Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.

Monday, August 7, 2000

Lanikai is state’s
best canoe club

The Oahu organization wins
the 50th Hawaiian Canoe Racing
Association Championship Regatta

---

By Brandon Lee
Special to the Star-Bulletin

The hype entering last Saturday's 50th Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship Regatta centered on a neighbor island club's shot at redemption.

From the very first race at Keehi Lagoon, however, it became clear that an Oahu club that had toiled steadily if unspectacularly since last year's disputed championship was intent on seizing vindication of its own.

At last year's championship on Maui, the Valley Isle's own Hawaiian Canoe Club was leading Lanikai Canoe of windward Oahu by six points when the regatta was called off due to darkness with two races still remaining. The races were never completed and no eventual winner was declared for the last championship of the previous millennium.

Since the controversial decision was handed down by HCRA officials last year, Hawaiian paddlers' general sentiment that they were robbed at the doorstep of becoming the second neighbor island club (Hanalei Civic of Kauai in 1982) to win a state championship has been well documented. The fact that Lanikai -- well within reach of Hawaiian -- was snubbed of an opportunity to win a second championship since 1996 received comparably little attention.

From the very first race of the first championship of the new millennium, however, Lanikai and its paddlers got everyone's attention.

Lanikai won that first race -- girls' 12-and-under -- and continued to perform solidly throughout last Saturday's championship. When the final results were tallied, and only after all 35 scheduled races were completed this time, Lanikai finished as the newly crowned state champion with a 17 point margin of victory over the nearest competitor -- Kailua Canoe Club. It was Lanikai's third championship in the history of the event (also 1966).

"This is very gratifying," Lanikai head coach Kalani Irvine said. "The fact that we were in a very close second last year and didn't get much attention only provided fuel for our fire. We took it to another level for the championship club-wide."

In breezy conditions that dealt a stiff headwind to crews heading toward the finish line, Lanikai racked up three more wins in the youth races and three in the open men's division to propel the club to victory. Lanikai has relied on the strength of its men's division for many years, but the stepped-up performance by its youngsters was huge for the club that experienced several narrow defeats during the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association regular season.

"Our kids were awesome," Irvine said. "We figured we'd take Hawaiian's punches in the youth division, but we weathered their storm and our kids counterpunched back."

Besides Lanikai's overall title, the championship saw a dominant performance from all OHCRA clubs involved. Association member Kailua finished in second with 278 points to Lanikai's 295. Despite having only 24 crews entered to Lanikai, Kailua and Maui champion Hawaiian's regatta-high 31, perennial association powerhouse Outrigger turned in quality performances throughout the day to finish in a tie for third with Hawaiian at 266.

In the divisions for smaller clubs, OHCRA members also finished in the top spots.

Highlighting that the Oahu association boasting the biggest number of clubs and paddlers is still the one to beat, Hui Lanakila won the AA division for clubs entering between nine and 17 crews with 179 points.

Keahiakahoe won the A division for clubs entering eight crews or less with 86 points.

"Considering that we had fewer crews than the other contenders, we're very happy with our performance," Outrigger head coach Kehau Kali said.

Other highlights on the golden anniversary of the championship were strong performances from a couple of Big Island clubs -- Kai O Pua and Puna, as well as the continued solid performance of OHCRA member Hui Nalu in the open women's division.

Kai O Pua managed a tight victory in the men's junior race, while Puna came through with one of its own in the men's freshmen. These were huge wins for the clubs that finished two and three, respectively, in the AA division considering many expected Lanikai to sweep the four premier men's events (freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior).

Though Hui Nalu finished fifth in the AAA division with 204 points, the club came through with wins in the prestigious women's senior and junior races, as well as a second-place showing in the women's open 4. Hui Nalu entered the regatta as the favorite in the women's division, and it did not disappoint despite strong challenges from Kailua, and Lokahi -- the class of Oahu's other association, Hui Wa'a.