Maysen Marolda
Staff Writer
Saltwater makes everything better, according to Costa freshman Ryland Hart, whose love for the ocean led him to find his passion for stand up paddling at the age of five. His sister and Costa alumni Mikayla Hart, shares a similar devotion and has been a member of the University of California Los Angeles women’s rowing team since her freshman year of college.
Stand up paddle boarders maintain an upright stance on their boards and use a paddle to propel themselves through the water, while rowing is sitting down and propelling a boat by means of oars.
“Ryland competed one year with Marina Aquatic Center Junior Rowing, and decided that rowing was not his favorite activity, but rather, paddling,” Ryland’s father, Tony Hart said.
Ryland first joined the Lanakila Outrigger Keiki Program, a program that educates boys and girls of 10 to 13 years of age on the rich heritage of outrigger canoeing.
“I found an interest in paddling because I just love the ocean,” Hart said. “At eight years old, my passion for paddling grew from outrigger into stand up paddling when I acquired a strong ability to balance.”
After completing the stand up paddle Catalina Crossing at age 10, a race from Catalina Island to Newport Beach, paddling world champion Danny Ching recognized Ryland’s dedication and capability. Ching then asked him to join Team 404 as a sponsored stand up paddle racer in 2012, and Hart has ridden under his wing ever since.
“Ryland’s work ethic has absolutely contributed to his success in the sport,” Tony said. “He shows up to every practice with fire in his eyes to learn from the World Champion, or whoever is coaching that day.”
Mikayla began rowing in her senior year of high school but has been paddling outrigger canoes for ten years. Now a sophomore, Mikayla was recruited by UCLA Women’s rowing her senior year of high school, and has been on the their team ever since.
“My biggest accomplishment in rowing so far is getting the opportunity to row for an amazing school after only rowing for a short period of time,” Hart said. “My favorite part of rowing is knowing the hard work that the team puts into a race and how much the work pays off when we’ve finished.”
By age 14, Ryland asked to be tested among the top adult team in outrigger canoeing through Lanakila. He not only got to race with the top adults team, but also helped lead the kid’s team to win the Catalina World Championship Race this year, a race from Avalon to Newport.
“He’s always willing to help coach,” Tony said. “While it’s difficult to remain humble when you nearly always win, he has a great attitude when he doesn’t, and is respectful and congratulatory to those that beat him.”
According to Hart, his biggest accomplishment was in 2014, when he won first place at the Battle of the Paddle race in Dana Point, where the best stand up paddlers in the world came to compete. Other top achievements include winning first place at the 19u Catalina Crossing, and the Open Island to Island crossing.
“Ryland has great leadership qualities, he knows what strategies to use and how to implement them into the canoe,” teammate Keoni Defries said. “He also has a lot of experience and water knowledge that is important when preparing for races.”
Hart hopes to better himself every day as a paddler and someday be just as talented as his coach. According to Ryland, moving up an age division this year has raised the level of competition, making the sport more difficult yet gratifying.
“Being on the ocean and being able to feel the water and what connection it gives me to nature, and the sense of family when you are a part of this sport completely engulfs my life,” Ryland said.
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