SANTA ANA, California - Tyler Bashor has no problem admitting he was afraid of the water.

Just getting past the surf break on a stand-up paddleboard was no easy feat, with a coach having to coax him along the jetty in the calm water at California's Doheny State Beach during his first few weeks after joining The Paddle Academy.

His mom, Andrea, thought "there wasn't an athletic bone in his body", she admits.

"That we knew of."

Back then, three years ago, Bashor couldn't have cared less about the outdoors, preferring to be glued to the television zoned out on video games.

Now Bashor stretching with friends on the grass at Doheny State Beach on a recent day is nothing like his former, scared, 12-year-old self who joined The Paddle Academy after watching his older brother, Trevor, go through the program.

Bashor is a fierce competitor on the water and considered one of the best in the state at SUP competitions for his age division.

The Paddle Academy was started by Mike Eisert, a 53-year-old who earned his reputation as a college rower in the mid-90s, a national team kayaker who also competed in surf-ski races through the years in the United States.

Basically, if the sport had a paddle, Eisert wanted to compete in it.

When stand-up paddling first took off about a decade ago, Eisert jumped aboard. Four years ago, he decided to start a pilot program to see if there was enough interest to get a group of kids together year-round who wanted to sharpen their SUP skills.

"My whole goal was to mentor kids," he says. "To find kids that were just stoked on the ocean in Orange County and who wanted to get in the water in a different way ... let's see if we can create some little stud and stud-ette racers."

The Laguna Niguel coach meets four days a week at Doheny State Beach with a group of kids ages 8-18 whose levels and expertise on a SUP vary.

Those as young as 8 perhaps have no experience with the ocean. On the other end of the spectrum, there are kids inching their way to adulthood who are considered some of the best young SUP racers around.

It's more than about just going fast on the water or being able to handle a big board in surf.

"That's just the racing aspect. The other part is mentoring in a sport they can carry on as a lifestyle forever, which is what everything is about in this area," says Eisert.

And it's the hard days - the cloudy, windy or big-wave days - that challenge the youngsters.

"They come here from school, they have to come on days they don't feel up to it," he says. "They have to get on the water. They are challenged to overcome things that are fears. They learn about the weather, safety, what the wind does to the ocean, currents; they learn about sticking to it. The biggest thing we preach - it's consistency through life that gets you where you want to be."

Jade Howson, a 14-year-old from Laguna Beach, California, is no stranger to Pacific Paddle Games. After three years training with The Paddle Academy, she came in second last year in the junior pro division and fifth in the elite technical race against top-level, experienced competitors.

"Runners, they find peace in running. I find peace in paddling, so coming here is just super fun," she says.

Robert Howson has seen his daughter go from amateur status to semipro in just a few years. He feels her skill level is high enough she can handle herself in the open ocean.

"I feel totally comfortable with her being out in the ocean 2, 3, 4 miles out," he says. "I don't sweat it."

As summer approaches, Eisert is looking forward to a new crop of students who will join The Paddle Academy. At the least, perhaps they'll find a connection with the outdoors and tune their balance skills on the water. And maybe there's a world champion just waiting to discover his or her passion for paddling.

"Our goal is to always have them following a progression," he says. "The best way to start them is in the group, to aspire to be as good as the others, yet train at their own pace."

Tribune News Service