It was something of a bittersweet deal for Kawai Rios-Griego and half-brothers Kuhao Kane and Josh McPeek, promising paddlers on the Kawaihae boys 14 and 15 crews in the Moku O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Racing Association.
The trio and Laif Showalter, Micah Mahiai, and Jaydon Tripp captured the boys 14 title at the 12th annual Aunty Maile Mauhili/Moku O Hawaii championships on Saturday at Hilo Bay, where gray clouds and a sporadic wind welcomed paddlers.
In the straight sprint, quarter-mile event, longtime Kawaihae coach Uncle Manny Veincent’s young blazers crossed the flags in 1 minute, 47.06 seconds, ahead of Keoua Honaunau’s 1:48.93, finishing the Moku O Hawaii season with an unbeaten record.
The trio is also on the equally tough 15 crew, along with Showalter, Mahiai, and Owen Sarasona. That six-pack finished its half-mile race in 3:56.52 for runner-up, barely behind Kai Opua’s 3:56.26, falling short of a double gold.
The funny thing is Kawaihae and Kai Opua entered the race with 57 points, each tied for first place in the Moku O Hawaii standings. That was the only event with two crews tied for first place.
In the past, hard work was rewarded: finish first in a regatta and you get first pick at drawing lanes. This season, it was the first time for random computer draws, which can sometimes reward slower crews and punish faster ones.
In the past, the best crews raced next to each other. That wasn’t the case for the Kawaihae boys 15 crew, which got a spot out in the boonies, lane 9. That’s the farthest place from Wailoa river, where the current provides a nice push around the flag.
Kai Opua drew helpful lane 3 while Waikoloa had the ideal spot with lane 1, and Keaukaha had lane 2. Waikoloa had a disqualification while Keaukaha had a scratch or no-show. (Waikoloa was last in the standings and Keaukaha fifth.)
The Kawaihae double-event trio might make good diplomats someday. They spoke about the thrill of victory and the bummer of defeat.
Uncle Manny, one to always speak his mind, had a different take. He was no happy camper with the random computer picks, which randomly gave Kawaihae lane 2 in the boys 14 race. Keoua Honaunau was stuck in the middle with lane 5.
“Anytime, you have a competition, you want the best two crews next to each other,” he said. “You want them as close as possible, not spread out. I want to shoot down that rule next year. It’s unfair. We were two football fields away in the 15 race.”
He could take comfort that the crew seized an Aunty Maile/Moku O Hawaii title with an unbeaten record.
“For us, we have to work 10 times harder than other clubs,” Uncle Manny said. “It’s no choice for us. We don’t have the population of a club from Hilo. We don’t have relief paddlers. Our relief paddlers are from the special events (non-scoring), the 9- and 10-year-olds.
“They deserved that title. They train hard and are well-disciplined. That’s the key. They’re committed and train hard.”
Kane, McPeek, Rios-Griego, Showalter, Mahiai, and Sarasona will all attend Kanu o ka Aina, a bilingual, Hawaiian-focused public charter school in Waimea. Backup paddlers Kai Fasciano and Sage Nishida also go to the school as well.
Showalter, Rios-Griego, Fasciano, and Nishida have known each other since they were 3 years old. Showalter is the stroker and Rio-Griego the steersman, bringing a long-term chemistry when they’re in a canoe together.
Kane and his brother McPeek both plan to play BIIF football and basketball for Honokaa. The 14-year-old freshmen stand 6 feet 1 and 6 feet, respectively. Rios-Griego, a 15-year-old sophomore, will compete in BIIF swimming for Hawaii Prep. Last year, he was on Kanu o ka Aina’s first junior varsity basketball team.
“Swimming helps. It’s all the same muscles,” said Rios-Griego, whose events are the 50 freestyle, 100 free and backstroke. “You use your upper body strength. It definitely helps both sports.”
They all had the same viewpoints on their victory and defeat.
“We train hard and coach Manny pushes us hard. I feel really happy about being undefeated,” Kane said. “It was a bummer to finish second in the 15 race.”
After the boys 15 event, Rios-Griego raced to the scoring stand to check out the time. Looking at it a thousand times didn’t change it.
Still, the thrill of victory and being unbeaten outweighed the agony of a bummer defeat.
“To be undefeated, that feels pretty cool,” he said. “I’ve never been on an undefeated crew before. It’s awesome to have a title and be undefeated on the island.”
