Dolan transitions from ocean to flat-water paddling

(San Diego, Calif.) - Chances are, no matter the season, you will find 18-year-old Ryan Dolan near some body of water.

"Anything that's a water sport I like to do," said Dolan, who grew up in Hawaii. "From surfing to ocean paddling to swimming or hanging out at the beach-I like that."

Lately, more often than not you will find Dolan near a lake or a reservoir training with his kayak.

This week he is in Sydney to race two events in the Australian Olympic Youth Festival, a juniors competition that mimics the Olympics and uses many of the venues from the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

"You live in the Olympic Village," Dolan said. "There [are] opening ceremonies, closing ceremonies, and it's a good fun way for junior athletes to experience...what an Olympic experience would be like."

The Opening Ceremonies begin Wednesday, and Dolan will compete in the K-1 1000-meter race Thursday and the K-1 500-meter race Friday, his most competitive races to date.

"There are just more quality countries here," Dolan said.

Dolan didn't start as a flat-water kayaker. Growing up in Kailua, on the island of Oahu, Dolan's first love was the popular Hawaiian sport of outrigger canoeing.

In outrigger canoeing, the athletes compete in boats of one, two or six people, and use single-bladed paddles to propel them long distances-anywhere from 10 to 30 miles-across the ocean.

"In Hawaii it's huge," Dolan said. "It's a total culture thing. It's been going on since the ancient Hawaiians found the Hawaiian Islands."

Dolan's older siblings were competing in the sport, so his mother signed Dolan up as well. Over the years he moved through the different age groups and eventually started competing in the men's open division.

In November 2007, Dolan's coaches convinced him to try sprint kayaking. One year later he moved to San Diego to train with the US Canoe/Kayak team, and now he is aiming for the Olympics in 2012, 2016 and beyond.

"That's what I'm going for, [London 2012]. And if I don't make that, then hopefully the next one," Dolan said. "I think kayakers can go up to 30 or more years old."

The transition from outrigger canoeing on the ocean to sprint kayaking on flat water offered its challenges, but so far Dolan has seen his share of success. Most recently, Dolan won the silver medal in the K-1 500-meter race and placed fourth in the K-1 1000-meter race at the Moscow Junior International Regatta in September.

"It was a really good experience," he said.

The outrigger canoeing Dolan did in Hawaii and the flat-water kayaking he does now both involve paddling a boat through the water, but the comparisons stop there.

"They are two completely different animals," Dolan said. "There's always something fun paddling in the ocean, but it's a completely different sport."

For starters, the kayaks Dolan now races in are one-man boats and the paddles are double-bladed.

Beyond that, the outrigger canoe races in Hawaii are considerably longer, and involve catching waves or runs, like on a surfboard, and linking those together.

"It's also hard because I was used to being in the ocean, and sprint kayaking was in the flat water, so it was a bit of [of a transition] going in the flat water," Dolan said. "But I've gotten used to it."

Dolan said the flat-water paddling is more disciplined and has more emphasis on technique, adding that the learning curve has been steep for him.

"It was hard because I wasn't used to the balance," Dolan said. "The boats were really tippy, so for the first month or so I would fall in and do a lot of swimming. ... I'm still working on my balance."

He is reluctant to pick a favorite because each discipline has its benefits. Ultimately though, his heart belongs to the sport he grew up with.
 
"In the ocean there is always new scenery," Dolan said. He also gravitates toward the excitement and unpredictability of ocean water.

However, the excitement of competition and new experiences seem to be enough motivation for Dolan to stay the course. 

"[In kayaking,] you get to travel the world and compete against a bunch of different countries," he continues.

So far, Dolan is content with his decision to take up kayaking. Thanks in part to his sponsors and the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation, which helps fund Hawaiian athletes, Dolan has traveled throughout the US and Canada, to Russia, and now to Australia.

In San Diego, Dolan enjoys his teammates and the training sessions. His older brother Patrick also trains with the US team in San Diego, and the two hope to compete in a K-2 race at either the 2012 or 2016 Olympics.

Dolan also has enrolled part-time at Southwestern College and hopes to eventually transfer to University of California-San Diego or the University of Southern California.

No matter what, Hawaii will always be home for Dolan, and he will continue to compete in outrigger canoeing as much as he can.

"Overall [San Diego] has been really good," Dolan said. "It's hard to match a place like Hawaii, and it's hard to match a place where you're from, but overall I think it's probably the closest thing to Hawaii."

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Tags: Australian Youth Olympic Festival, kayak, Ryan Dolan