An unofficial long-distance BIIF canoe paddling meet was held on Hilo Bay on Saturday, a day of appreciation for paddlers who have been out of the water since Feb. 8, 2020.
That day at Keehi Lagoon on Oahu, the Hawaii Prep boys took sixth at the state championships and third in the half-mile mixed races while Keaau placed sixth in the girls event.
The eastside BIIF crews ran a rectangle course inside Hilo Bay, and Kamehameha blitzed the competition in the 3-mile rectangle run with a first-place unofficial finish of 23 minutes. Keaau was second and Pahoa third.
The Cougars started practicing Dec. 13, not a whole lot of training time, considering the offseason Moku O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Racing Association has been shut down since August 2019.
“It’s good to have the kids paddling again,” said Grant Kaaua, who coaches Keaau with his wife, Anna Golden Kaaua. “It’s challenging. We have a wellness check every day.”
Keaau returns three senior starters in Puna Ferreira, Troy Kaulula’au and Kaiden Requelman, while the girls return starters in juniors Delilah Martin and Addie Stebbin, and senior Colther-McKeague La’a.
“I’m happy we could get the kids on the water again,” Anna Golden Kaaua said. “It’s a positive outlet for them after being stuck indoors.”
BIIF canoe paddling has been held for 20 seasons, and no school has ever swept all three races.
The Cougars were the girls BIIF champions in 2020 while HPA’s boys and mixed crews took gold.
It was the second straight season Ka Makani took two out of three. In 2019, Kealakehe won the girls BIIF title.
In 2018, Keaau won the girls and mixed crowns while Waiakea claimed the boys BIIF title.
The BIIF canoe paddling championship sweep remains the most elusive title sweep in all of the league’s sports.
The Hilo boys reached states as the BIIF runner-up in 2020.
“It’s one day at a time. We got in the water late, last week,” Hilo coach Aloha Mauhili said. “With the storm, we were doing land drills. They need it (to be back on the water).”
In 2020, Kamehameha finished fourth in all three races and sat at home for states.
The Warriors have had a healthy turnout with 20 paddlers, but half are rookies according to coach Keahi Warfield, who like the other coaches was happy to see paddlers on the water.
“Conditions were beautiful, and it was good to see the kids out in the water again,” he said. “I thought all the schools did good today. The main goal was getting all the kids out on the water.”