Welcome to the official Puakea Designs blog!
“why do you paddle?” with puakea ambassador maureen taylor
Puakea Ambassador, Maureen Taylor, at our March 2022 Women’s OC Camp at NAC.
Post Authors: Maureen Taylor and Maddie Spoto
August 26, 2022
This month we are so excited to have the bubbly Maureen Taylor on our blog for our “Why do you paddle?” series! Maureen is one of our newest ambassadors with lots of energy, a contagious smile and a knack for immersing herself into new groups which you will find out why in our interview. Stay tuned till the end where Maureen shares her thoughts on our spring 2022 camps. Happy reading!
Puakea Designs [PD]: Can you tell us a little bit about your background?
Maureen Taylor [MT]: I'm originally from Michigan, but even though we had some access to lakes, I was never really a "water person" growing up…
“why do you paddle?” with puakea ambassador kylie bebe
Puakea Ambassador, Kylie Bebe, with her Kahele Pro on Oahu, where she spends as much time on the water as possible.
Post Authors: Kylie Bebe and Maddie Spoto
January 27, 2022
We are starting 2022 off by getting back into our “Why do you paddle?” series again! Last year we left off with Katie Peck and this year we are pleased to be starting with #puakeaambassador Kylie Bebe! For those that don’t know Kylie she was a Lanakila Junior paddler who moved to Oahu for college and joined the #puakeadesignshawaii crew to continue her training. Not only is she a great paddler, but she has also spent lots of time on the ocean, which you will find in our interview with her here. To learn more about her waterwoman story, read on!
Puakea Designs [PD]: To start, can you tell us a little bit of your background?
Kylie Bebe [KB]: I was born and raised in Redondo Beach, CA. For as long as I can remember I have always been infatuated with the ocean. I started surfing at a very young age and would spend as much time as possible in the water. It has always felt as if my purpose in life was to be a waterwoman…
“why do you paddle?” with puakea team rider katie peck
Puakea Team Rider, Katie Peck, paddling toward her WIN in the Female OC1 at the Chattajack race in 2019.
Post Authors: Katie Peck and Maddie Spoto
September 7, 2021
Puakea Designs (PD): Thanks Katie for taking the time to chat with us! Let’s start from the beginning...how did you start paddling?
Katie Peck (KP): I grew up outside of Philadelphia, PA. Every year, there is a dragon boat race that hosts many community teams. When I was 11, I paddled for one of these community teams that was made up of other girls adopted from China as well as our parents. I did this for two years, really enjoyed paddling, and wanted to get competitive with dragon boat. That is when I found the Philadelphia Dragon Boat Association (PDBA) youth team, the Yutes…
“why do you paddle?” with puakea ambassador, matt kearney
Puakea Ambassador, Matt Kearney of Paddle Zoo. Follow along on Matt’s paddling adventures on IG at @stokeonthewater and @paddlezoo.
Post Author: Matt Kearney
June 30th, 2021
We have been following Matt for awhile now and were so stoked to add him to our team this year! He just completed the Seventy48, so in this blog post he dives into his experience and what it took to compete in this 70 mile race.
My road to paddling competitively was a long one. I was so wrapped up with academics and my artwork while in school, I felt like I never had the time to even follow sports, much less compete in them.
I started paddling SUP recreationally in 2011 a few years after I graduated from college. It didn’t take long until the competitive bug bit me and within a matter of months I went from recreational paddling to racing my big wide recreational board. I eventually added a race board to the quiver and joined a race team.
Over the years I looked up to some of the greats of the sport…