The Waiakea boys canoe paddling crew roared so loud that it woke the heavens, where the old lion, John Kekua Jr., nodded in approval.
The Waiakea boys canoe paddling crew roared so loud that it woke the heavens, where the old lion, John Kekua Jr., nodded in approval.
Uncle John was the original coach at Waiakea and a beloved and respected member of the canoe paddling community, especially in his role as kupuna at the Kamehameha Canoe Club.
Kekua never guided any crews to a BIIF championship, but his proteges — Waiakea coach Mahea Stanley and assistants Kenika Kane and Jody Whitney — got the job done.
Under slightly windy conditions on Saturday at Hilo Bay, the Warriors finished the half-mile race in 3:56.24 to dethrone three-time defending champion Keaau, which clocked in at 3:57.66.
Waiakea didn’t have the best start, but it’s the finish that counts and a powerful kick in the last 100 yards was the tiebreaker.
The Cougars, in lane 1, blasted off the starting line and went into the turn with Kealakehe, in lane 3. Waiakea, in lane 2, trailed but didn’t let the inside current from Wailoa River be much of a bother.
Waiakea had a clean turn, caught up and made everything a mad dash with the length of a football field to go.
Not everyone knew it was Waiakea’s first BIIF title. But someone up high knew. There was sunshine when the Warriors crossed the finish line.
Kekua passed away on Sept. 1, 2010. He was 62. His coaching legacy lives on.
Not all the Warriors may know who he is. But they all know what he was all about. And in a nutshell, it was always about hard work and a family atmosphere.
That’s what Stanley, Kane and Whitney preach at Waiakea and Kamehameha Canoe Club during the Moku O Hawaii season, where they’re all coaches.
“He would have been proud of the crew,” Stanley said. “He taught us, me, Kenika and Jody, to work hard and treat everybody as family. That’s how we do it.
“He would have said, ‘Good job, gang.’ He would have been happy that what he taught us we’re teaching to the kids. He would have been proud of us and proud of the kids.”
In the first all-schools regatta on Jan. 9 at Hilo Bay, the Warriors placed first in 3:54.91, Kealakehe second in 3:59.47, and Keaau third in 4:03.12.
Kenny Simons is the lone returning starter for the Cougars, who had inexperience in their five other seats.
The Warriors have only one senior in stroker Austin Takemoto. The steersman is sophomore Noah Eblacas. Kody Haleamau-Rubio and Purtin Robinson are juniors and Ka‘iolana Kon and Joe Pakani are freshmen.
“The coaches really worked us hard the past three weeks since we placed third in a race,” Takemoto said. “That showed what we could do. The key was hard work and teamwork.”
No issues for Kamehameha
The Kamehameha girls canoe paddling crew is so good even when there’s a mistake it’s nothing but small potatoes. The Warriors led from start to finish and blitzed the field to repeat in the half-mile event.
Kamehameha finished in 4:24.63 and fellow eastside schools followed with Waiakea in 4:31.93 and Keaau in 4:32.37.
In the last race of the day, Keaau won its first BIIF mixed title in 4:06.71, using the disappointment of being runner-up in the boys race as an incentive.
The top three crews in each race earn lanes to the HHSAA state championships, which will be held Saturday, Feb. 6 at Keehi Lagoon on Oahu.
The funny thing about Kamehameha that most of them are not club paddlers. Hopoe Sipinga is the only one; she’s with Keaukaha Canoe Club. Kaiao Shine didn’t even paddle last season.
But put juniors Sipinga, Kaimi Kipapa, and Wai Wichimai, and sophomores Shine, Lahela Rosario, and Leila Kaupu together in a canoe and they’re an unbeatable force in the BIIF.
The race wasn’t that close, and the Warriors, sort of, had a bad day and still absolutely dominated.
If there was a bummer to the day, it’s that there were no heats for the varsity races. More than anything that tests a team’s depth.
The other bummer was Konawaena didn’t field any crews for the varsity races. The Wildcats were the defending mixed champion.
Longtime Konawaena coach Paul Daugherty didn’t return and Jerome Kanuha took over.
The Wildcats were once the power of BIIF canoe paddling, winning at least one title at the league championships for eight straight years. That run was snapped in 2010.
Under Daugherty, the Wildcats won the league’s only state championship in 2008 with the mixed crew.
So how is it that coach Keahi Warfield’s Warriors win so handily?
Sipinga, Wichimai, Shine and Rosario are teammates on Kamehameha’s water polo team, too.
“We work well together and have good communication,” Sipinga said.
Mixed feeling
Here’s the good news for Keaau: A first BIIF mixed title and all three crews advancing to the state championships.
The bad news: The Cougar boys couldn’t pull off a fourth consecutive title, despite taking an early, sizable lead.
“Last year, we buried the flag (in the mixed race),” Keaau coach Grant Kaaua said. “I’m happy for this group. We have kids who come to practice every day and are good people.”
With there are no heats, sometimes it’s the toughest call for a coach to determine the six paddlers.
Do you start your best six or the ones who may be a bit behind them but come to practice every day?
Kaaua went with seniors Kenny Simons, Temaurai Border and Michael Manuel, junior Shayna Picanco and sophomores Kiana King and Mary Ann Tadeo.