[PADDLING]

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Hui Lanakila won the men's Novice A one-mile race in yesterday's Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association's state regatta in Hilo. The club finished seventh overall in the AA division.

Hawaiian tops in state

Maui clubs sweep the
3 divisions of yesterday's regatta

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By Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.com

HILO >> The movie "Blue Crush" hasn't been released yet, but the paddling version took Hilo Bay by storm yesterday.

Hawaiian Canoe Club, its colors blue and white, crushed the competition yesterday to win the overall title of the 50th Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association's state regatta. The Maui club successfully repeated as state champ, leading a sweep of Valley Isle clubs.

Hawaiian won the AAA division (18-plus crews) with 353 points, holding off a late challenge by the Big Island's Kai Opua (309). Outrigger of Oahu won the 37th and final event to clinch third place with 239 points, while 2000 state champion Lanikai was fourth at 222.

In the AA Division (9-17 crews), Kihei of Maui passed Kaneohe during the afternoon races to finish with 137 points. Kaneohe and Healani tied for second with 129 points.

Wailea rode three victories -- men's freshmen and junior, and mixed open -- to the A Division (1-7 crews) championship. Wailea scored 79 points to Keahiakahoe's 67, while Keoua claimed third with 52 points. Just five points separated third from fifth place in the division that had the most clubs -- 32 of the 52 -- entered.

"Wow," said Hawaiian head coach Diane Ho. "What a day. It all started with the kids and we went from there."

The famed Hilo rain began around noon. But Hawaiian poured it on long before that. The Maui club won the first three events and finished second in the fourth. After seven races, Hawaiian had five wins, a second and a fourth for 99 points.

It was a commanding lead that was threatened briefly when Kai Opua swept the four upper-division women (freshmen through senior) races, won the men's sophomore and senior races and then added a victory in the women's 55. The seven victories in nine races pulled Kai Opua to within 46 points of Hawaii.

THE WINNERS Division AAA: Hawaiian AA: Kihei A: Wailea

It got down to a 40-point gap, 326-286, with three races to go, but Hawaiian picked up 26 points over the final events to Kai Opua's 23 to hold on.

There were several races within the race, including the battle in the blue-ribbon senior men's 1 1/2-mile event that had the two top contenders next to each other. Lanikai, Lane 1, saw its remarkable winning streak end at 10 after Kai Opua, in Lane 2, took the lead with a quarter-mile left to win by fewer than four seconds.

Although it likely didn't affect the outcome, Lanikai was slowed when an official boat created a wake that had the canoe bouncing with about an eighth of a mile left.

"We were in a silent zone, got into our rhythm," said Nate Hendricks, who stroked Kai Opua to wins in the men's sophomore and senior races. "We were chasing them and finally caught them before the last turn."

Kai Opua came out of the final turn first and began to pull away. The wake was a problem for Lanikai, but "what are you going to do?" said Lanikai steersman Jim Foti. "You can't take anything away from them. They were ahead of us at that point. We just wanted to have the chance to surge on them, but they were going to win it. They were solid, paddled a real consistent race, and didn't freak when we were ahead.

"It's gotta end some time."

In the Lanikai canoe was Hendricks' brother-in-law Mike Judd.

Hendricks' wife, Carrie Sue, also picked up two gold medals in the Kai Opua's sophomore and senior women's crews. In both events, Kai Opua beat out Hui Nalu, which had swept the four upper-division women's races at the Oahu championships.

"Hui Nalu was right there the whole way," said Kai Opua steersman Jackie Taylor. "They didn't let down and we had to work hard the whole way. We had to be efficient, there was no room for error."

Added Hendricks: "We have two gears: hard and harder. We knew if we didn't put the hammer down in the last half-mile ... that was the time we kicked it up."

Kai Opua's margin of victory in the four women's races ranged from 12 seconds in the junior race to three seconds in the senior.

"We thought we'd have a chance to win it all," said Kai Opua coach Mike Atwood. "What helped us was our kids. Even though Hawaiian was winning a lot of the events, we were picking up points."

Just not enough.

It all started for Hawaiian with the win in the regatta opener. Hawaiian captured the quarter-mile race by three seconds. The crew began to pull away midway through the race.

"It was flat, easy to steer," said steersman Tatiana Piena. "In the middle of the race, we do our 'turbos' and power it."

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Shanadee Canon and Halialoha Travis of Hawaiian Canoe Club embraced after winning their race in yesterday's state regatta. Malia Samson, left, and Monica Shiroma looked on.

Said crew member Malia Purdy: "I think this determines the whole day, starting out like this."

After the first few races, Ho didn't want to appear too confident.

"It's a nice way to start," she said. "But we need to end it like this."

Although Hawaiian didn't win again after the seventh race, nine hours after the regatta began, the club was celebrating in the rain. As its last crew 35 men, came to shore, the club members began chanting a welcome for their new canoe.

"It feels great to win it again," Ho said. "We learned how to do it. When the kids took off this morning, we knew that it was ours to lose."

Notes: Hawaiian is only the second neighbor island club to win the state title. Hanalei did it in 1982. ... The state race will be at Keehi Lagoon on Oahu the next two years. ... The regatta was only four events old when it had its first double gold medalist. Hawaiian's Kaimiloao Kealoha steered his boys-12 crew to the win in Event 2 then paddled in the winning boys-13 event two races later. ... Honored yesterday for their work for the various associations were Ho (Maui), June Leialoha (Hui Wa'a), Wally Froiseth (OHCRA), Earl Paleka (Molokai), Nick Beck (Kauai) and Arnold Nathaniel (Big Island). Froiseth, who steered the winning senior men's crew for Waikiki Surf Club at the inaugural state race, said he was pleased how the sport had grown. "I love seeing all the koa canoes and the young kids enjoying the sport," he said. "We didn't have many races the first time (nine in 1952). To see it come to this is just wonderful."