Team Paddlers

Rachel Alvarez (she/her/ella) is a paddler based in Northern California. Rachel started paddling in August of 2015, and has been hooked ever since! She has competed in team and individual races including ‘Round the Rock (Alcatraz Challenge), Catalina Crossing, Wild Buffalo Relay, and Na Wahine O Ke Kai. Her favorite part about paddling is all of the incredible people she gets to meet; and let’s be real, also the food!

Rachel was introduced to Silverback by a friend, and in addition to finding the gear eye-catching and comfortable, she was stoked about having performance wear that is also eco-friendly. As paddlers, Rachel feels that it is our responsibility to take care of our environment and make sustainable choices whenever we can. She is stoked to be part of the Silverback family and to spread the word about this amazing gear.

When Rachel is not paddling or promoting Silverback, you can find her hanging out with her husband Gregory and their two pups, Roxi and Pistachio. To connect with Rachel follow her on Instagram @rachelmargarita.

My name is Judson Grey and I am from Dana Point, California. Paddling was never something I had on my radar when I was much younger but when I was introduced to it I was hooked! Funny thing too is, I originally tried rowing at the same time as paddling in 2018 but there was something about the paddling world that made me feel at home and free. One turning point that drove me to start was watching a video of Kai Bartlett doing a run from Maui to Lanai. Watching the video led me down a rabbit hole that led me to a club in my very own city!

Outside the sense of adventure and blissfulness paddling brought me, a major factor that made this sport hold onto me with a tight grip was the community within it. By far I have never seen or bore witness to a sport where one moment you are battling, neck to neck, bumping, scratching, and rubbing boats, only to give eachother a big hug at the end of the race with smiles all around. The push we give one another through racing, is like no other, it’s a family.

I have competed in many southern California six man races such as the Catalina Crossing. In one man I recently did the Wild Buffalo race from Catalina Island to Newport Beach, paddled from Maui to Lani, Chattajack, Koa Nuii, Maliko, Solo, Gorge, and I look forward to participating in many more races to come!

Silverback Hawaii always has a place in my heart due to the family that stems around it and the product! I love the gear and designs as well! I am stoked to be a part of this team!

Paddling is not only about winning, losing, battling, racing…it’s about sharing the same love and experience with the friends, family, and loved ones you make along the way. Looking forward to seeing you guys on the water!

There was a little home made of shingles, surrounded by stone, built in a mini forest made of pine, bamboo, kumquat, avocado and bougainvillea. It was placed in the middle of the San Fernando Valley. Little Sarah was born in this home on the last day of a hot summer while her mother hung on to a chair for stability. After a short while she was moved to Eugene, Oregon to live amongst other trees and hippies. This is where she was voted most likely to save the rainforest by her high school peers.

Becoming a Feminist and equal rights advocate at 10, Vegetarian at 12, Janitor at 14 for a fancy club throughout high school, Sarah learned that ignoring waste was a convenience taking over the club. This landed her in a dumpster on a regular basis trying to fit it all in because the place she worked didn’t want to pay for more trash pickups.

Playing sports growing up and eventually coaching hurdles to middle school boys and girls, Sarah learned that wasted movement could mean the difference between winning and losing. As a Women and Gender Studies Major, Minor in Business and Dance at the University of Oregon, Sarah enjoyed watching the ducks… the ones on a lake because those ducks are enlightened as characterized by Eckhart Tolle, no wasted emotion. In her college career she made it to one football game. After securing a degree and a clear path to waiting tables, she moved back to Cali with a dream in her heart and a lot of hope for the world. She found that her origin-home-paradise had been paved over to put up a parking lot and then found a path into the film industry where she flourished and manages million dollar commercial budgets that often still allow waste management to be an afterthought. She is working to infiltrate this system… During her Malibu stint, She learned that convenience was also taking over the beach. She would take long walks on the beach picking up trash and offering bags to rich people who were letting their dogs poop on the sand, only to find later they just bagged it and left it there.

When Sarah finally moved to Marina del Rey she was introduced to the magical sport of Outrigger Canoe, whose Hawaiian culture emphasizes respect for the environment and harmony within the canoe and among people. While paddling she couldn’t avoid trash in the water, so her paddles ended early because the trash she pulled out of the water was in her foot wells, behind her seat and sometimes draped over her legs. This inconvenience led her to create the Trash Tramp that she now uses to collect trash as she continues to train #TrainingOutTheTrash. Sarah is active in the paddle community as a budding long distance paddler and Chair of the SCORA Environmental Committee founded in 2020 to help the Organization go Zero Waste. For the last few years, Trash Tramp has been a sponsor, speaker, coach and advocate at camps, clinics, and races, leading beach cleans and Trash Talks about our current trash crisis. Through Trash Tramp Inc. and while paddling, Sarah hopes that her time on the water can have a positive impact for future generations of paddlers and non-paddlers alike.

