At 6:00 am on Saturday morning, I was driving towards Kihei, admiring a spectacular plum-colored sunrise over Haleakala, and trying to imagine what to expect from a “Beach Fitness and Paddle Challenge”. Having ultimate faith in Suzie Cooney, I knew that whatever it was, it was going to be FUN.
As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw the Naish/Cooney crew already in full swing setting up tents and flags, marking off big areas of Mai Poina Ole
photo by Tracy Kraft
La’u Beach with pylons for fitness stations labelled mysteriously “Zig Zag” and “Taco Roll” (huh?). At 7:00am, the paddlers began to roll in. Men and women of all ages and fitness levels showed up to participate. The Naish Maui Pro Center was on hand to demonstrate the latest SUP boards and paddles, and TRX and INDO Board had their own stations to showcase some SUP-related cross-training equipment.
After an intro speech from the ever-enthusiastic Suzie Cooney and a special guest appearance by 2x SUP Surf World Champion, Kai Lenny, we were off to the starting area. The airhorn sounded and 55 paddlers charged into the water with boards and paddles in hand. Although it was a non-competitive event, that didn’t stop everyone from trying their best and pushing themselves through the course. Around three buoys, back up to the beach, on your knees through the “Crawl” station (butt down!), up again, run side-to-side in the “Zig-Zag” station, down again, on your bellies for 10 “Pushups” (real ones!), up again, flop down to the “Taco Roll” station for a horizontal roll down a 10m stretch of flat beach (nope, it wasn’t a sushi-eating station, sigh) and then back up again to do the whole thing…all over again.
Suzie grins when she remembers the day: “I’ve never seen such a sight in my life. People covered in sand, almost puking and still smiling!”.
It was fantastic. Everyone had a blast of a time, made even more special by a raffle draw of some amazing prizes. This was my first “Beach Fitness and Paddle Challenge” and, I have to admit, I’m hooked. Can’t wait for the next one!
Thank you Suzie Cooney and Nitsan Solomonov & Dave Wissink from Naish for putting the day together. Thank you to all who participated, both paddlers and volunteers. You guys made it such a special event. Aloha!
One of the beautiful aspects of standup is it’s appeal to women. In this fine game we “play,” ladies play a key role in the sport’s development. Now and into the future. This fall and winter, SUP magazine is catching up with the female faces of SUP to find out what they’ve been up to, and what’s in store for 2012.
As an avid waterwoman, fitness expert and sports model, Suzie Cooney of Suzie Trains Maui has helped hundreds of people get in shape, conquer their fears of the ocean and experience standup paddling. Featured in SUP mag’s 2011 Summer Fitness issue, here’s what’s on tap in the wonderful world of Cooney. –-Shari Coble
How did you get into SUP?
I’ve always enjoyed being outdoors and have worked in sports orthopedics and the physical therapy field. I moved to Maui, chasing the wind for windsurfing and in April 2009 I broke both my legs. I had tried SUP just prior to my injury and thought it was a great platform for reconditioning and rehabilitating. Now as an athlete for Naish, I have developed a niche for functional training for SUP and held one of the the largest free SUP clinics with about 430 participants.
Tell us about your 2011.
2011 has been really great. I only competed in a few downwind races, including the Naish race and OluKai’s Ho’olaule’a, where I won my age group. I went to Costa Rica on a media tour and have held 10 free SUP clinics for women as well as 4 full moon paddles, which have all been a lot of fun. I’ve also written a lot of SUP fitness articles for Naish, but my biggest accomplishment of 2011 would have to be winning my age group at Ho’olaule’a. That was really big for me because it was an important goal.
What’s your favorite experience been with SUP?
A major personal breakthrough for me is helping people conquer their fear of the waves for the first time. I ease them in – practically strapping them to me – and it changes their life…it’s pretty neat. My focus isn’t racing or personal, it’s being able to just help people get out on the water standup paddling. It’s important to me to help others aspire to set goals and fine-tune land-body skills that translate to the water.
What do you have planned for 2012?
I’ll do a couple downwind races next year and am very excited to be hosting Ho’olaule’a. There will be a few free SUP clinics and I’ll be writing a lot for Naish, but before the New Year starts, I will be helping Naish hold the free and non-competitive SUP Fun Beach Fitness and Paddle Challenge.
Suzie Cooney, of Suzie Trains Maui, in action on a Naish SUP from Naish International on Vimeo.
