Treasure Island Classic in Florida

Hi Everyone,

First I want to thank everyone for coming to the Treasure Island Classic. When I first started organizing this event we had three six man outrigger canoes, all from the same club, and a handful of single/tandem participants. This past weekend we had 16 teams of OC6s on Saturday and 48 paddlers racing on Sunday. That's a record!! I want to acknowledge Michael Sieber, Cortland Reilly and Jean Rass for steering three short course boats on Saturday, then coming in and paddling on their teams in the long course, plus they paddled single/tandem canoes on Sunday. Quite amazing, and thanks!!

Second I want to thank all my sponsors and helpers. Harry Black has supported this event from the beginning and has let us “take over” his hotel every year. This year he not only supplied the beer, but also the lunch on Sunday. He and his wife cooked and served all that food, and I can't thank them enough for their hard work. Sloppy Joe's catered the delicious food on Saturday.

Meg of Kialoa supports me every year, and congratulations to Mike Owens of the South Carolina Canoe Club for winning that beautiful paddle from Kialoa. I also want to thank Bill Edwards of MIC, Darry Jackson of Bill Jackson's and Mike Siebel of Canoe Country for their support and contributions every year. I wouldn't have all those cool raffle prizes without them.

I also would not be able to race or run this event without the people who volunteer to help me. Lewis and Erin, great job on the timing with 3 seperate starts on Saturday. Thanks to you two, and Pat, Jeannie and Glenda for helping with lunch and the awards. Beans, I needed your voice for the raffle. That was great!

In addition, I want to thank Angela, who I'm so happy to have met on the beach 4 weeks ago. She's and experienced paddler who paddled in California and recently moved here. She joined Kai aniani a few days later, and showed her Mahalo spirit by immediately volunteering to help me. She helped with timing on Sunday, which is always a sterssor for me, and was there helping to the end. My friend Glenda was also there for me this weekend, with lots of experience at doing this. Terri Bezuidenhout was in charge of photography, and we wouldn't have all these great pictures without her.

I've attached a few. To see more pictures please visit the Kai aniani website, which Terri also created at: http://www.clearwatercanoeclub.com/. Then there was Rob Mirlenbrink who had the beer there for us when we all came in!! That liquor run is most important!

I also want to congratulate my team mates for an awesome job. We had never paddled together as a team. Our steers person Mike Owens from South Carolina, Larry Frederick stroking from Gainesville, Doug and Belem who I had never met, but are from this area, and Carolyn, who I have paddled with, all did a great job. We missed John Kee and some of his team, due to a prior planned event. Anita, you did a great job getting a team together from Ft. Lauderdale, and thanks for the advanced registration mailed to me. You are quite organized. I appreciate everyone who came from out of State and to my New York friends who traveled the furthest.

Until next time....

Rea Sieber

Race Organizer,

Treasure Island Classic