Youth sparks Kane'ohe canoe win

More than 1,000 paddlers competed in the Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a organization's Kamehameha/Adam Ahai Memorial Regatta at Ke'ehi Lagoon. Kane'ohe won with 64 points, followed by Lokahi (56) and Koa Kai (48). Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser*

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Even with new paddlers and a new canoe, the future may be now for the Kane'ohe Canoe Club.

Kane'ohe scored 64 points in 36 races to win the Kamehameha/Adam Ahai Memorial Regatta yesterday at Ke'ehi Lagoon. More than 1,000 paddlers participated in the season opener of the Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a organization.

Perennial power Lokahi was second with 56 points. Koa Kai was third overall with 48 points, and won the A division for smaller clubs.

"I promise, we weren't expecting to win anything this year," said Kane'ohe head coach Clint Anderson. "We were kind of looking at this as a rebuilding year because we lost a lot of kids from last year and had to sign up a lot of new ones."

Still, Kane'ohe's strength will once again be its youth. Of Kane'ohe's regatta-high eight race victories yesterday, six came from its youth crews: boys 12s and 15s, and girls 13s, 14s, 15s and 18s.

James Digloria, right, is greeted by Koa Kai teammate Jennifer Army after the men's sophomore race at Ke'ehi Lagoon. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser*

"Our kids work hard, no matter what," Anderson said. "Even though we have a lot of new kids this year, they've been training hard for this. Just like in all our past years, the kids are going to have to score big points."

Kane'ohe also unveiled a new canoe yesterday — an $8,000 fiberglass model named "Tero'onui." Translated loosely in Tahitian, the name means "to excel ahead in the future."

Anderson said the club held several fund-raisers during the past few years to earn enough money for the canoe.

"When the other teams buy new toys, you want one too," Anderson said. "So it's just a matter of us keeping up with the latest equipment."

Lokahi, which has won 14 of the last 15 Hui Wa'a championships, won just three races yesterday: freshman men, sophomore women and senior women.

The 56 points were Lokahi's lowest total in three years.

"We had some key paddlers out because of Memorial Day weekend," said Lokahi head coach Robert Viernes. "We kind of had to scramble for paddlers."

Close competition

Even if Lokahi reaches full strength in the upcoming weeks, Viernes expects the competition to remain close with Kane'ohe.

"We won't score as many points as we have in the past," he said. "But we should improve. I expect it to be tight (with Kane'ohe) every week."

Viernes said Lokahi's strength will once again be its adults.

"We lost some women, but they'll be strong again," he said. "And we picked up a lot of men, so we should be strong there, too."

The Lokahi crew of Theresa Gerry, Jenn Thompson, Dy Valdez, Kanesa Duncan, Kini Neal and Iwa Bush won the prestigious senior women's race by an impressive 42 seconds. It was Lokahi's 39th consecutive victory against Hui Wa'a competition in that division, a streak dating to 1997.

The top men's performance yesterday came from Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i. The crew of Jason Bellefeuille, Greg Pavao, Kahele Anderson, Rolly Padello, Danny Sanchez and Chris Gibson won the senior men's race by 25 seconds.

Bellefeuille, Anderson and Pavao then joined BJ Bagood to win the open-4 men's race by 22 seconds.

"We haven't picked up that many new guys," Pavao said. "But our whole training program has become more focused and intense, and I think it shows."

Koa Kai dominated the A division, and finished ahead of three teams in the AA division. Windward Kai was second in the A division with 29 points.

Koa Kai's six race victories was topped only by Kane'ohe's eight.

"We have the quality, what we don't have right now is steersman," Koa Kai head coach Joe Kim said. "We probably have enough (paddlers) to move up (to the AA division), but without steersmen, we can't do it."

Upcoming regattas:

Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a
Sunday: Waikiki Yacht Club Regatta at Ma'ili Beach Park

O'ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association
Sunday: Clement D. Paiaina Regatta at Ke'ehi Lagoon