Golden paddles

LITTLE ROCK — The Sayger children of Russellville know how to bring home the gold and the gold and the gold ... .

Eight of Steve and Lori Sayger's nine children competed in the United States Canoe Association National Canoe and Kayak Championship in Warren, Penn., earlier this month.

"Between all of us, we came back with, goodness, it had to be at least 30 medals," Lori said.

Try 46, judging from a quick count on the Canoe Association's Web site. The Sayger children are Timothy, 21; Ruth Perkins, 20; Thomas, 18; Luke, 16; Mark, 14; Philip, 12; Joshua, 11; Matthew, 9; and Ariel, 7. Of the 25 states represented, Arkansas came in third for the most points accumulated, thanks in no small part to the Saygers.

The Sayger crew, minus Timothy this time, had a little help from their coaches, Don Walls of Dover and Dale and Becky Burris of Russellville, who also competed and paired with the Sayger children for some of the team races. The Saygers' unofficial Japanese exchange student, Arkansas Tech Univer-sity student Arisa Ohhara, came along for the ride and also won a match or two (a friend of the Sayger's college-age daughter, she's become a welcome member in the Sayger household). Ohhara's brother, visiting from Japan, also came, as well as two of the Sayger children's grandparents.

And Steve and Lori, who, although they don't race often, are an important part of the family's canoeing adventures.

"I'm the canoe hauler, the canoe puter-inner, the making-sure-the-kids-have-their-life jackets-oner," Steve said. "You name it."

"That's what canoe moms and dads do," Lori said. "They shuttle."

But it's a system that works for the Sayger family. With so many children, they always struggled with more traditional sports like soccer or baseball because of equipment expenses and constant scheduling conflicts. This is something theycan do together, so that Steve and Lori never have to choose between one child's big race and another's.

"You hate to miss your kids do anything and especially when they're so spectacular," Lori said with a laugh. "I can't help but say it, but they are spectacular."

It takes a little running around, but the national competition races are set up so that Steve and Lori can pretty much watch them all, although Lori said that as the kids get older - and faster - it's more of a challenge to watch them at the starting line and then run to the other end to see them come across the finish. With their oldest daughter, Ruth, they can't keep up anymore.

The Saygers got the canoeing idea from a church friend about five years ago. They got involved with a Russellville Venture Crew, a Boy Scout group for boys and girls older than 14. They met Walls and the Burrises through Venture Crew, and the older children still meet with the group two, sometimes three times a week during the peak of the summer season to practice in the Illinois Bayou.

By their second year of canoeing, the Saygers were already attending the national competition.

"We've been going ever since," Lori said.

Far from becoming old hat, however, this year's national competitions were special. It was the first year for the whole family to go, and the first year for four of the children - Philip, Luke, Matthew and Ariel - to participate in the races.

Ariel won two first-place medals and made friends with a girl named River from North Carolina.

"My favorite part was playing with River," Ariel said.

Ariel said she thinks she's going to start practicing now to catch up with her older siblings.

"My brother Philip was the best," she said.

Will she get good enough to beat him someday?

"I don't think so," she said.

Philip, on the other hand, admitted he's not taking things too seriously just yet.

"To be honest, my favorite part is tipping over," Philip said.

"I like going to canoe practice because it's fun. There are more chances of tipping over" when not trying to win a race, he added.

Meanwhile, Matthew swears he has "never tipped over. Not in my life."

"My favorite part was the sprinting," Matthew said. "It was fun going so fast, and there's a good breeze, too."The Sayger children are home-schooled, so canoeing serves as their physical education of sorts. Lori said the children learn team work, dedication and responsibility through the sport. But the nationals also serve as vacation time for the whole Sayger family. This year's nationals were Aug. 11-16, so they arrived on Monday and made a week of it. They stayed in a farm house in the country and took a side trip to Niagara Falls.

"It's been just a blessing for us," Lori said. "Having such a large family, we don't get to do a whole lot of things together ... This has been a lot of fun." - awidner@ arkansasonline.comMedal Count:Ariel Sayger (7): two first-place medals Matthew Sayger (9): one secondplace medal Joshua Sayger (11): one secondplace medal, one third-place medal Philip Sayger (12): four first-place medals Mark Sayger (14): four first-place medals, two third-place medals Luke Sayger (16): one third-place medal Thomas Sayger (18): five first-place medals, three second-place medalsRuth Sayger Perkins (20): one first-place medal, one third-place medal Don Walls: three first-place medals, three third-place medals Arisa Ohhara: one first-place medal, one third-place medal Dale Burris: five first-place medals, two third-place medals Becky Burris: three first-place medals, two second-place medals, - from www.uscanoe.com