For the Keauhou Canoe Club and new athletic director Jerome Kanuha, this Moku O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Racing Association season is all about a fresh start and new approach.
The first regatta of the year was a mixed bag for Keauhou last Saturday. Four crews managed to paddle their way to victory but the team’s numbers were noticeably down from last year when Keauhou finished second in the AAA division at the HCRA State Championships in Hilo.
For more than half a decade, Keauhou has been a force at the state level in AAA, winning in 2010, 2011 and 2012. However, after last season, the club saw a noticeable drop in its numbers as a lot of the younger members switched to Kai Opua.
Keauhou competed in 37 events at the start of last season and 36 events in the Aunty Maile/Moku Championships, but this year, the club managed to field a crew in only 25 races in the opening meet.
The numbers could have been much worse if not for the influence of Kanuha. Despite getting a late jump on the season, the new AD managed to increase the number of women paddlers in the program from five to 42, according to club president Bill Amer. Most are new to the sport.
Keauhou also added a special needs program with a crew that competes in the keiki 12-and-under division.
“Keauhou had a lot of paddlers leave and I was asked if I could come in and help put the club back together again,” Kanuha said. “This will be a rebuilding year. I asked the board to give me one year to let me do it my way.”
Kanuha’s way includes a heavy dose of Hawaiian culture.
“Jerome was asked to really give us a cultural presence and create a common mission for all the paddlers,” Armer said.
“I have been apart of a canoe family for so long, I know how important the culture is,” Kanuha added. “We did not arrive on this island by jet plane or parachute. I want to share the culture the same way I learned from my kupuna.”
Teaching the culture of the sport and having fun on the water is far more important to Kanuha than who finishes first. However, he admits there is still a competitive drive in everyone, though that will be much more difficult this year with the numbers down.
“Everyone wants to compete and win,” Kanuha said. “Numbers are always going to win, I don’t care what anyone else tells me. But we are going to play whatever cards are dealt to us. I don’t really care about the start of the season. It is more about how we progress. We will feel everyone out and see what happens.”
Keauhou did have a few strong performances in the opening meet, with strong showings in the over 40 races.
The crew of Hunter Anderson, Bruce Ayau, Ian Foo, Daniel Legler, Theron Ogata and Nue Youderian dominated the Men’s Masters (40) field with a time of 7 minutes and 50.04 seconds. They finished 21 seconds ahead of second place finisher Keaukaha.
Keauhou also picked up wins in the Men’s Masters (60), Mixed Masters (40) and Girls 16 and under.
“We are very fortunate to have these crews paddle for us,” Kanuha said. “We don’t really have an open men’s and women’s crew because most of our paddlers are over 40, but you have to start somewhere.”
