Led by a precocious group of youth paddlers, Kane'ohe has emerged as the powerhouse in Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a this season.

After winning seven of the eight regular-season regattas, Kane'ohe enters tomorrow's Hui Wa'a Championship Regatta as the team to beat. Lokahi Canoe Club, the three-time defending Hui Wa'a champion, is the only other club expected to challenge Kane'ohe.

"I think this might be the best year we've ever had," said Kane'ohe head coach Clint Anderson. "We want to win the (Hui Wa'a) championship because we haven't won it that many times before. But there's no shame if Lokahi beats us. We're going to give it our best and if that's enough to win, we'll be happy."

The Kane'ohe youth paddlers have been giving their best all season, often times beating older competition.

"It's not a secret that we get most of our points from our kids," Anderson said. "For years and years, we've been known for having the strong kids. We're just trying to keep the tradition going."

A small but tight-knit group of teenage boys is perhaps the best example.

Keoni Anderson, Kawika Kahiapo, Justin Kumai, Seth Ramolete, Chase Silva, Gabe Tabadero and Jonathan Ukauka are all 16 or younger. They went undefeated in the boys 16 division this season.

"Once we get the lead, we just try to concentrate on getting a good time," Silva said. "We go hard all the way."

Their success did not end there. Because Kane'ohe did not have enough 18-year-old boys to make a crew in that age division, the 16s filled in. They won all but one race in the 18 division.

"We have good timing," Ukauka said. "We've been paddling together for a long time so we know what it takes."

"We learned together and we got used to each other," Ramolete said. "Now we know what it's supposed to feel like in the canoe."

Their success has not come easy. They practice five times a week, including "land" practices at least twice a week. Land practices involve running, stretching and other physical tasks.

"I rather be in the water, but the running and stuff keeps us in shape, so I don't mind," Tabadero said. "It helps us stick together, too. The coaches make us run as a group."

The ocean practices off He'eia Kea Harbor aren't exactly easy, either. Most days, the Kane'ohe paddlers are forced to paddle for two hours in stiff winds and choppy seas off Windward O'ahu.

"If you don't know what you are doing, you can get jammed up in those junk conditions," Anderson said. "But once they get used to that, they can paddle in anything."

As Ramolete put it: "I think practicing here gives us an advantage. It's hard paddling in the choppy water, but when we race in the flat water, it's easier for us."

The same crew of boys won a state championship two years ago in the 14 division, and placed second in the state in the 15 division last year. They realize the expectations that have been placed on them this year.

"We get scoldings even when we win," Ramolete said. "The coaches tell us we can get better times or stuff like that."

Similar expectations are placed on the other youth paddlers in the club, boys and girls. Just like the boys 16 crew, most of the Kane'ohe youth paddlers are placed in races against older competition.

"Part of it is because we don't have enough kids to fill all the seats," Anderson said. "But another part of it is to help them get better."

It is all part of a larger plan to transform Kane'ohe into a larger club in the future.

"The one thing we don't have in this club is a young generation (of adults)," Anderson said. "We have the kids and we have the kupunas. Hopefully these kids stay in the club and become the next generation of adults for us."

OHCRA

• Tight race: At least four clubs are expected to contend for the O'ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association championship on Sunday.

Lanikai, Kailua, Outrigger and Hui Lanakila have been at the top of the standings all season. Lanikai won four of the six regular-season regattas, and Kailua won the other two.