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A quick introduction
We are a club devoted to friendship, to the Hawaiian canoe culture, and to exercise!
We operate on Lady Bird Lake, next to the Austin Rowing Club, beside the Four Seasons Hotel.
Austin OCC is a small but growing club with much aloha. Our journey to the present day hasn’t been easy, but we are excited to continue the Hawaiian outrigger canoe tradition in Austin, TX for years to come. We hope that you will come paddle with us and join the AOCC ohana.
Why do we paddle?
- We hone our skills.
- We grow together as a team.
- We build strength and endurance.
- We have fun.
- We build a sense of community.
- We participate in races with our sister clubs in Dallas, Houston (two clubs), and San Antonio as well as competing in races around the country!
A little history
Carleton Kruse, Cheryl Cleland, and Karan Cleland co-founded the Texas Outrigger Canoe Club (TOCC) in Surfside Beach, Texas in 1987.
Justin McGuire (Carleton’s nephew) and Mike Brooks co-founded the Austin Outrigger Canoe Club (AOCC) in 2001 along the banks of Town Lake (now renamed Lady Bird Lake).
We paddle one OC-6, Makanalani (= “Gift from Heaven”), which was donated to AOCC by Bill Krutzer, and one OC-4, Mimi (named after the donor’s Aunt), which was donated by the very thoughtful and generous Laurie Roach.
Paddling in Texas
AOCC joined sister clubs, TOCC and HDOCC (Hoewa’a Dallas Outrigger Canoe Club) in 2007 to form the Texas Outrigger Racing Association. TORA oversees outrigger canoe racing in Texas and has standardized the procedures and rules for our races.
Due to the brutal Texas summer heat, our training / racing season is out-of-sync with clubs elsewhere in the northern hemisphere.
In Austin, we are fortunate to be able to train throughout most of the year. Our sprint season training begins in earnest in February and the sprint races are held from April through June. Our long-distance races commence in August-September and can extend through early November.
Logo design
Our logo was designed and donated by graphic artist extraordinaire, Greg Smith.
Greg came to Austin OCC from Marina del Rey OCC from the famous Stan Winston Studio.
Upon arriving in Austin, Greg began working at Troublemaker Studios (founded by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez).
After a few years, California beckoned and Greg returned to work there at Legacy Effects, the successor to Stan Winston Studio.
Thanks, Greg! We miss you!!