The small-club crew from Kawaihae showed that paddling with a ton of intensity can sometimes be unbeatable, even against the sharks from Maui’s Hawaiian, the state’s most dominant youth program.
Kawaihae’s mixed boys and girls 12 blew away Hawaiian at the 64th annual Hawaii Canoe Racing Association state championships, 2:04.68 to 2:08.98, in a quarter-mile race on Saturday at Hilo Bay.
The Moku O Hawaii crew (Keahiwai Lindsey, Kuhao Kane, Keenan Pahio, Julia Salvador, Laif Showalter, Kaila Sylva) finished the season unbeaten. Kane, Pahio, Salvador, Showalter were on Kawaihae’s mixed 12 that was third to Hawaiian’s gold crew a year ago.