Aloha Karratti and the rest of her Paddlers of Laka girls 16 crew always find gold and have a good time even if they don’t finish in first place.
Aloha Karratti and the rest of her Paddlers of Laka girls 16 crew always find gold and have a good time even if they don’t finish in first place.
But it doesn’t hurt to beat the field at a Moku O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Racing Association race.
Laka bolted to a 4-minute, 34.06-second first-place finish in a half-mile event on Saturday at the Kailana regatta, the first race of the season at Hilo Bay, where it was sunny, hot and somewhat windy.
Karratti, Ciera Kamai-Desamito, Kaleki Pakani-Flores, Ihi Kamau, Addi Reese, and Kaui Pakani-Tsukiyama edged West Hawaii rival Kai Opua, which placed second in 4:35.13, continuing a back-and-forth battle.
In the season opener, Kai Opua was first and Laka second. In the next regatta, Laka was first and Kai Opua third. Last week, it was a flip-flop.
Except for Reese, all of the Laka paddlers also compete in the girls 14 event and placed third, behind Kai Ehitu and Keauhou.
If Karratti’s name sounds familiar, it’s because her cousin Leah Karratti was a senior captain for the UH Rainbow Wahine volleyball team in 1998.
The Kamehameha sophomore, who’s in her first year with Laka, doesn’t play volleyball, but she’s on the school’s canoe paddling and water polo teams. She also surfs and dances hula, spending as much time as possible in the water.
Laka is a strong candidate to qualify for the Hawaii Canoe Racing Association state championships, which will be held Aug. 1 at Hilo Bay.
But true to her first name, Karratti cares more about her crew’s camaraderie than a final destination.
“Having fun with my crew is more important than states,” Karratti said. “I started paddling this season and I love it.”
Pakani-Tsukiyama’s sisters Keirsa and Kuulei also paddled for Laka, and both played volleyball at Waiakea. But the youngest, a Waiakea sophomore, didn’t follow her sisters on the volleyball court.
“Kaui didn’t catch the volleyball bug like her other two sisters,” said Christine Pakani, her mom and Laka’s girls coach. “But she did catch the canoe paddling bug like her sisters.”
Pakani-Flores, also a Waiakea sophomore, is Kaui’s cousin and the volleyball bug missed her, too. She’s in her second summer with Laka.
Kaui Pakani-Tsukiyama is already an accomplished paddler. She has been to the HCRA state championship the last four years, in the 13 girls last year, the 12 mixed, 12 girls, and novice mixed B in the following years.
Karratti pointed out the key to Laka’s success is pretty simple.
“We focus, stay positive and have fun,” she said.
Milolii takes gold
On Wednesday, Milolii’s one and only canoe was severely damaged in a car accident, but the West Hawaii club still won gold in the men’s novice B (first-year paddlers) with a 4:11.03 finish in a half-mile race.
Milolii borrowed a canoe from Kai Ehitu, and placed second in the women’s novice B and fifth in the mixed novice B before heading back home to Kona.
New York paddle
A Keaukaha men’s crew, including members Mark Panek and Kyle Keamo, were paddling in the New York Liberty Challenge, the largest outrigger regatta on the East Coast.
A crew from Oahu and Kauai also participated on Saturday.
Started in 1997, crews, including from Europe and the Pacific, race in the New York Harbor, East River and Hudson River.