WAIKOLOA — With a new head coach and a freshly blessed koa canoe, it’s a year of new beginnings for Waikoloa Canoe Club.
WAIKOLOA — With a new head coach and a freshly blessed koa canoe, it’s a year of new beginnings for Waikoloa Canoe Club.
Ed Teixeira is the new man at the helm of the club on the Kohala Coast. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Teixeira recently served as the interim head of Hawaii County Civil Defense, a role where safety was among his top priorities.
“When we are talking all about working on the water — whether it is surfing, fishing, paddling or really anything — safety is always the No. 1 priority,” Teixeira said. “Things can change so quickly on the water, especially out here in Waikoloa.”
Teixeira, a Honolulu native, has a long resume in the sport. He remembers watching crews paddle on the Ala Wai Canal growing up, wanting to join, which he eventually did as a teen. He has been linked to paddling ever since, outside of some intermittent breaks for college and work, which includes his most recent stint with the county and 26 years in the U.S. Army.
The club has been practicing for a little under a month and has held multiple membership drives at Anaehoomalu Bay. Teixeira, who joined the club back in 1999, has liked what he’s seen so far.
“Our older members have brought us some new blood with people from the recreational side that want to get into competitive paddling,” he said. “Waikoloa as a club has waxed and waned over the years. I think notoriously, we have been a small club due to the type of demographics we have over here. But as the area continues to grow, we would like to eventually see our numbers increase as well.”
Another challenge for the club has been reinvigorating the youth program. Teixeira said he’s shocked when he goes to the schools in the area and sees how many youths have not been in a canoe before.
“I tell them if they live in Hawaii and have not paddled, they really should. I know all the clubs are looking for young paddlers, and that’s because it is essential to rebuilding a program,” Teixeira said. “For us getting the kids down here from Waikoloa Village or even Waimea is tough. So currently we are looking into transportation.”
The club also welcomed back its koa canoe this weekend, Kama O Ka Lani, with a blessing at the bay.
Without their trusty koa, Waikoloa won the Division C title at last year’s Aunty Maile/Moku O Hawaii Championships, racing in nine events with two silver crews.
Still a few months out from the Moku O Hawaii season, Teixeira is not quite sure where the bar is set this year, although he is certain of one thing.
“Whether we show up with one crew, or 10 crews, whatever — it has to be all quality. That’s what we are after,” he said.
Teixeira’s primary goal is to see the Waikoloa Canoe Club expand, but on a larger scale, he wants to see the sport grow as a whole.
“Canoe paddling is a bridge to the past. There are a lot of great clubs, up and down the west coast of the island,” he said. “You get to be in the water and enjoy the best resource in the state, which in my opinion is the ocean.”
For more information, visit waikoloacanoeclub.com.