[PADDLING] HILO >> For those who believe in omens, consider the number '50.' Looking out for No. 1
The Hawaiian Canoe Club of Maui
will defend its title in tomorrow's
state championship in HiloBy Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.comTomorrow is the 50th Hawaii Canoe Racing Association state championship.
The club designation for Kai Opua is '50,' and Hawaii is the 50th state.
Kai Opua also has the No. 30 on its side -- 30 crews out of a possible 37 -- that could bode well as it goes for its first state title. The club from Kailua-Kona, which has dominated the Moku O Hawaii Canoe Racing Association for years, won yet another MOHCRA title July 13 on Hilo Bay with 13 first-place finishes in 38 races.
Tomorrow, only defending state champion Hawaiian Canoe Club of Maui will have more crews entered -- 35 out of 37 events. There are just seven clubs vying for the AAA Division title and, for the first time, a neighbor island club could repeat as champion.
Kai Opua men's coach Nate Hendricks thinks his club could be the one ... No. 1.
"Our club is strong, stronger than we've been in past years, because of our kids," he said. "Our adult open crews have traditionally been strong, but our weakness has been the kids. This year, they've matched our adult crews in doing well.
"We're confident that we have a chance to win the regatta since it's our waters. We're used to Hilo Bay. We've done well there and that will help us."
Besides Hawaiian and Kai Opua, vying for the AAA title are traditional Oahu powers Outrigger (28 crews), Lanikai (26), Kailua (25), Hui Nalu (23) and Hui Lanakila (21).
The senior men's race -- considered the blue-ribbon event the past 49 years -- will be a hotly contested family affair. Hendricks' crew will be in Lane 2, right next to Lanikai, which has won this race the past 10 years. Expecting to be in the Lanikai crew will be Hendricks' brother-in-law Mike Judd.
Lanikai won last year's senior race by 1.29 seconds over Kai Opua. The Windward-Oahu club also beat out Kai Opua in the sophomore men's race by five seconds.
Expected to also challenge Lanikai's senior winning streak are Puna, which won the event at the MOHCRA championships; Healani, the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association senior champion; and Hui Lanakila.
Hendricks did not race at the MOHCRA championship, but was on the mainland in the middle of a three-week paddling excursion that included competitions in Gibson, Canada, and the Ford Gorge Games on the Columbia River in Oregon.
What: 50th HCRA State Canoe Championships STATE RACE
When: Tomorrow. Parade of canoes, 7:15 a.m. Racing, 9 a.m.
Where: Hilo Bay.
Who: 52 canoe clubs competing in 37 races.
At the Ford Gorge Games, Hendricks won the men's masters O-1 division, Judd the men's open race, and Hendricks' wife, Carrie Sue, the women's open division.
"It was a good, fun trip," said Nate Hendricks. "The Gibson race is put on by the Canada Outrigger Association and it's a little like the Molokai race. Our crew won the six-man iron race of about 18 miles and I was second in the OC-1.
"It was successful in a lot of ways. Although we missed the MOHCRAs, we didn't miss a lot of paddling. Jericho Canoe Club loaned us a canoe in Canada and we were able to practice."
Carrie Sue Hendricks said she enjoyed the racing and the cultural aspect of paddling in Canada.
"We had a blast," said Hendricks, a member of the Kai Opua crew that has won Na Wahine O Ke Kai Molokai-to-Oahu race the past two years. "We were winning, but the more we stay there, the more that all became secondary. Being able to share the sport with others took it to another level.
"In Canada, we were paddling on something like an inland ocean. In Oregon, it was a river. It was very different than paddling in Hawaiian waters."
Kai Opua has been dominating the MOHCRA upper-division women's races for years. At the association's championships on Hilo Bay three weeks ago, Kai Opua swept the women's freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior races -- despite most of the Molokai crew being on the mainland.
"We're very deep and strong on the women's side," she said. "When we go out for practices, we have eight full boats of women."
Last year on Hanalei Bay, Kai Opua won both the women's sophomore and senior events. The same paddlers, the core of the Molokai crew, raced both: Hendricks, Jessie Eames, Cheryl Villegas, Patty Eames, Cherisse Kelli and Jackie Taylor.
Hendricks said she expects the biggest competition in her events to come from Hui Nalu and Outrigger. The Hui Nalu women also swept the freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior races at the OHCRA championships July 21, including a 10-second win over Outrigger in the senior race.
"Our chances are good that we should do well, but we never underestimate our competition," the 29-year-old Hendricks said. "Everything began to come together for us a couple of years ago when we did well at the World Sprints. Except for Jessie, who's 21, our crew has a lot of experience. What's driven us is the experience we have from losses as well as wins.
"We know what it takes, from finishing second all the time to 20th many times. You get burnt out on not winning, especially when you're busting your butt. Now we have to bust our butts harder to stay on top. Believe me, it's harder to stay up there than it is to get there."
Consistency will be the key to the state title.
"You need to be consistent," said Nate Hendricks. "Consistency over the regatta is more important than a win in one race and finishing 10th in another. When it comes to the state race, your fate is written early. You need to start off well and keep it going."
Notes: The AA Division (9-17 crews) includes defending champion Kahana of Maui as well as last year's A Division winner Healani. This year's A Division (1-8 crews) has 32 clubs entered, including last year's runner-up Wailea of Maui. ... The regatta will honor two paddlers who competed at the first state race in Kona and those competing in women's golden masters (55-plus). Being recognized will be Hannie Anderson, HCRA's race commissioner, who will be paddling for Waikiki Surf Club, and Keanuenue Rochlen, who will also be paddling for Outrigger. Each association will also have one honoree, including Wally Froiseth, the former head coach of Waikiki Surf Club who steered the winning men's senior crew 50 years ago.
