NAWILIWILI — Teo Chow, the Niumalu Canoe Club coach for the young paddlers, was excited about having at least two teams in the state championships. “We have a girls and a boys 16 team,” Chow said following practice Thursday afternoon.
NAWILIWILI — Teo Chow, the Niumalu Canoe Club coach for the young paddlers, was excited about having at least two teams in the state championships.
“We have a girls and a boys 16 team,” Chow said following practice Thursday afternoon. “The boys were really lucky to get a spot, and the girls are four-time island champions for their age group.”
These two teams will be up against other paddlers in their age group when the state competition starts at 8:30 a.m. today in Hanalei.
“We lost the top spot by just .41 seconds,” said Jesse Brown-Clay, one of the Boys 16 paddlers. “We got second place by less than half a second. That means Pu‘uwai will be racing in the Boys 15 event, but we got lucky when a spot opened up in the Boys 16. We just jumped on it.”
Racing in a division a year older than they are could not dampen the enthusiasm demonstrated by the young men as they surfed in a wave to wrap up their day’s practice in the Nawiliwili sun.
“They should do okay,” Chow, who was handling steering duty for the practice canoe, said.
Hot on their tails, the girls’ 16 team was a little more leisurely coming into the bay.
“They’ve won first place in the island championships for four straight years in their age backets,” Chow said. “Those girls have been racing together since they were 12 and 13 years old. This will be the fourth time they’re heading to states.”
But previous appearances at the state championships have not been good for the girls.
Chow said they’ve been stymied by paperwork, not the girls’ ability.
That hasn’t dampened the spirits of the young women who are looking forward to the races at Hanalei.
“We’ve been there four times already,” one of them said. “We’ve had first on the island for each of our age division starting with the 12’s. This time, I think we can do it.”
Team members for the Niumalu Boys 16 team include Brown-Clay, Sam Dunham, Ron O’Brien, John Krause, Koa Santos and Kanai Carveiro.
Shannon Pabo, Makana Rivera, Sara Phillips, Zariana Peahu, Moana Benzon, Brinee Peahu and Lindsey Duarte make up the Niumalu Girls 16 team, Duarte being the alternate.