There’s something happening world-wide on lakes, oceans, streams and even on the Colorado Rapids, Alaska and now, even on mainstream TV, like Bravo TV’s Millionaire Matchmaker, and that is stand up paddling! You wouldn’t be reading or listening to this segment if you too weren’t drawn into the explosive new craze of stand up paddling or SUP as is it a great way to get healthy.
Suzie Cooney Radio Show Segment: September 20, 2011 Maui Breakfast Club. Every Tuesday @ 7:38am Health & Fitness Segment Tweet
Why Stand Up Paddling is So Healthy Radio Segment with Suzie Cooney LISTEN HERE
Now, thousands of people are discovering that you can as I wrote in my article “Shred to Shed” and blasted on the airways just as recent as this past August.
It’s really true. SUP or stand up paddling is a known way to get healthy fast. People are rehabbing after hip or knee
Kevin V. is in amazing shape and now races nation wide!
surgeries faster, meeting new friends and new soul mates and all of this makes you healthy. Going to the gym is still great, and don’t forget, eating the right foods is paramount to eating for energy while your paddling, but wow, look what’s happening to your spouse, your friends and movie stars! Hop aboard and get healthy with SUP.
Stand up paddling is a part of all my clients’ cross-training requirements and believe me, their bodies have transformed and so has their lives, cardio health and I’ve seen waistlines shrink. Don’t think about, watch it from the beach, get on that board and paddle. You too will soon discover the joys and amazing benefits of SUP.
Another article you may enjoy talks about how SUP is helping people cope with depression. It’s a mind and body experience gliding across the water. Read my article here titled: SUP For Your Mind’s Health: Aqua Therapy For Depression.
You are one paddle stroke closer to health. Write us and let us know how SUP has changed your maybe unhealthy life, into a way of life!
Aloha and see you on the water!
Suzie Cooney, CPT of Suzie Trains Maui
Suzie Cooney is a sponsored Team SUP Rider for Naish International and is supported by OluKai Premium Footwear & Kaenon Polarized Eye-wear. She is also a Team Rider for Indo Board, certified personal trainer, radio host for the Maui Breakfast Club, Model, True Collection Athlete and hosts FREE SUP Events on the island of Maui and within other communities.
To learn more about Suzie and she can help you get healthy with SUP click here.
Paddle Your Way Sexy! SELF Magazine July 2011 Issue:
TweetStand up paddling definitely gets you in AMAZING shape. Brody Welte in Florida mentioned offers some tips through his paddle fit course on how to do so. I also teach SUP beginner to advanced, and as a competitor know first hand that this sport will transform your body! Anyone can do it and you don’t have to know how to surf!
Maui: Maliko Gulch to Kanaha Harbor 9.5 Miles of endurance, fierce competition, big glides and some of the biggest talent you’d ever seen, converged and raced July 24th, 2011
There was a sea of yellow Naish Glides ( that’s what I ride ) and others and wow, what a line of up fine athletes and new talent from around the globe! This was a well-organized event thanks to Naish International, Maui Naish Pro Center, John Gangini and Blair Thorndike. The conditions were a bit questionable, but in grand Maliko style, after brother Joe gave the most beautiful Hawaiian ”Pule” the trades seemed to pick up just at the right time.
TweetFirst out the prone paddlers, then 12 footers, 14 and then unlimited like clock work. This was a staged start, with a 3 minute hold, and it worked quite well. Sitting at the start next to my buddy Karen Wrenn and to her right our newest team rider, Chuck Patterson and to my left my local gang, Julia Schweiger, Jeremy and Jill Riggs, Simone Reddingius and a few newbies as the boards were clattering and bumping before the horn.
Photographers, Erik Aeder, Darrell Wong, and Jimmie Hepp poised and ready to shoot. Looking around to see who would take “the” line was interesting. Normally we pinch up to the right hard and steady. This time it was madness to see who would get out in front first. I watched Chuck and others watching each other. The competition was fierce and you could feel the power ready to be unleashed!
Time to go! I hit the play button on my IShuffle, first song “My Wave” by Soundgarden. Perfect! I was getting pinched hard by a gal on blue 14ft, to my right. Sorry, but I’m way more competitive than I thought. I didnt’ mean to, whoever you are; to run over your paddle but it was time to go. Rick Sands, you gave me a run for my money. Congrats on your fine finish. Jill, you were with me quite a ways and it was just like practice coming into the harbor. Super fun for sure.
photo Jimmie Hepp 2011
Coming into the harbor was a breeze this time. Tiffany Ward in front, Jill then me. The finish was 100 yards further West than last year, thank goodness. This meant that if the winds were howling side shore it wouldnt’ be as brutal getting in.
