Hawaiian aims
for fifth straight
HCRA title

The Maui club faces stiff
competition tomorrow from
Kailua and Kaneohe, among others

The Hawaiian Canoe Club will attempt to paddle toward a fifth consecutive state crown at tomorrow's Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championships at Hanaka'o'o Beach in Lahaina, Maui.

"We've won four in a row, but we've never been the favorite," said Hawaiian head coach Diane Ho. "We just plod along and let the chips fall. We like cruising under the radar."

The Kahului Harbor-based club is a member of the Maui County Hawaiian Canoe Association and will compete in the AAA Division (18-36 crews) along with Kailua of the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association and Kaneohe of Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a (Oahu). All three clubs were champions of their respective organizations.

"We'll come full-force, but we never consider ourselves favorites in paddling," said Kailua head coach Jimmy Bruhn. "You've got to be hungry, but we never ever think we'll be the club to beat because we strive to get better.

"It's like a chess game. We'll try to concentrate on our crews, and hopefully they'll go out there ready to rock and roll."

The division will also feature OHCRA members Hui Nalu and Hui Lanakila, and both have the potential to earn enough points to be part of the championship picture.

"We're very pleased because it's been a good five years since we've had this many crews in states," said Hui Nalu head coach Renee Ching. "During the season, we've been growing and working hard, and we got better at each regatta. I think it's just about anybody's race, and it will come down to who keeps it together and makes the fewest mistakes."

Hawaiian will enter 34 crews, followed by Kailua (33), Hui Nalu (28), Kaneohe (27) and Hui Lanakila (22).

"Obviously, having the most crews is helpful, but you still have to go out there and race," said Ho. Last year, Kai Opua entered two more crews than Hawaiian, but the champs pulled out the victory despite the deficit.

Noticeably absent from the list of participating clubs will be perennial OHCRA power Lanikai. The club withdrew from the state championships because its canoes were initially deemed illegal due to the use of fiberglass in their construction. In May, the HCRA gave Lanikai a waiver that would have allowed them to race tomorrow, but many club members had already made plans for the summer.

"I respect whatever decision they made, but it changes the terrain of the race," said Ho. "I don't know who'll step up in place of Lanikai and pick up points, but as far as we're concerned, we're going to miss them."

An estimated 3,000 paddlers from 56 clubs will take part in 37 events, which will range in length from a quarter of a mile to 1 mile. Crews will paddle in the traditional koa canoes, many of which had to be shipped via barge from the visiting crews' islands earlier in the week.

According to HCRA race commissioner Hannie Anderson, the course will be arranged with the lanes running parallel to the shore and there will be no "dog-leg" in the course, as was the case in previous years.

"What happens regarding the course all depends on the weather," said Ho. "The weather in Lahaina has been really weird this year, so it just depends on the day."

The last time the state race was held on Maui was in 1999. A champion wasn't declared because the regatta was called on account of darkness with two events remaining. A late start, as well as a series of events, including a damaged canoe that took about 45 minutes to clear, delayed the event, which Hawaiian was in position to win had it not been for the cancellation. This year, racing will begin at 8:30 a.m.

In the AA Division (9-17 crews), seven of the group's 14 clubs will race the maximum number of crews allowed: OHCRA's Healani, Keahiakahoe and Outrigger; Kai E Hitu, Kai Opua and Puna of Moku O Hawai'i Outrigger Canoe Racing Association (Big Island); and MCHCA's Kahana.

The A Division (1-8 crews) will be composed of 37 clubs, including five with eight crews apiece: Hui Wa'a's Alapa Hoe, Ka Mamalahoe and Manu O Ke Kai; OHCRA's Waikiki Surf and MOHOCRA's Keauhou.

The championship regatta will be featured on ESPN's "SportsCenter Across America, 50-states-in-50-days summer tour," which will air tomorrow night. The program will showcase Hawaii through a list of facts and vignettes, and will focus specifically on canoe paddling.

"I think it's great that (ESPN's coverage) is happening for Hawaii," said Anderson, who also serves as president of OHCRA. "It's about time. Paddling was named our state sport in 1986, and people come from all over the world to race here. We're very fortunate to have them."

Neil Everett, the former sports director at KGMB-TV who left five years ago to take a job at ESPN in Bristol, Conn., will return to the islands to anchor the Hawaii-based segments, which are scheduled to make up one-quarter of the SportsCenter broadcast.

"I'm so psyched, I can hardly stand it," he said. "It's a way for something as big as SportsCenter to give back to states via communities. The focus is to bring to light some sports that don't get recognized. It gives less-visible sports a stage they deserve."

While Everett will only be here for about 30 hours, he says it will be his best ESPN assignment yet.

"I just hope the time goes by really slow, because every time I leave, I cry," he said.