Kamehameha Canoe Club a year older, a year better

HILO — When Kamehameha Canoe Club coach Stan Cann looked out on the water last year, he didn’t see any state contenders.

“As far as competing for a medal: no,” he said.

That frank assessment was one of the reasons why the club opted to forgo the 2011 championships on Maui despite qualifying a handful of crews.

Backed by a strong women’s program, Kamehameha is now a year older, and it shows.

When Cann surveyed Hilo Bay on Saturday, he didn’t need to look any further than his women’s masters 60 paddlers to find a state threat.

That crew bolstered its second-place standing and delivered one of the club’s four second-place finishes during the Puna Canoe Club regatta, the final tune-up before next Saturday’s Aunty Maile/Moku O Hawaii Championships.

Records fell in 14 races for the second straight week, including a women’s masters 60 race that saw Keauhou avenge a loss to Kamehameha a week earlier.

“I think they just took us more seriously,” said Lynne Stamoulis, who paddles for Kamehameha along with Karen Mickievic, Betty Ben, Maxine Magnani, Carol Weir and Linda Gallano. “We’ve been trying to get better to beat Keauhou, and that was the highlight of the season so far. But they were awesome today.”

Cann singled out that crew as his best contender to medal at states, but it’s not alone.

In women’s masters 40, Kamehameha finished second behind Puna to stay in the thick of contention, and its boys 18 and girls 18 crews also improved their standing with runner-up finishes.

Moku O Hawaii will have three lanes in each event at the state regatta, set for Aug. 4 at Keehi Lagoon on Oahu. Kamehameha’s sophomore women, senior masters women 50 and mixed masters 55 crews are also in good position to make the trip.

“We’ve improved a lot because of experience,” Cann said. “We have a lot of people who are back, and one year counts a lot, especially in paddling.

“We have veterans backing the new people, and that’s a good sign for next year.”

Kamehameha’s keiki program is smaller than usual this year, costing the club points in early races, but female crews have more than helped to pick up the slack.

“Every year is different,” Cann said. “Our keiki program has been big recently, but this year the women’s program has come up big. Next week will tell a lot.”

With five unbeaten crews leading the way, powerhouse Kai Opua (207 points) won the regatta, with Keauhou (172) second and Puna (169) third.

Competing without its usual steerswomen, Kai Opua suffered its first loss of the season in the girls 13 race, leaving nine undefeated crews heading into next Saturday’s island championships, which will mark the fifth consecutive regatta held at Hilo Bay.

“(Winning) never gets boring,” Kai Opua athletic director Larry Campos said. “Conditions have been good for records, and right about now the athletes are hitting their peak. It’s a great course, so we don’t mind all the travel.”