24, cancer, event, family, Fundraiser, help, Hurricane, Monster and Sea, Quail Creek State Park, Relay, St George, support, Utah, Zion National Park - April 07, 2018

Paddle for Cancer - the Monster & Sea 24 - April 14-15

Details

We are joining a national event, hosted in over 25 cities and growing!

We paddle. We raise money for victims of cancer and families struggling with medical bills and care. Done.

We need 6-person teams that are willing to take 1 hour shifts, two paddlers per shift, for 24 hours. Friends, family, visitors are all welcome to come out and paddle, and/or pitch in where and when they can.

This isn't a race; no admission will be charged for the event, and State Park Superintendent Laura Melling has offered to waive entrance fees for participants and volunteers for the duration of the event - Thank you Laura!

We will have a 35' camp trailer on site (it's for sale), courtesy of BlueFinServices.com, for relay participants to nap and eat in. Please bring your own sleeping bag or bedding, including pillow, if you want one. Park restroom facilities are nearby and will be open all night. Hot water is available in the Dig Paddlesports office. Some non-campground camping will be available also for tents and small trailers. Schedule your camping experience with Dig's Bill Ennis. Tents welcome!

Food for relay participants is generously provided by Smith's Marketplace in St. George, located on the corner of Mall Dr. and Riverside Dr., just next door to the Johnson Dinosaur Discovery Site and near the soon-to-be-open Orange Peel smoothie shop #2 in St. George!

We also have door prizes being donated by various local businesses, which is very much appreciated! Paddlers round race buoys at the lake, July 2016.

How Can I Help?

To contribute to our local fund, click here:
http://www.gofundme.com/24PaddleSouthernUtah2018

Paddlers: The more the merrier. Sign up on our www.facebook.com/digpaddlsports page - click on the "Events" button, go to www.meetup.com/zionpaddlers to sign up, or email us for more information.

Dig customers tandem kayak paddle at Kolob Reservoir

Some Q & A:

Q: Is this a race?
A: No. It is a group of friends getting together to inspire their community to help families dealing with the chaos of cancer. 1 in 3 people will deal with Cancer in their life time.

Q: Why 24 hours?
A: Because it is difficult. When you are dealing with cancer it is a 24/7 beast. It takes personal focus and
being surrounded by your friends and family to battle and fight. While paddling in no way mimics that battle - focusing with friends, family and community for one purpose is very similar.

Q: Can other people paddle with us?
A: Absolutely. Encourage your community to come out and keep the team going.

Q: Can we have more than one team?
A: Yes.

Q: Is it just SUP?
A: A mixed team is a-okay. Paddleboards, kayaks, canoes, OCs, prone boards - let's do it.

Q: How does the relay work?
A: The team is comprised of 6 paddlers and breaks down to pairs for each hour. At 8 a.m the whole team, and whoever in the community shows up, paddle as a group for an hour. From there it drops down to pairs trading off every hour. To ring in the Midnight hour the group paddles together again. (Each year in Seattle the community has really rallied at this time. The team of 6 plus about 30 additional people to paddle and cheer on the team.) After midnight it drops back to pairs and then for the final hour the group paddles together to finish.

Q: Weather conditions?
A: Understand everyone's abilities on the water and, most importantly, their ability to not let ego be part of the equation. When it doubt, if mother nature is angry, don’t tick her off more by going out. Always have the goal of helping families and inspiring in mind.

Q: Can we raise funds for just one family?
A: This is up to the team. The main goal is to inspire the community to help the community. Being able to help multiple families at once. But with that said - cancer sucks and if your team decides that their efforts are best focused on one family - then absolutely do that.

Q: The money. How does this work?
A: Each team raides funds for their local community. Grass roots, on the ground help. No red tape, foundations or questions of where does the money actually go. We set up a GoFundMe account and get money to the families on a personal basis.

72 years young and paddling every week. Safety first. Kolob Reservoir.

Schedule:

7 am: Park gate opens. Paddlers convene at Dig Paddlesports' shop, get boards/kayaks/canoes/outriggers/prone boards to the water. We have SUP racks on the beach and will try to get some clean sand imported.

8 am: Group Paddle. All core team members that will complete the 24-hr relay paddle go out together for one hour. Any other paddlers are welcome to join us!