Kauai’s “Old Guy” paddlers finished first in their division of the 2017 Molokai Hoe world championship outrigger canoe race, the only Kauai crew to win gold. The Kauai crew competed in the Golden Masters 65-plus division and finished with a
Kauai’s “Old Guy” paddlers finished first in their division of the 2017 Molokai Hoe world championship outrigger canoe race, the only Kauai crew to win gold.
The Kauai crew competed in the Golden Masters 65-plus division and finished with a time of 6:10.03 hours crossing the 40-mile Kaiwi Channel from Molokai to Oahu. The team beat numerous open crews in much younger age divisions and finished 62th overall out of 101 recorded finishers.
This Kauai Molokai Hoe crew of Namolokama O Hanalei and Kaiola canoe club paddlers, included Kawika Goodale, Art Chow, Gil Donnelly, Tom Thompson, Gene Lopez, Jeff O’Hara, Fred Atkins, Phil Morgan, Mike Kobyashi, Tom Bartlett, Andy Reich, Tim Haentjens and coach Jack Edgehill. Of these 12 men, the Molokai Hoe gold medals acquired by these paddlers since the 1990’s exceed 60 in number.
Six members of the crew also recently competed in and won gold in the Golden Masters age division at the 2017 Queen Liliuokalani Canoe Race on the Big Island, which is the largest outrigger canoe race in the world. It was their sixth win in seven years.
The Namolokama and Kaiola club combined “Old Guy” teams have dominated their age groups for two decades, and on Sunday showed the world that they were still the best.
