KAILUA-KONA — The Kai Opua men brought their brooms to the water on Saturday.
The club’s open men’s crews (Novice B, Novice A, Freshmen, Sophomore, and Junior races) pulled off a rare sweep, leading Kai Opua to victory at the Keauhou Canoe Club hosted regatta at Kailua Bay.
Kai Opua comfortably took home the most points at the second regatta of the season, outpacing second place Puna 192-150. Kawaihae and Kai Ehitu tied for third, with 123 points. Keoua Honaunau led the way in Division B (50 points).
The Kai Opua men’s program is under the tutelage of first year co-coaches Thibert Lussiaa and Mesepa Tanoai. It’s a homecoming of sorts for the duo, who spent the last decade-plus with Keauhou, but initially got their start with Kai Opua.
“It was a good day, but we are not comfortable yet,” Lussiaa said. “This is a good start for the culture we are trying to bring in.”
It’s a pretty big improvement from a week ago at the first regatta of the season, where the Kai Opua crews didn’t register a gold in the five races, settling for a DQ and four runner-up finishes.
“Last week we were really feeling out the crews and seeing what the other clubs were doing,” Tanoai said. “We tried to strengthen certain areas to make crews faster without jeopardizing another.”
Just like many other sports, paddling is about more than just putting the best athletes on the water. Lussiaa and Tanoai look for crews that mesh and have the potential to get the most out of each other. It can sometimes be a season-long science experiment, but the sweep is definitely a step in the right direction.
“Sometimes a guy could be strong, but it doesn’t mean he will complement a team. It’s also about the younger guys and newer paddlers being able to take tips from the more experienced paddlers,” Tanoai said, noting that a handful of elite Red Bull sponsored paddlers have provided a big boost. “Results like today motivate the men. They know what they put in, and see the results. We don’t want to settle for just finishing first though. We want to keep getting faster and faster.”
“There’s a really unique, band of brothers type bond,” Lussiaa added.
The Kai Opua coaching tandem have long-term goals for the program, hoping to make the men a consistent, staying power throughout the year on the Big Island and eventually at the state level. But reaching that goal takes a village, and some structure.
“It’s a system, but we couldn’t do it without talent,” Tanoai said. “It takes everyone putting their knowledge together. That makes our job a lot easier.”
All the crews have some time to improve with a break in the schedule coming up. There’s a long distance race in Hilo next weekend. Kai Opua will then host the King Kamehameha Day Regatta in Kona on June 11 before a gauntlet of five straight regattas in Hilo — including the Aunty Maile/Moku O Hawaii Championships on July 16.
“The trips to Hilo are always tough, with all five races there in a row,” Lussiaa said. “It takes a toll, but all the clubs are doing the same thing. Consistency is the goal.”