Well, of course I couldn’t catch Jamie Mitchell, Dave Kalama, Scott Turdon, Kody Kerbox, Connor Baxter, Ralf, Michi Schweigher or Jeremy Riggs; and Karen, Sonni and Allison were gone! I held my line and never looked up and thought, this is it, race day! How lucky am I to live Maui, paddle for Naish and paddle with my good friends in my own backyard. I gave it my best with a decent time and although the age group spread was HUGE( who’s in charge of that!?)30-45, I got a respectable 6th.
Congrats to everyone and to all the new faces who are joining the racing experience. I’ll be posting more highlights and updates soon. Suzie Cooney!
Just in time for Summer SUP fun and everything to keep you in SUP fit shape!
Pick up your issue of my SUP Fitness Guide in SUP Stand Up Paddler Magazine, Summer 2011, and turn to pages 58 & 62 for a few tips to keep you up and paddling strong. With tips on body endurance, leg strength and more. Carve your turns stronger, drop into bigger glides with confidence and improve your SUP race performance!
TweetTake a peak get your copy of SUP Stand Up Paddler Magazine, Summer Issue 2011:
Suzie Cooney Page 62 of the Fitness Guide photo Darrell Wong 2011 All Rights Reserved
Meet Clay Everline, MD. and get your own copy signed. He’s got a wealth of knowledge and experience and can often be seen on Oahu’s N. Shore as the doc on the beach who is ready for anything at all the big contests! He’s been my head doctor at my events and as a surfer he knows that sometimes even on the smallest of days, big things can happen. See you there!
When the big stuff goes down, are you ready? A SUP board can be very dangerous in small and big surf. Learn what to do if you get hurt, your fin slices you or someone blacks out from a board hitting them. Know right of way and how to prevent accidents on the water. These things you must know if you want to charge in big and small surf!
Introducing Clay Everline’s et al, Surf Health Handbook! I know Clay personally and think this is the most helpful, comprehensive book all stand up paddlers,
Suzie & Clay
surfers and water sports enthusiasts should have in their car or on their book shelf. I worked with Clay on this book on the fitness aspect ( see photos ) and he is spot on with the warm ups, exercises to help prevent injury and shares what to do if the worst goes down. Also see all the great tips on how to prevent and manage injuries from SUP. Get it now! Excellent work Clay! Suzie
“Surf Survival”
The surfer’s health handbook
Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. NY, NY
Synopsis
Written by 3 hardcore surf docs, this book gives surfers the complete lowdown on surfing related medical problems; how to diagnose them, how to treat them, and how to prevent them. With chapters devoted to first aid, fitness, dangerous marine animals, big wave surfing, overuse injuries, surf travel medicine and more, Surf Survival is a book no surfer should be without. Surprisingly entertaining, and very comprehensive, over 300 pages of text and 200 illustrations and photographs describe in practical terms how to deal with the myriad of injuries and ailments that can afflict surfers. From shoulder dislocations to surfer’s ear, fin cuts to first aid kits, this book is written for surfers who know that self-sufficiency is the name of the game. Don’t leave home without it.
Reviews
“This thorough, authoritative and oddly enjoyable book tells you not only how to treat surfing’s myriad ailments, but also how to prevent them. For that reason alone, it might be the most important piece of surf literature you ever buy. All that,plus lots of photos of gnarly injuries.”
- Steve Hawk, former editor of Surfer magazine
“Nobody has thought more, studied more, or cared more about the lifelong health and survival of surfers than Mark Renneker. Surf Survival brings together all that priceless knowledge, along with invaluable contributions from Nathanson and Everline, to make a must-have volume for every surfer everywhere. From surf-specific wilderness first aid–critical on any serious surf trip, anywhere on earth–to big-wave safety and even the very real scourge of surfer’s ear, it’s all here. Don’t even think about it: if surfing plays any role in your life, you need this book.”
-Daniel Duane, author of Caught Inside, A Surfer’s Year on the California Coast
“I’ve read over 100 surfing-related books, but Surf Survival is the first one that I’ll carry with me on every surf trip. ”
-Drew Sievers, The Waterman’s Library
“Good medicine, and a fun read in the bargain. Read this book and surf until
you’re 100.”
-Matt Warshaw, author of the History of Surfing
“Great book by great doctors. Doc Renneker is a Balls-to-da-Wall big wave surfer, too. What a great combo: smart and hard-core surfers who care deeply about people and their health!”
- Greg Noll, Legendary big wave surfer, author of “Da Bull, Life Over the Edge”
Book can be purchased at major bookstores, and on-line at the link below.
