Menehune wahine paddlers first in championship regatta

HILO, Hawai‘i — The Waimea High School varsity girls paddling team returned home on Sunday with a gold medal from the 2024 Hawaiian Airlines Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association canoe paddling championships that was held on Saturday on the waters of Hilo Bay.

The team’s victory led the string of accomplishments by the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation representation at the state tournament, which included the Waimea High School mixed team finishing in third place and the Kapa‘a High School varsity boys team finishing in fourth place.

The Kapa‘a boys, according to a spectator who shared the same flight as the Island School boys soccer team that won the first Island School state title in the school’s history, the Warrior paddlers claimed to be the first public school to place in the championship regatta.

Kapa‘a finished the finals race on a run that stopped the clocks at 3 minutes, 46.51 seconds, more than 10 seconds back of the division’s winning ‘Iolani School team that tripped the clock at 3:36.18.

Kahiau Makua, Iliau Makua, Aveda Maligro, Tenecee Simao, Ambriel Kanahele, Makalapua Kaukahi and Ihilani Vea were the Menehune wahine who filled the canoe that finished first in the varsity girls race on a 4:09.38 run, or nearly five seconds better than the runner-up team. The Mid-Pacific Institute Owls finished second on a 3:13.23 run, which was 0.41 seconds better than third place finisher Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama.

The Waimea High School varsity mixed team ended the championship regatta in third place with a 3:55.32 paddle, nearly six seconds back of the division’s first place finisher, Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama, who tripped the clocks on a 3:49.69 run.

Full information on the preliminary heats and tournament history can be found on the HHSAA website at www.sportshigh.com.