The ancient sport of canoe paddling will see new faces and friends taking part in another exciting canoe paddling season. Kawaikini Canoe Club is staging the first Garden Island Canoe Racing Association (GICRA) canoe regatta of the season today at
The ancient sport of canoe paddling will see new faces and friends taking part in another exciting canoe paddling season.
Kawaikini Canoe Club is staging the first Garden Island Canoe Racing
Association (GICRA) canoe regatta of the season today at Wailua River.
It honors Walter J. Smith, whose family has been supportive not only of the culture and community spirit, but more specifically of the children and young adults in the community.
It was Grandma Smith’s generous donation of a brand new 6-man outrigger canoe, the Onipa‘a, for Kawaikini’s children’s program, which triggered renewed interest in paddling programs for children at Wailua and at other clubs around the island and the state.
As a result of continued participation and growth, the State DOE has included outrigger paddling in its sports program. Kaua‘i has been a viable competitor during statewide competition on O‘ahu for the past four years.
The Kawaikini Canoe Regatta will start at 8 a.m. with tents set up for officials, food booth, ID system, and shelter from our healthy Hawaiian sun.
Since the children’s events start off the regatta, they will be there with their lively, energetic, rooting sections, which includes grandmas and grandpas, moms, dad, sisters, brothers, aunties, uncles, cousins, neighbors, friends, and even the family dog, which greatly contributes to the carnival-like atmosphere.
Competitors hugging and wishing each other the best, sweet smelling hakus and leis, bright colored shirts and bikinis, paddlers walking tall and proud sporting their state of the art blades, the smell of delicious plate lunches scenting the air, gleeful laughter and conversation, and an atmosphere of ambience and camaraderie are what you’ll witness at this historic event.
This year the club membership is so small that rumors circulated as to whether Kawaikini could pull it off.
Then the most heartwarming, only-on-Kaua‘i-thing happened! They started coming out slowly; the old timers, the kupuna, like Kulamanu Thaxton (did you know she is Uncle Buddy Peter’s tita?), and Debbie Kekaualua (this haole tita/paddler is a workhorse who never quits), and Francis Dinnan (our first-timer paddler who has been the cheerleader and supporter for many years and now a paddler finally), and more kupuna who are out to support one of the oldest clubs on the island.
Thank you to our Universal Spirit who watches and cares for all things big and small in our case, really small, who has made it possible in 2005, for another Kawaikini Canoe Club Regatta (the small club with lots of Aloha).
So for all those people out in the community who have the spunk, energy, and desire to paddle for culture, recreation, health, camaraderie, and exercise (got bad knees?), please call Carol Lovell (822-9122) or Puanani Carvalho (822-1822) for more information as to how you can join our “cruisers” for fun and some competition on
