The small-club crew from Kawaihae showed that paddling with a ton of intensity can sometimes be unbeatable, even against the sharks from Maui’s Hawaiian, the state’s most dominant youth program.
Kawaihae’s mixed boys and girls 12 blew away Hawaiian at the 64th annual Hawaii Canoe Racing Association state championships, 2:04.68 to 2:08.98, in a quarter-mile race on Saturday at Hilo Bay.
The Moku O Hawaii crew (Keahiwai Lindsey, Kuhao Kane, Keenan Pahio, Julia Salvador, Laif Showalter, Kaila Sylva) finished the season unbeaten. Kane, Pahio, Salvador, Showalter were on Kawaihae’s mixed 12 that was third to Hawaiian’s gold crew a year ago.
“They’re easy to coach, and they pay attention,” Kawaihae coach Manny Veincent said. “The only way they win would be be intensity and training at practice. I push them that way. The kids respect it and they’re really good at training.”
The boys, Kane, Pahio and Showalter, have all been with Kawaihae for three years. Salvador is the steersman. She’s been with the club for six years, and her first state gold hit her right in the heart.
“It feels great, and I’m really emotional,” she said. “I’m proud of our crew. We stick to it, paddling with intensity. We always try to do that at practice. The way you practice is the way you perform.”
Because the four have been together for so long, they’re far more than teammates. They are canoe paddling brothers and sisters.
“Sometimes we irritate each other. But then it’s all good,” Salvador said. “It was our last race of the season and we gave it our all. I’m really proud what we did, and it feels good to represent the Big Island.”
Showalter also counted his first gold as memorable.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “We believed in ourselves and tried to do the best we can. It feels really good.”
Kane took a big-picture perspective. Like Salvador, he noted a bigger carrot at the end of the stick.
“The key to winning was that we represented the Big Island,” he said. “We had a good start and a good finish. We all get along and everybody has a good heart.”
Meanwhile, Pahio reflected before he let the good feeling of winning a gold medal sink in.
“It was really hard for us. We were third last year. We tried as hard as we could,” he said. “We got a medal and took first, but the key is what coach Manny said that the only way we could win is practice with intensity. Now, it feels awesome.”
Keaukaha steps up
The other Big Island youth crew to take gold was the Keaukaha boys 15 (Kamaha’o Kawelu, Mihi Mokiao, Kekoa Viernes, Pono Mortensen, Nainoa Reis and Ka’aina Lewis).
Keaukaha edged Oahu’s Hui Nalu in a half-mile race, 4:00.63, to 4:01.85, that was filled with four disqualifications, including Hawaiian.
Kawelu and Lewis were on the boys 13 crew that won gold in 2013. The Keaukaha boys 13 crew took third last year.
The paddlers were age eligible to paddle in boys 14, a quarter-mile race, but decided to step up for a longer-distance event.
“They’re hard working and committed to the canoe club, community and culture,” Keaukaha coach Malani Alameda said. “Most of them have been paddling since they were 10 or 11 years old in the specials event.”
Kai Ehitu’s old foe
It was Hawaiian this time around in a youth race against a Kai Ehitu crew that’s getting better with age.
In the boys 14, Hawaiian rallied past Kai Ehitu, 1:42.75 to 1:43.18, in a quarter-mile race that the Big Island crew led most of the way.
Despite a slow start, Kai Ehitu passed everyone, but about 30 yards from the finish line there was a slip on a changeover, and Hawaiian surged ahead.
It was the first loss of the season for Kai Ehitu (Nana Anakalea, Bronson Leslie, Baba Weza, Iokepa Aponte, Kalai Ballesteros, Moses Brooks).
“Right before the finish line, our canoe felt light and it was gliding,” said Anakalea, who’s been with the club eight years. “We led the whole time, but we messed up on a changeover. We’ve got to get them back next year.”
Kai Ehitu and Hawaiian’s history runs deep, and the paddlers will all jump to boys 15, a half-mile race, next year.
Anakalea, Leslie, Weza and Aponte were on the boys 13 crew that topped Hawaiian for a state crown last year at Keehi Lagoon on Oahu.
In 2012, Anakalea, Aponte and Weza were on the boys 12 crew that took state gold at Keehi Lagoon. Hawaiian was third.
Leslie had no bitter taste with a silver. He was just looking forward to next year.
“It’s a good competition with Hawaiian,” he said. “They keep us steady and committed.”
Weza, the crew’s stroker, is growing fond of fighting Hawaiian at the finish line year after year. Sometimes, he reasoned, satisfaction comes from more than just a gold medal.
“It’s good because Hawaiian makes us want to go to states every year,” he said. “Hawaiian makes us appreciate paddling even more. It’s good that we have that competition with them. We have to bring the hammer down next year.”
Two other Kai Ehitu youth crews could say the same about Lanikai of Oahu.
Kai Ehitu’s boys 12 crew almost almost gave the club another gold, but Lanikai nipped it by 97 one-hundredths of a second. Lanikai also relegated Kai Ehitu’s girls 13 to runner-up.
