Cancer victims find an Ocean of Hope
Race Director George Loren expects approximately 80 paddlers to compete in the Rock 2 Rock paddleboard race on Sunday.
Paddling across the Catalina Channel is no easy feat. If unpredictable ocean currents and weather conditions aren’t enough to contend with, battling physical and mental fatigue adds to the challenge of completing the course that begins at Catalina Island and finishes on the mainland.
Beginning Sunday morning at the Isthmus on Catalina Island, dozens of paddlers will propel themselves on either traditional paddleboards or the increasingly popular stand-up variety 22.17 miles across the channel to Cabrillo Beach in the annual Rock 2 Rock paddleboard race.
When Rolling Hill Estates resident Phil Ambrose hits the proverbial “wall,” he looks to his board for inspiration. The Palos Verdes firefighter and L.A. County lifeguard is one of a number of paddlers who will be representing the Ocean of Hope, an organization of paddleboarders and outrigger-canoe paddlers who utilize races to raise funds for the Sarcoma Alliance.
The Ocean of Hope uses the moniker O2H, a slight variation of H2O, the molecular formula for water. O2H has become the leading fundraiser for the Sarcoma Alliance, raising almost $600,000 since its inception at the Catalina Classic paddleboard race in 1999.
The two fastest times in last year’s Rock 2 Rock were posted by racers using stand-up paddleboards.
Sarcoma is a cancer of connective tissue, including muscle, bone, fat, nerve, cartilage and blood vessels and strikes men, women and children of all ages. Although rare, approximately 14,000 new cases of sarcoma are diagnosed each year in the United States.
“Paddling for Ocean of Hope, I’ve had several names on my board of heroic people both battling — as well as defeated — by sarcoma,” Ambrose said. “Their stories are all incredibly sad and tragic. When things get tough across the channel I think about how any one of those persons would trade places with me in a heartbeat if they could.”
Ambrose acknowledged a demanding schedule will not prevent him from supporting O2H.
“This year things are very busy for me with work and family but O2H has drawn me back in,” said Ambrose, who placed 26th in the Rock 2 Rock last year with a time of 4 hours, 30 minutes, 56 seconds. “I’ll find time to train, I’ll finish the race, and I’ll pray that there are no new names to put on our boards.”
Ambrose became involved with O2H through San Pedro resident Fred Sardisco.
“I had noticed the logos and had talked to Fred about it,” Ambrose said. “My mother is a cancer survivor. I have had a few friends recently diagnosed so it was important to me. I’m far from being an elite paddler and quickly learned the O2H cause is much bigger than the race itself. As a fundraising organization it is outstanding. It has true volunteerism with incredible percentages going towards the cause rather than bloated overhead. I enjoy the common bond with the ocean-centric group.”
Sardisco, an L.A. City lifeguard, is a co-team captain of O2H with Redondo Beach resident Aimee Spector. The two competed in the Stock Relay in last year’s Rock 2 Rock event, placing 23rd with a time of 4:28:52.
“I became involved in the Ocean of Hope Campaign ‘O2H’ through word of mouth,” Sardisco said. “My uncle’s neighbor was a paddler for the Ocean of Hope team and my uncle told me about it. I did a little research and connected with Mark Schulein, who was the O2H team captain at the time. After speaking with him and hearing about all the great things they do for people affected by this rare form of cancer, I was excited to be a part of such a good cause. I figured that I already do a lot of paddling, so I might as well do some good while I paddle.
“The paddle boarding community and Ocean of Hope team are such a great group of people. They are some of the kindest, generous, smartest, and all around great people; not to forget to mention they are great athletes too.”
Spector is a member of the Lanakila Outrigger Canoe Club and has decided to paddleboard solo in the Rock 2 Rock this year.
“Normally I am a consummate outrigger canoe paddler and only dabble in the fine art of paddleboarding when the whimsy hits me,” Spector said. ”But I am dedicated to O2H and I thought I might as well put that one under my belt as well, because all of the money I raise and the training I put into it and the time it takes is dedicated to people suffering from sarcoma cancer that I may never meet but can help through my efforts.”
Spector, a Special Education teacher at Redondo Union High School, said she prefers canoeing to paddleboarding but that each sport has its own reward and punishment.
“I’m very driven and a self-motivated person, but I love the team aspect of canoeing,” Spector said. “However, the paddleboard races such as Rock 2 Rock and Catalina Classic are vital to our cause. We try to raise more money than the previous year and last year we raised $65,000.”
