With how dominant Kai ‘Ehitu Canoe Club has been all season, Saturday’s Hawaii Canoe Racing Association’s (HCRA) State Championship Regatta victory came as no surprise.
Kai ‘Ehitu tallied 213 points and nine medals on O‘ahu, winning the AAA division as the the Big Island’s top overall finisher. The team also accumulated the third-most medals of any club across the four divisions in attendance with nine.
With an impressive state win to cap off a regatta season that featured four island victories and an Aunty Maile/Moko ‘O Hawai‘i Championship, perhaps nobody was prouder of his club than head coach Richard Kimitete.
“Our paddlers worked hard — they committed themselves, and winning the AAA division was the perfect outcome. I am so proud of everyone; they earned this,” he told West Hawaii Today. “Our team represented our communities and families well, and we should all be very proud of them.”
“The MOKU canoe clubs did an amazing job in representing our association with the five other associations at the event,” Kai ‘Ehitu men’s coach Eddie Hayward added. “Typically, the clubs of the host island tend to show out, whereas other associations may be less due to the expense of travel. For our association to make the travel to O‘ahu and place well shows how passionate we are about paddling and course competing.”
Kai ‘Ehitu’s four gold-medal victories were in the boys age-15 (3:52.67), men’s masters age-60 (3:49.89), senior men’s masters age-50 (3:29.87) and men’s masters age-40 (3:41.32) competitions. The club additionally placed second in the boys age-14 competition and third in the men’s novice, boys 18-and-under, men’s freshmen and men’s sophomore races.
“I want to thank God for all he has done for us this season — for guiding us, protecting us and constantly lifting us up on this journey,” Kimitete continued. “I want to thank my mom and dad, for without them, Kai ‘Ehitu would not exist.
“I’d like to also thank our ‘A-Team,’ which is our board members for taking care of us behind the scenes. Thank you to my sisters, Healani, Puamaile and Alofa for being the backbone of our club, our coaches for their time and knowledge, all Kai ‘Ehitu Canoe Club members, my three kids on the mainland, my wife Jackie and all family and friends from afar who maintained their love and support. From beginning to end, there was nothing but good vibes, and that carried us through the state championship this weekend.”
Kai ‘Ehitu’s next venture will be back on the Big Island, where the club will compete against some of the best paddlers on the planet in the International Va‘a Federation (IVF) World Sprints — beginning Aug. 13 in Hilo. The team will have paddlers in the World Elite and World Club competitions.
Other Hawai‘i Island finishers
Kai ‘Ehitu wasn’t the only Big Isle club to bring home hardware over the weekend. Kawaihae Canoe Club won the AA division with 133 points and five medals — including two victories in the girls age-13 (2:09.21) and mixed novice (Group B, 2:06.14) competitions. Kawaihae also won three silver in the girls age-12, women’s freshmen and women’s sophomore races.
“It was an awesome day,” Kawaihae Director Tricia Bell told West Hawaii Today. “Everyone is so positive and excited to be on the water. We all worked and practiced hard to qualify to get to the championship race and compete with the best in the state.
“Mahalo to head coach John Salvador and his coaching team for their dedication and commitment to our paddlers to train for competition.”
The remainder of the Big Island finishers can be found below:
AAA
• Puna Canoe Club – 191 points
• Kai Opua Canoe Club – 169 points
• Kai Opua Canoe Club – 169 points
• Keaukaha Canoe Club – 168 points
AA
• Keauhou Canoe Club – 35 points
A
• Keoua Honaunau Canoe Club – 28 points
• Kamehameha Canoe Club-Hilo – 28 points
• Hui Wa‘a ‘O Waiakea – 24 points
• Paddlers of Laka – 14 points
• Na Wa‘a Hanakahi – 11 points
• Waikoloa Canoe Club – 8 points
• Hoemana – 7 points