Eric Mitchell Clinics
When it comes to Outrigger paddling few have better credentials. During his 30+ years coaching Eric has taken numerous winning teams to state championships, from High School through to the top ranking men and women’s teams. Over the past 25 years he has medaled in every regatta and race he has entered, he has won: 138 gold medals, 28 silver medals, and 7 bronze medals. Eric Mitchell is a Master Outrigger Paddler.
Eric’s primary goal is to impart his knowledge to keen paddlers thereby helping them develop their skill set and to become better paddlers through his technique and understanding.
Eric is very excited to be coming back to Canada to work with outrigger paddlers in Kelowna
To register for Crew or Individual lessons check in at the kiosk or give us a call (250-718-4004)
I have been paddling for 20+ years. I have been a member of several different canoe clubs with different coaches and different stroke techniques. I really like the stroke technique Coach Eric teaches as it is very efficient and allows us to get a good power drive up front and throughout the stroke. Coach Eric has been the first coach that has really been able to break down the stroke and explain it so we can understand it. He also takes the time to work with each of us and is very patient. I am very happy with the results my teammates and I are getting and highly recommend him!
Leila Duim
Paddler
Coach Eric has been with our Wahine Team for some years now. He has been an incredible asset and brought us such a long way. He is extremely knowledgeable, and has excellent communication skills when correcting the stroke and explaining technique. I have never met a coach with so much patience and such a positive attitude.
Mahealani Gambill
Paddler
Eric has the ability to communicate his paddling technique in a concise, caring way. He shares his skill and knowledge with kindness and enthusiasm.
Kimberly Schneider
Paddler
I feel honoured to be learning from Coach Eric Mitchell. I can’t recall a time since I started paddling at 16 years old, that I had a coach that delivered material the way he does…technically driven and easily digestible with no ‘Coach ego’. I’ve never experienced a group of women paddling the exact same way and working together to accomplish that. Eric truly wants each paddler to perform at optimum individual level, yet never, ever looses sight of the end goal being the blend as a team, for us to be greater together than we can be alone. It’s been mind blowing! And unlike other paddling coaches I’ve had, Coach Eric has a ‘no drama’ attitude that is comforting and allows me to focus on what really matters, my progress. Thank you for letting me learn and be part of what you do Coach! I highly recommend working with Coach Eric if you have the chance to, you’ll be glad you did!
KC
Paddler
Eric Mitchell has been my coach and my friend since 2008. My name is Laura Birse. I am a SurfPark/Kawaihae team paddler, and we are blessed and fortunate to have Eric Mitchell coach us in the outrigger canoe paddling. His coaching style is very thorough and effective. Coach Eric is a very patient coach and will not give up until the paddler has made the desired adjustments. He’s also asking paddlers to be patient. Sometimes “slow is faster.” Like an Olympian, he’s focused on the perfect stroke, and when the engine is applied to the efficient stroke, the result is priceless. This is one of the many things I learned from Eric Mitchell. When it comes to racing, the perfected stroke allows the team to race with high efficiency, and the polished paddling technique prevents the common shoulder, wrist or back injuries. Eric is a very humble coach, who has been coached by Hawaii watermen legends and who to this day is following up (researching) with advanced (modern) technique from the world’s best paddlers of Tahiti – Shell Va’a. As a coach, he is very skilled and talented to be able to break down the stroke for each individual paddler. His paddling experience is invaluable for teams, who want to take their paddling to the next level. I have always enjoyed asking him to tell me how it was to train and compete with the elite Hawaiian paddlers in his racing years. When he’d share a story or two, I was always amazed how tough he had been and still is yet remain as humble as an ancestral Hawaiian waterman. Without him being my first and main coach throughout my racing years, I don’t think I would’ve continued my paddling journey this long (14 years). His coaching has helped me to become a strong and knowledgeable paddler and has allowed me to enjoy countless winning trophies from numerous open water (channel crossings) including Molokai Channel, and international competitions in Tahiti and Australia. In 2018, I represented Germany in World’s Long-Distance
Canoe Paddling Championship in Australia and I got 2 nd place in the World in the single V1 canoe. My gratitude to Eric Mitchell and his coaching and to his amazing family is endless!
Laura Birse
Paddler