Where can you find Sarah and TrashTramp?

Instagram: @Saysayer @TheTrashTramp @quesarasarafilms
Youtube: @Saysayer
Website: Quesarasarafilms.com Trashtramp.com

Aloha, my name is May.
I’m a (very fortunate) Maui resident of 20 years.

My paddling life began in 2010 when I was talked into going to ONE canoe practice just to say I tried it.
I took one stroke and it was over.
I was in love.
In love with the feeling of the blade sliding through the water.
In love with the community immediately, it was love at first sight!
In love with a cultural aspect that paddling brings, especially here in Hawaii!!

I have had the great honor to race all the major races here in Hawaii multiple times, such as Pailolo, Na wahine, Queen Lilioukalani, the great kahakuloa, I’ve paddled across alenuihaha channel a few times plus done most one man races here on Maui as well.

Paddling is the one sport where age isn’t a hindrance.. it’s almost a bonus to be a little older and have more experience!!
The camaraderie and ohana aspect of paddling is Mind blowing!! I grew up in Sweden,
I never dreamed I’d find my happy place in the middle of the Pacific ocean in a canoe.

Of course racing, the adventures and winning medals is great!
But the ohana aspect of paddling and the lifestyle is what has kept me madly in love with this incredible sport.
On the water we are rivals, off the water we are Ohana.
It’s something you can’t describe.. it’s one of those “if you know, you know” things!
I fall more and more in love with this incredible sport and lifestyle every day ❤️

Silverback Hawaii is a company I PROUDLY will represent.
I stand behind the mission, the products and most of all the amazing Humans that back up everything they speak of with actions!
And the fact that the gear is just the absolute BEST, is just a bonus.
If we spend all our time paddling.. why not look super good and feel comfortable while doing it?!

Paddle hard and make sure you have good stories.
See y’all out on the water 🤙🏾

Growing up in Canada on Georgian Bay, I have always loved the water. I was introduced to paddling in 1998 via marathon canoe and since then the water has always had a calming yet invigorating influence on me. Stepping into that solo canoe was the first time that I felt I had control over my life – I could go in any direction, at any speed, and put as much or as little work into it as I wanted and I’d get back what I put in. Paddling opened up the world to this small town girl, literally!

My favourite part about paddling isn’t the racing, downwinding or traveling, it’s the people. No matter where I go in the world, paddlers are the best people with the biggest hearts. I love getting to know how others got into paddling, what pulls them to the water, what they have learned from paddling, and who they are outside of paddling. The paddling community has become a part of my family and I love it! It was through this family that I was introduced to Matt from Silverback Hawaii at the Gorge in 2022 after having noticed a few of his designs walking around. I was instantly drawn to the colourful and fun designs, the sun protection, and the company philosophy. Since then I have lived in my couple of Silverback Hawaii shirts!

Over the past 25 years, I’ve done a lot of racing! Starting as a Junior in Marathon canoe and now as a Masters athlete in Outrigger, I still find a thrill in pushing my limits and seeing how I stack up against the best in the World – IVF World Sprint Champion in V1 and V6, Te Aito Top 10, Kaiwi Solo Top 10, Gorge Champ, DB World Champ, Queen Lili’uokalani Champ, 4th at Na Wahine O Ke Kai, Wild Buffalo Solo Champ, never lower than 4th at any IVF World Champs V1 Event since 2008.

As fun as racing is, coaching is what fills my cup. I love helping paddlers improve on and off the water. Helping them move better, be more efficient in the canoe, learn to take more effective strokes, help them plan their race strategies, provide focus for their workouts, write programs, mostly helping them realize their potential. With my Post Concussion Syndrome limiting my own training since 2019, coaching more has helped me fill the void left from high performance training.

For those interested in learning more about my coaching services or my adventures in living my best life paddling with Post Concussion Syndrome and Type 1 Diabetes, you can find me at The Stanley Edge @thestanleyedge, thestanleyedge@gmail.com, or thestanleyedge.com