The Kamehameha girls and Keaau mixed crews share a few things in common, such as they know how to win under any weather conditions and their canoe paddling dominance keeps growing.
The Kamehameha girls and Keaau mixed crews share a few things in common, such as they know how to win under any weather conditions and their canoe paddling dominance keeps growing.
The Kealakehe boys pulled off the biggest surprise at the BIIF championships on Saturday at Hilo Bay, where weather conditions called for winds of 8 to 16 mph and frequent showers.
The Kamehameha girls simply dominated to a threepeat, finishing the half-mile race in 4 minutes, 40.81 seconds, a healthy distance ahead of Kealakehe’s 4:45.93 and Waiakea’s 4:48.43.
The Keaau mixed crew repeated with a blowout performance, clocking a 4:16.97 and powering past Kealakehe’s 4:22.11 and Waiakea’s 4:28.81.
In the closest race of the day, Kealakehe punched in a 3:57.18 to hold off defending champion Waiakea’s 3:58.70 and Keaau’s 3:59.13, earning the Waveriders their first BIIF title since 2014.
Their mixed crew won that year, and the last Kealakehe boys BIIF crown came in 2012.
The top three finishers earned berths to the HHSAA championships, which will be held Saturday, Feb. 4 at Oahu’s Keehi Lagoon.
For once the forecast was right on the money. The wind felt like 8 to 16 mph gusts and frequent showers soaked those who forgot their umbrellas at home. BIIF officials ran the varsity girls and boys races first, followed by the junior varsity girls and boys and then the varsity mixed.
No one wanted a repeat of 2013 when Keaau won the boys and Pahoa the girls BIIF titles. Then the wind took a turn for the worse, and the mixed race was held on a Wednesday; Parker picked up its first championship.
One other thing the Kamehameha girls and Keaau mixed crews share in common is that most of their paddlers don’t belong to Moku O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Racing Association clubs.
Warrior senior Hopoe Sipinga and Cougar senior Mary Ann Tadeo paddle for Keaukaha, run by Kamehameha coach Keahi Warfield. The two were on the 18 girls crew that grabbed bronze at the Aunty Maile Mauhili/Moku O Hawaii championships and the Hawaii Canoe Racing Association state championships.
Sipinga, the stroker, and Wai Wichimai, the steersman, are four-year starters. The only other senior is Kaimi Kipapa, a two-year starter. Juniors Lahela Rosario and Kaiao Shine also started for two years. The only rookie starter is junior Kylee Kubojiri.
“When we won the first year, it was amazing,” Sipinga said. “To keep continuing, it’s unreal.”
The Warriors talked about pushing and encouraging each other as keys to overcoming their lack of club experience. Not that they don’t work hard when they’re together.
“We don’t do all that running and training for nothing,” Rosario joked.
Club strong
Maybe it’s no surprise that Kealakehe won the BIIF title by a close margin. All of the Waveriders are Moku O Hawaii paddlers, and all are returning starters.
Juniors Hanalei Akazawa, Jack Menke, sophomore McKale Hill, and senior Shannon Pua paddle for Kai Opua, which is run by Mike Atwood and Uncle Bo Campos, the two Kealakehe coaches. Seniors Channing Fujihara-Kaai and Jared Saribay paddle for Keauhou.
“We got tired of watching from fifth or sixth place, so we went to the drawing board and made something happen,” Uncle Bo said. “At the turn, we came out second, and they went for it.”
Akazawa pointed out that the cohesion from Kai Opua to the Waveriders adds a strong push.
“We’re all taught the same way, to get our reach and paddle at an angle,” he said. “That’s Uncle Bo’s thing. When we crossed, Jack told me we were first, and I said, ‘No way.’ I was shocked to hear it. I didn’t believe it.”
One for Papa
Maybe fate had a hand in Cougar senior Keolani Teixeira’s first BIIF title. She’s a three-year starter but was never on a championship crew. But fellow senior Shayna Picanco pulled a muscle, so Teixiera filled in.
On Friday, her grandpa Albert Gouveia Sr. passed away from a heart attack in the morning. Teixeira kept him in mind as Keaau crossed the finish line.
“He would have wanted me to do my best,” she said. “He loved watching my videos that I would show him of me paddling. When we finished, I was kind of crying, thinking, ‘This is for him.’ He would always tell me to keep working hard.”
The mixed crew is filled with seniors, including Teixeira, Picanco, Zachery Dorn, Jim Hisaiah, and Nadine Ching. Tadeo and Fukunaga are juniors.
Keaau coaches Grant and Anna Kaaua have always preached about family and hard work, and their paddlers have bought in. That’s a reason the co-coaches keep coming back, too.
“I didn’t know about Keolani’s Papa until they crossed the finish line,” he said. “Then I told her, ‘This is for you Papa.’ I’m happy for the mixed crew because they had to work hard to overcome a lot of obstacles to be successful.
“We have four kids, and Anna and I talk about all the people who have influenced us in our lives and where we would be without them today. We always find some reason to keep doing this.”