Lanikai will not participate in the Aug. 6 State Championship Regatta because of an ongoing dispute over the legality of its canoe, so Sunday's O'ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association (OHCRA) Championship Regatta will be its final race of the season.

"I really want to do well on Sunday because I know it's our last chance," said Tiana Carstairs, a paddler on the Lanikai girls 13 crew. "We're not going to state's, so we have to treat this like our state's."

Lanikai head coach Kalani Irvine said one of the most difficult aspects of his club's decision to withdraw from the state regatta was denying the youth paddlers a trip to Maui. The state regatta will be held at Hanaka'o'o Beach.

"We thought about it long and hard," Irvine said. "But in the end, we had to stick together as a club and I think the kids understand that."

Lanikai traditionally has featured a strong youth program, and this year is no exception.

"Our kids have been doing well this year and there are a lot of reasons to let them go," Irvine said. "But I think we've also been able to teach them a lot of life lessons because of this decision."

In particular, Irvine said almost all the youth paddlers in the club got to participate in regattas this year.

"Because we didn't have to worry about qualifying for state's, we were able to stick to our guns and be fair about who got to paddle," he said. "If you don't show up for practice, you don't race, no matter how good you are. In the past, I think we kind of overlooked some of those things to get our best in there."

Several of Lanikai's youth crews fared well this year, including the girls 13 crew, which is the top seed entering Sunday's OHCRA regatta.

"I was sort of disappointed when I found out we weren't going to state's because I know we have a good crew," said girls 13 paddler Hannah Smith. "But I think it also motivated us more because we wanted to do well the whole season and show that we were good enough."

Irvine said all of the paddlers in the club were informed of the decision in March, including all the youth paddlers.

Lanikai's koa canoe was declared illegal by state regatta officials because the manu (protective top for the hull) was made of fiberglass instead of wood. As a result, Lanikai officials decided not to participate in the state regatta.

"It's a good reason," Carstairs said. "It's really expensive to fix up koa boats."

James Bustamante, coach of the Lanikai boys 18 crew, said he has not heard one complaint from any of his paddlers.

"I'm sure they're disappointed that they don't get to travel, but they all have good attitudes about it," he said. "We just want to go out now and win O'ahu's and finish on a strong note."

Haven Giannasio, a paddler on the girls 14 crew, said: "I was a little disappointed because I knew the state race was going to be on Maui this year and it would have been a fun trip. But I'm totally fine with it. Our crew has bonded really well this year so it doesn't matter to us that we don't get to go to state's."

Lanikai has won four of the six regattas in the OHCRA organization this year, and it is considered one of the favorites to win the O'ahu title on Sunday. Irvine said much of his club's success will depend on the youth crews.

"It's one of our goals to win O'ahu's," he said. "And knowing that it's our last regatta of the year, I think everybody will be motivated."

Carstairs said: "It doesn't matter that we're not going to state's. It just matters that we have fun and enjoy ourselves."