Purpose
The purpose of Oceanside Outrigger Canoe Club is to promote the sport of outrigger canoe paddling through programs that include racing and recreational paddling for adults and youth. We promote respect for the ocean, community, and family, and encourage teamwork using the outrigger canoe and the culture it embodies to accomplish these objectives. Membership in the Club is open to anyone regardless of age or sex. Membership is valid after payment of dues and proper annual execution of an application form, membership agreement and waiver of liability form. Benefits members receive in exchange for their payment of dues include coached workouts for racing paddlers, recreational paddles for non-racing paddlers, and use of OOCC canoes and equipment. In return, members agree to abide by our club rules and responsibilities which are reflected in our club by-laws and membership agreement.
Mission
The mission of Oceanside Outrigger Ohana is to perpetuate and enhance the culture and lifestyle of outrigger canoe paddling with integrity and respect for the community, traditions, and evolution of the sport. Key tenets of our mission include the following:
- Maintain and perpetuate outrigger canoe culture and competitive paddling;
- Teach, train, instruct, and expose, children, men and women to the ancient art, craft, and history of outrigger canoe paddling;
- Provide the means and facilities for activities which foster the development and maintenance of strong and healthy minds, bodies, and spirits among all people;
- Provide opportunities for the interaction and communion of people in the interest of mental and social well-being; and
- Perpetuate and sustain outrigger canoe paddling as a true expression of Aloha to the friends and family of Oceanside Outrigger Canoe Club and the community and visitors to Southern California, North San Diego County, and Oceanside, California.
Status
OOCC has over 200 members and is a non-sectarian, non-partisan organization with non-profit status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Federal Internal Revenue Code. OOCC is one of approximately 30 member clubs of the Southern California Outrigger Association (SCORA), an organization that sponsors outrigger canoe races. Oceanside Outrigger Canoe Club has been a member of SCORA (formerly Kalifornia Outrigger Association, KOA) since 1999, making our club synonymous with the spirit of aloha.
Core Values
Oceanside Outrigger Canoe Club strives to create an atmosphere during our paddling, training and socializing that is inspired by the Spirit of Aloha. All Club members are required to agree to a basic code of conduct as outlined in the OOCC Member Agreement that promises respect for others including fellow club members and coaches.
Aloha
Aloha means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth in caring with no obligation in return. It is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence. Aloha means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen and to know the unknowable.
It is this concept more than any other that distinguishes the Hawaiian culture. It also allows an outrigger canoe club and its members to grow and thrive. Oceanside Outrigger embraces the Spirit of Aloha as a way to intertwine the cultural history and spirit of Outrigger Canoeing with today’s club members. We believe that by embracing, living, training with and respecting the Spirit of Aloha, members of OOCC and their families are guaranteed a welcoming and comfortable place to join, participate, workout and race.
Aloha Spirit:
In the beginning A (pronounced “ahh”), the eternal light giver created Namaka O Kahai (the great power of the sea). But A saw the seas were alone, so he freed Pele. Pele created the lands and, even now, she constantly renews them. The people who found the islands of Hawai’i hailed it as a place of blessed “alo” or “aloha” meaning “in the presence of A”. Life in old Hawai’i was a spiritual experience. There was aloha everywhere; in the people, plants, animals, rocks and reefs. Even in the canoes and paddles and the tools used to make them.
AKAHAI [ah kah hai’] kindness, modesty, gentleness, unpretentiousness, unassuming, tenderness
LÔKAHI [LOH’ kah hee] oneness, unity, agreement, accord, unison, harmony
OLU’OLU [oh’ loo oh’ loo] refreshing, polite, agreeable, pleasant, content, happy, gracious, congenial, cordial
HA’AHA’A [hah’ ah hah’ ah] humility, humbled, humbleness, self-effacing, modest AHONUI [ah hoh nui’] patience, perseverance, enduring, long-suffering, tolerance
Aloha is more than a cordial greeting or farewell or a salutation. Aloha is a way of life. “Live Aloha” is an expression of a deep sense of belonging to a community and caring for each other. Each of us can improve our community by our individual and collective actions. Each of us has that responsibility. If we act with courtesy and caring, the community we value will be strengthened.