Outrigger paddlers count on experience

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

With experienced paddlers and an experienced canoe, the Outrigger Canoe Club is hoping to turn Sunday's Hawaii Modular Space Na Wahine O Ke Kai into a memorable experience.

The Outrigger Canoe Club is hoping for a win in Na Wahine O Ke Kai race. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

As recently as two months ago, such a statement could have been considered absurd.

But it was Outrigger that gave hope to itself and many other clubs by winning the Dad Center Long Distance Race last month. Prior to that, Kai 'Opua — the two-time defending Na Wahine O Ke Kai champion — had been considered the overwhelming favorite in every women's race.

"I don't know if there's a word to describe how we felt that day," said Outrigger paddler Paula Crabb. "We kept thinking Kai 'Opua would catch us. When we realized we won, it was almost unbelievable."

With that, Outrigger suddenly became a contender in every race.

"It's a little bit of a surprise from the standpoint that we were getting beat on a regular basis before that," coach Bret Chuckovich said.

It's even more of a surprise when considering that the youngest Outrigger paddler is 29, and seven of the 10 women on the crew are eligible for the masters division (for paddlers age 35 and older).

"Age, to me, doesn't matter," Crabb said. "If you have the mental strength, you can do it."

Crabb should know. She turned 50 this year and is the oldest member of the crew. Still, she is the fastest solo paddler among the Outrigger women during their weekly time trials.

"This is not a young crew by any means," Chuckovich said. "But that doesn't mean they're past their prime."

At 26, Chuckovich is younger than all the women he coaches in the Outrigger crew. Crabb, in fact, coached him when he was a youth paddler starting out at Outrigger.

The Outrigger crew consists of Crabb, Katy Bourne, Kelsey Buell, Kisi Haine, Karin Hansen, Jenni Horner, Malia Kamisugi, Lisa Livingston, Mary Smolenski and Jen Thayer.

Crabb, Bourne, Haine, Kamisugi and Smolenski were also on the last Outrigger team to win the Na Wahine O Ke Kai in 1992.

"Ten years? That's a long time ago," Haine said. "But winning the Dad Center gave us the sense that we do have a chance to be up there with Kai 'Opua now."

In truth, Outrigger has been up there every year, even if not in first place. Since the first Na Wahine O Ke Kai in 1979, Outrigger has finished in the top five of every race, including five victories. No other team can claim such a streak of sustained excellence.

Making it more impressive, the current nucleus of paddlers has been with Outrigger since the 1980s.

"There's a strong sense of loyalty in this club," Haine said. "There's a deep friendship that goes back a long ways with a lot of us here."

That has helped them blend in the canoe while beating teams with younger paddlers.

"Biologically, we might not have the same muscle cells as the younger girls," Horner said. "But mentally, I think we have an edge. We don't panic when weird things happen, and we don't make as many mistakes as we did when we were younger."

Haine added: "We trust one another. That's a big key in a race like this."

Still, Outrigger is hoping for an active Kaiwi Channel on Sunday. Haine is considered an expert steerswoman, and her skills are enhanced when waves are running.

"We're all a little more comfortable in the surf," Haine said.

In a somewhat surprising move, Outrigger will paddle a koa-wood canoe on Sunday. All of the other contenders will use fiberglass canoes, which are supposed to be faster.

However, the Outrigger women have posted their fastest times in that koa canoe in the past few weeks of practice.

"We feel it's as fast as anything we own," Guild said. "There's sentimental feelings for that (koa canoe), but we wouldn't use it if we thought it was a disadvantage."

Like many of the Outrigger women, the koa canoe — named Kakina — has a winning tradition. In 1981, Crabb was a member of the crew that paddled Kakina to victory in the Na Wahine O Ke Kai.

Since then, it has been remodeled to fit modern ocean-racing specifications.

"It would be nice to win again, especially in the Kakina," Haine said. "But we just want to have a good, fun race. That's the most important thing."