Washington D.C. club feels emotion
| • | No doubt, Kai 'Opua No. 1 |
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
All 65 crews in yesterday's Bank of Hawaii Na Wahine O Ke Kai had American flags flying on the back of their canoes.
Perhaps no team could appreciate the significance of that more than the Washington Canoe Club.
The club, which is based in Washington, D.C., participated in the Na Wahine O Ke Kai for the first time yesterday. It placed 33rd overall, with a time of 7 hours, 31 minutes, 2 seconds.
But the statistics seemed insignificant when considering what the crew had to endure last week.
"There were some mixed feelings on whether or not to do this," said paddler Liz Pennisi. "It was like we were in this beautiful place when all that is still going on back home."
"That" referred to the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11. Washington Canoe Club practices on the Potomac River, about two miles from the Pentagon. Nine of the 10 team members live in the D.C. area.
"When you're actually that close to it, it's pretty disturbing," Pennisi said.
After the attacks, all activity on the Potomac River was stopped. In effect, Washington Canoe Club could not practice for the week prior to its scheduled departure for Hawai'i.
Then, the team had to change many of its flight plans because of the airport delays and new security measures, which were especially tight in Washington, D.C.
"Logistically, there were a lot of problems," said paddler Amy Potter. "But one of the reasons we came here was because of our coach. He wanted us to do it."
Their coach, Sandy Sandoval, had trained the crew for one year in preparation for the Moloka'i-to-O'ahu race. But on Sept. 11, he was called into active duty by the U.S. Navy. Hours after Sandoval reported, he discovered that several of his friends were killed in the attack on the Pentagon. A week later, he was informed that he was being laid off his normal job at American Airlines.
"Even after all that, he came to see us and told us to go for it," Potter said.
Midway across the Kaiwi Channel, the crew called Sandoval by cellular phone to describe the fun they were having on the waves.
"It's so different from paddling on the East Coast," Potter said. "To catch a wave and actually surf it is something we don't normally get to do."
What's more, the race proved to be therapeutic for the crew.
"I feel more normal than I have in a long time," Pennisi said. "Completing this race made me realize that life does go on."
Other members of the crew were Christie Carpenter, Kelly Rhodes, Coralie Miller, Alice Findler, Cheryl Zook, Caroline Brosius, Kristin Taylor and Jennifer Sanderson.
