The Elite awards cerimony.

Elite Race Results:

http://raceresults.eternaltiming.com/index.cfm/20110924_Rainbow_Sandals_Battle_of_the_Paddle.htm?Fuseaction=Results&Class=Elite+SUP+Individual%7ETop20

Jerry Bess, Fernando Stalla and Giordano Capparella.

Jerry Lopez

Paul Zacharias and Jamie Mitchell rockin' the Kaenon Sunglasses.

Jimmy Terrell and Paul Zacharias

The girls of "Lazy Dogs", from Key West.

Hanging with Sandy of the "Lazy Dogs'.

Start of the Distance race on Sunday.

Water start and their off!

10 Miles of fun!

Danny Ching 1st Unlimited

Dave Bohene, Chance Feilder and Slater Trout un-official 2nd place. These guys were playing around on a new board designed for three paddlers, they were named most inspirational.

Results:

http://raceresults.eternaltiming.com/index.cfm/20110924_Rainbow_Sandals_Battle_of_the_Paddle.htm?Fuseaction=Results&Class=Distance+SUP+Individual%7EAll

Perfect way to end the day....

I met so many interesting people and had the time of my life. I learned a lot during my first attempt at the battle of the Paddle and will try to capitalize on the lessons so that next year I will do better.

Thanks to God, all my sponsors and friends and to Rainbow Sandals and Jerry Lopez for an amazing weekend of Stand Up Paddle racing.

Aloha