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Friday, July 21, 2000
Foti brothers
reach out to
paddling world
The Lanikai Canoe Club duo
By Brandon Lee
work at being ambassadors of
Hawaiian outrigger paddling
Star-BulletinLong-recognized among the most elite canoe paddlers in the state, brothers Jim and John Foti have shifted some of their focus away from maintaining their own competitive dominance to establishing themselves as ambassadors of the sport to paddlers from the mainland and worldwide.
Toward this end, the Foti brothers have spearheaded Hawaii contingents in mainland and foreign races, sometimes being forced to leave their Lanikai Canoe Club in the middle of the local regatta season.
This season, in particular, Jim, 33, John, 37, have missed the last two Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association regattas while competing in New York and Italy. Late last month, the Fotis were part of the third consecutive Team Hawaii men's crew to capture the Liberty World Challenge --a six-man canoe race that circles Governor's Island, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Earlier this month, the Fotis were the first Hawaiian paddlers to compete in the 7th Circumnavigation of Berggegi Island, in the Mediterranean Ocean, off the coast of Italy. The latter race --in which Jim won the sprint portion and John the distance --was in one-man outriggers.
"Paddlers are real similar in a lot of ways from culture to culture, but others definitely do not have the history with the outriggers that we Hawaiians do," Jim said. "Paddling, in general, is a big sport with sculling, kayaking and river paddling, but outriggers have only been around for about four years in Europe and are not huge yet."
"A number of the Italian guys have real potential, but they have no direction. They think the canoe is cool, they like it, they like the image and it's fun for them, but they're just winging it."
John had similar sentiments regarding mainland paddlers. Said John: "They're still pretty novice. They've got some experienced paddlers, but they don't have enough miles under their belts in our kind of canoes."
As most paddlers in Hawaii know, the Fotis aren't easily replaceable, but Lanikai has not suffered much in their absence. Lanikai won the Macfarlane Regatta at Waikiki Beach without the Fotis in their usual role as open steersmen in the surf, then went on to finish just one point behind champion Outrigger Canoe Club in the final OHCRA regular-season regatta last weekend.
With the Fotis back in town and the club having won two of the last four regattas, Lanikai is considered one of the favorites to capture its second OHCRA championship in the last three years.
The championship is set for Sunday at Keehi Lagoon, and Kailua Canoe Club and defending champion Outrigger are also considered among the favorites to win it. Kailua won three of the first four regattas this season, while perennial powerhouse Outrigger called on its membership during the second half of the season to scratch by for its lone victory.
"It was kind of a big relief for everybody, especially Jim and I, for the club to have done so well without us," John said. "It was nice that it wasn't the Jim and John show this year."
The Fotis are core members of the Lanikai senior men's crew that has won at the state championships since 1992 and has only lost a handful of races since 1994. They're determined to see the club continue to prosper.
"Ten or so years ago we helped to jumpstart our club from the brink of nonexistence, and we don't want to see all the hard work that has been put in to make the club successful go away just because we go away," John said.
Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a, Oahu's other canoe racing association, will hold its championship tomorrow at Keehi Lagoon.