Clinical Assistant Professor: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Seton Hall University, School of Health and Medical Sciences and Department of Medicine, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
A healthy mind and a healthy body go hand in hand—you cannot have one, without the other. As part of my work today I continue to stress the importance of staying active, as it helps lead to improved mental health.From childhood, mental illness has had a profound impact on my life. My mother, and three more of her six siblings, lived with mental illness. My mother was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and severe depression when I was a young child. Since I can remember I was a caregiver and lived in a house that was full of pain and constant upheaval. My grandmother did what she could, but years ago there was confusion about what mental illness was and not much support.
As an only child it was overwhelming. I was fragile. I had no person, or no organization, to turn to for help or support. In an attempt to escape I moved out when I was 15 years old. Ever since then I have experienced feelings of guilt for leaving my family in a time of crisis.
Realizing I had made a mistake I returned to help. A saying of my aunt and uncle helped me stay strong and forge ahead in tough times. “The well must stay well,” they said. I did what I could to maintain by own mental and physical health to provide the best help I could for my mother.
But times were still difficult. What my mother had to experience was agonizing both for her and for me. All the doctors did was lock her up, drug her up and then put her back into society with no coping skills. Consequently, the situation repeated itself, over and over, as we moved my mother from one apartment to the next.
Finally in 1997, I moved her overnight to an amazing community of progressive care in Contra Costa County, California. For a year, my mother was furious with me for taking action this way, but eventually she realized it was the best thing to have happened. Today she is able to live independently with only weekly visits from her amazing case manager and her physician, Dr. Ziba Rahimzadeh, who has been with her for over 12 years.
Growing up in California, the ocean has always called to me. Three years ago, and living in Hawaii, I got started in the sport of stand up paddling (SUP). As a professional trainer and model, staying active was not only important to my professions but made my mind feel healthier as well. In 2009, I was injured in a freak accident, breaking both my legs. I was confined to a wheelchair for several months. My lower body atrophied in less than two weeks and I began to feel depressed.
For me, I knew that the sport I had just started only a few years prior was the way to get both my body and mind back. Being on the water was soothing, it comforted me, it made me feel connected and part of something.
After standing up and helping myself, I realized that stand up paddling was a viable way to help others achieve improved health as well. That’s why I’m honored to partner with NAMI in hosting a SUP event in the Bay Area. The founder of East Bay SUP and I had become friends through our common interest in stand up paddling. Through conversations she bravely shared with me how she had gone through periods of serious depression herself and how SUP helped her as well. I knew that we had to hold an event that would also help raise awareness for mental illness. So on June 4 in Oakland, Calif., we are holding the “Bay Area Stand Up Paddle Clinic” to help support NAMI.
SUP is very easy to learn and people of all individuals can learn. It’s an easy way to get people on the water and an effective form of relaxation and therapy. Surfing is currently being used to help U.S. veterans who have PTSD recover from the effects of war. And although some might be scared at first to get out here it’s often hard to get folks back off the water.
A special thanks to the NAMI team! See you all on Saturday. Please, never give up on the ones you care about or even yourself. Day by day, you will get stronger and healthy. This I promise. And also, give out lots of hugs! People love to feel loved. Suzie Cooney, CPT
Here is another link with more information to the event as well:
Join us for a special day of “Aloha” and give to the local chapter of NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. This charity is very near and dear to my family and to the cohost of this event. NAMI offers tremendous support and helps so many across the country. With today’s stress and life changes, your mental health is as equally important as is physical health and they are both related. SUP offers so much to everyone who learns. Anyone can do it and being outdoors and on the water is a great combination that makes you strong and feel good. You can meet wonderful new friends and watch this sport change your life! This I promise.
I’ve been teaching for some time and my greatest reward is to see people glide across the water with a smile so big, well I just can’t describe the feeling. You can do it! You don’t need to be extra strong or already fit. This sport is gentle on the body and is so easy. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be on your way to Maui catching some waves and paddling with me one day!
We have limited space so don’t miss out! I’d love to meet you.
At 6:00 am on Saturday morning, I was driving towards Kihei, admiring a spectacular plum-colored sunrise over Haleakala, and trying to imagine what to expect from a “Beach Fitness and Paddle Challenge”. Having ultimate faith in Suzie Cooney, I knew that whatever it was, it was going to be FUN.
Suzie Cooney Radio Show Segment: September 20, 2011 Maui Breakfast Club. Every Tuesday @ 7:38am Health & Fitness Segment 
