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34 | August 3, 2017 | Malibu surfside news Sports
malibusurfsidenews.com
Athlete of the Week
10 Questions
Malibuites’ team places seventh in
paddleboard world championships
with Ryder Sturges
Ryder Sturges, 18, is a
2017 Malibu graduate who
played water polo and was
on the surf team.
How did you first get
into water sports?
I was born into a surfing
family so that’s what I did
growing up. I didn’t start
playing water polo until
the eighth grade when my
friends introduced me to it.
How often do you surf,
and where?
I try to surf every day or
whenever there are waves.
I surf all over the place
around Malibu.
Does any one moment
from your water polo
season last year stand
out?
There’s not one moment,
but the group of guys I
played with, and my coach,
I will remember for the rest
of my life.
What did you like
about going to school
in Malibu?
I liked how small it was.
Everyone knew everyone
and everyone was friendly
and not very exclusive.
Are you going to
college in the fall?
Yeah, I’m going to Mesa
Community College in San
Diego.
So would you say
there’s any mental
benefits of surfing?
Like, do you find it
meditative?
I’m not sure of that, but I
do know every single time
I get out of the water I feel
better than when I get in.
Where in the world
would you most like to
travel?
I really want to go to
western Australia. It’s super
remote and there’s some really
good waves there.
Did things you learned
22nd Century Media File Photo
surfing help at all with
water polo? Or vice
versa?
Yeah, totally. Water polo
taught me to be patient and
I think that helps with surfing.
What is your dream
job?
Pro surfer, for sure.
What’s the best advice
you’ve ever gotten?
Try not to take life so seriously.
Interview by Freelance Reporter
Ryan Flynn.
Barbara Burke
Freelance Reporter
“If you can dream it, you
can do it,” said Ryan Addison,
of Malibu.
Addison and Lockwood
Holmes placed seventh in
the team division of the
Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard
World Championships
on Sunday, July 30.
The paddleboard race
is an arduous, open-ocean
endurance trek of 32 miles
across the Ka’iwi Channel,
also known as the Moloka’i
Channel. This year, 300
racers braved the journey
and both prone and stand
up paddleboarders from
around the world competed
in solo and team divisions.
Malibu’s Tuffer Marsolek
did the race solo.
Each contestant had to
navigate through the fastest
downward route as they
crossed over one of the
world’s deepest channels,
measuring up to 2,300 feet
deep. Mid-channel waves
can crest up to 12 feet in
height.
Addison and Holmes
paddled to support Callie’s
Cause, a nonprofit charity
that the Addison family
formed to support 4-yearold
Callie Addison, who
has Dravet syndrome, a
rare form of epilepsy.
When the pair reached
the mid-channel range, Addison
posted on Facebook:
“Mid Channel Molokai.
Wind 15-20 mph. Good
bump. Not sure our place.
We’re up there!”
The pair assiduously carried
on, paddling, paddling,
paddling, the wind bouncing
them around, sea salt
lapping everywhere, and
the waves cresting unpre-
Lockwood Holmes (left)
and Ryan Addison pose
at the Molokai 2 Oahu
Paddleboard World
Championships, held
Sunday, July 30. Photo
Submitted
dictably.
The challenge is great
and the experience wears
one out, but Addison and
Holmes remained undaunted.
“Once I saw our rival,
I saw red. I told myself
it was time to gap these
guys,” Addison said. “For
my next leg, I paddled off
of pure emotion. My arms
were hurting but my brain
took over. Pain is temporary.
That fired Lockwood
up and he crushed his paddle
when it was his turn.”
When someone participates
in such a marathon,
onlookers wonder what is
going through the contestant’s
mind.
“I was thinking about a
bunch of things out there,”
Addison said. “Competition,
staying consistent
while paddling. When
things got close with
the other Californians, I
thought about my wife,
[my son] Bodie and Callie.
I thought how painful epilepsy
is and that my pain of
paddling was nowhere near
the pain of epilepsy.”
Ultimately, Addison and
Holmes finished seventh in
their team division, posting
a time of 5:56:07. Amazingly,
they had been paddling
in tumultuous waves
for almost six hours.
Recapping the event, Addison
reflected, feeling exhausted
but exhilarated.
“The weather was great
and sunny; we had winds of
15 to 20 knots in our favor,”
Addison said. “Because
of the tide, we ran a little
higher line on GPS and
once the tide switched, we
dropped down to 10-minute
sprints.
“That opened the gap
more in our favor. The difficulties
we faced were the
heat and the hard 10-to-20
sprint intervals.”
Overall, the pair had an
excellent race.
Addison posted about
the team’s finish, saying he
was pleased to do so well
against teams with former
record-breaking winners.
“This was very deep and
emotional for me,” Addison
posted. “I paddled for
special needs kids and their
families. Epilepsy families
have a huge burden on
them. It’s a whole family
burden.
“I’m grateful to my wife
Darlene for giving me the
green light. Thank you @
lockwoodholmesjr for asking
me to paddle and forcing
me off the couch. I want
to thank everyone for well
wishes and love for my
family.”