Anthony Vela celebrates his finish last year after winning the Unlimited Solo division with a time of 3:52:48.
Spector said that much of the money raised helps patients receive an additional diagnosis. A tent staffed with O2H volunteers will be at the finish on Cabrillo Beach.
“Second opinions are very important in the treatment of sarcoma,” Spector said. “Because it is a rare form of cancer, it is often misdiagnosed.”
O2H team members joining Ambrose, Sardisco and Spector in the Rock 2 Rock paddle will be Redondo Beach resident Joel Pepper; Steve Shikiya, a cancer survivor from Palos Verdes who was new to paddleboarding last year yet completed three races; Newport Beach resident Mike Rogers, who fundraised over $15,000 for O2H last year; Hawaiian SUP waterman Scott Gamble, and Steve Shlens, a skilled paddleboarder from Santa Barbara who joined the O2H team this year.
“As a paddleboard racer for the past three years, I had seen and heard about Ocean of Hope but knew very little,” Shlens said. “In June of last year, I injured my back mid season and had to undergo surgery for which there were some complications. While I’m well now and have gotten past that, those complications had me bedridden for weeks unable to move. That experience opened my eyes to the fact that I have been blessed with a wonderful life and wonderful experiences and I needed to share with those who have it harder and give where I can. My friend Joel Pepper, a longtime member of O2H, recommended I start here. I’m glad I did.
“O2H is a terrific group of supportive individuals giving back by doing what they love. Aimee is a ‘team captain’ who inspires in her caring attitude and giving. I am impressed with O2H’s set up and how the grand majority of every dollar brought in goes to those in need, not to overhead. It’s well run, set up to benefit those who need it, and I feel I’m doing something beneficial even when engaging in this individual endeavor.”
Started by famed paddleboard shaper Joe Bark, the Rock 2 Rock race began in 1997 starting at the Isthmus and finishing at the former Marineland site on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The course was altered last year to a more easterly direction, adding a mile and a new finish at Cabrillo Beach but the times were faster with the help of a west wind and swell.
Stand-up paddler and Palos Verdes native Jared Vargas is the defending champion, completing the 2011 race in 3 hours, 34 minutes, 20 seconds, ahead of fellow stand-up paddler Tom Gallagher (3:46:49).
Los Angeles County lifeguard Anthony Vela was the first traditional paddleboarder to finish with a time of 3:52:48 while Race Director George Loren placed second at 3:55:01.
This year, as last year, Rock 2 Rock and Loren are dedicating proceeds from the race to O2H. Bark continues his involvement with the race, donating a paddleboard for the O2H raffle.
“Ocean of Hope is one charity that is synonymous with paddleboarding,” Loren said. “Along with benefitting such a good cause, Ocean of Hope volunteers have provided so much help for paddleboarders, particularly in Catalina-based events.”
The Rock 2 Rock is a considered a tune up race for both Molokai 2 Oahu in July and the Catalina Classic in August, making it fun, yet competitive for the paddlers. It is also a qualifier for the Catalina Classic. The three races comprise what is known as the Trifecta of paddleboard races.
Loren expects approximately 80 paddlers to compete in this year’s Rock 2 Rock race.
“We have quite a few first-time paddlers this year who are trying to qualify for the Catalina Classic,” Loren said. “Then there’s Scott Lincoln, the only paddler who has raced in every Rock 2 Rock since it began.”
Typically held on Father’s Day weekend, the Rock 2 Rock also includes relay divisions creating a more casual atmosphere.
Loren is excited to see a new generation of paddlers involved with the race. After competing solo last year, Loren will spend Sunday morning racing in the relay division with a 12-year-old teammate.
“We also have a 15-year-old boy who will be making his first solo attempt to cross the Channel,” Loren said.
“The Rock 2 Rock is a far less rigorous affair done in the early season with a much more relaxed attitude,” Shlens said. “It’s less structured so people can have fun relays, draft each other, or just enjoy the outdoors. The Catalina Classic, on the other hand, is the ‘granddaddy’ of paddleboard racing. It’s the race by which all others are measured. Running from Catalina to the Manhattan Beach Pier, it’s 32 grueling miles with a long-standing history. Everyone must have an escort boat, drafting is strictly forbidden, and stock boards — those that are 12 feet long — must weigh at least 20 pounds. By doing so, you’re not so much racing each other as racing history.”