With a chilly plunge into the salty water, a 12-foot-long stock board, and a look of determination, Junior Finley Murphy slung her body over her board to commence Catalina’s 47th annual Classic Paddleboard Race. Murphy’s training, which consisted of 10-plus mile paddles, canoeing, and water polo will be tested during this 32-mile race, spanning Catalina to the Manhattan pier. For the next 6 hours and 14 minutes, Murphy paddled her way to placing third, making her the youngest girl who’s ever competed. Throughout the race, Murphy always kept her head up and in the game.
“There was never a point where I wanted to quit or where I doubted myself. The first, 17 miles, three-ish plus hours, I was paddling alongside one of my friends, so that was super helpful, but I never ever wanted to quit.” Finley Murphy said.
Finley Murphy has a line of relatives involved in lifeguarding and various water sports, which helped to establish the “love” she holds for the ocean from a young age.
“I’ve always felt very close to the water and the ocean. I swim, I play water polo, and I do everything in the ocean that [I] can, I’m just obsessed with it, It’s just a comfort to me. Whenever I’m in the water, if I’m in a bad place, if I’m feeling sick, it’s refreshing and helps put things into perspective. If I’m ever having a big problem, and go in the ocean, [when I] open [my] eyes underwater and look out at the horizon, [I] just think, wow. I’m so small, in the grand scheme of things, this problem I have is so small compared to the world, and it’s just nice to feel a part of something bigger.” Finley Murphy said.
More than just for a sport, the water had always been a part of Finley Murphy’s life, before she was even born. She explains how “[her] father got [her] house specifically so he could have access to the beach. Both of us are super in love with the water, it’s therapeutic and comforting.” Her dad, Mike Murphy, relishes on all the circumstances that brought him to stay local to where he was raised.
“When Finley was born, [I began to] really appreciate the proximity to my family, who was really instrumental in helping me look out for her. I’m really glad that this is where we stayed. Watching her grow up and watching her paddle, Catalina was indicative of that. I’m not sure she would have done that if she was living somewhere else,” Mike Murphy said.
While watching his daughter participate in various water-based activities, not only was Mike Murphy proud of her, but he was also able to admire her resilience. Something that he learned from watching her race was the “value of resilience and mental toughness, and what people can accomplish when they have that sort of mindset.” While cheering her on, Mike Murphy remembers seeing the “obvious determination” written on his daughter’s face while competing.
“I was absolutely amazed. I gotta say, I was a little teary-eyed watching her start, in part because I was excited for her, in part because I was worried, she’s a small kid. I was concerned, but I also was confident that she could finish. As the race developed, I was more shocked at how well she was doing, paddling right up alongside the people who went on to win the race. The whole time she was paddling, it made me think a lot about all the people that have been a part of her life from the time she was born, who have been great role models [who are] very supportive and always encouraging,” Mike Murphy said.
Murphy paddled and used her “competitive nature” to remain focused on her goal of placing. To Murphy, although she did want to win, and was aiming to, she mentions how her fellow competitors weren’t just “out for blood” but instead a supporting factor.
“When you’re racing, it takes the edge off when you see the person next to you, listening, bopping to the music and just throwing, a thumbs up,” Finley Murphy explains, “The paddling community in America, it’s pretty small, but everyone’s super close, and super supportive of each other.”
After finishing the race, Finley Murphy reflects on the experience and grows excited to compete in next year’s. To her, the ocean isn’t just for paddling, water isn’t just for water polo, but is something more, a guiding force. From childhood, Murphy has always viewed the ocean as an anchor in her life.
“It’s always felt very safe and consistent,” Finley Murphy vocalizes, “no matter what’s going on in the world, you’ll always have the ocean.”
