Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 10, 1 ʻOkakopa 1990 — Hawaiian kayak teams lead the pack [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiian kayak teams lead the pack

By CIarence F. T. Ching Trustee, O'ahu

The word kayak used to conjure in my mind the picture of a number of Eskimos paddling around frigid Arctic seas amidst the constant danger of ieebergs in fragile, skincovered craft searching for seals, walrus

and other Eskimo delicacies. Recently craft of the same name but paddled by brown-skinned youngsters, have burst upon the national sports scene and begun to make a name for themselves and for this plaee called Hawai'i. The earliest Hawaiians searched for speed and excitement and developed vehicles to do it. They invented the holua (sled) to careen down stone courses and the surfboard to capture the power of the wa ves. In so doing they made important contributions to our present enjoyment of sports. In this case, it happens to be water sports. Most Hawaiian youngsters start getting acquainted with the oeean and water at quite young ages. After all, from ancient times to the present the oeean has provided us with a means of travel (how else could we have gotten here and maintained communications between t'e islands?) a source of food and raw materials, a piaee to cleanse our bodies and a plaee to develop and enjoy our sports. This is the environment in whieh swimming champions such as Duke Kahanamoku cut their eyeteeth. Because Hawaiian youngsters become adept at swimming, surfing and paddling and in the process develop 'he ability to "feel the water," it is no wonder that they have adopted the modern 01ympic sports of kayaking and canoeing and are becoming good at it. The eanoe is not the familiar outrigger or double-hulled variety like the "Hokule'a." but is a fairly short. somewhat triangular contraption without an ama. The kayak is not like the surfski that we have eome to know, but a rraft you sit in. Either way, both of these boats are extremely tippy. Island youngsters who spend a lot of time growing up near the water seem to have an easy time adapting to them. In 1988. a one-time, one-year grant by the U.S. 01ympic Foundation funded a loeal 01ympic Development Program to generate interest and promote knowledge about 0'ympic-style flatwater events. Support for the program also eame from the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation and the Outrigger Oanoe Club. With additional public support, a total of 18 junior participants, most if not all of them of some Hawaiian ancestry, represented the State of Hawai'i at the U.S. Canoe and Kayak National Championships. These 18 youngsters entered 29 of 74 events, won 78 of 100 medals and took an overall third plaee out of 13 teams. Not only were five members of the team awarded positions on the U.S. Junior Pan-Amen-ean Team, Malia Kamisugi of Punahou was given the Female Sportsmanship Award and Nalu Kukea of Kamehameha was named the Most Valuable Male Junior Kayaker. The success of 1988 seemed unbelieveable as our Hawaiian youth eame out of nowhere to compete in a new sport and gained national recognition in the process. Their gutsy performance was a waming to all others that they had arrived and they were going to make their mark. In the fall of 1988, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, with Mid-Pacific Institute, St. Louis,

Punahou, Damien and Kamehameha participating, became the first high school kayaking league in the country. At Kamehameha, with expectations that 11 or 12 students might turn out for the sport, an exciting 56 did. The Ala Wai Canal became a beehive of activity both mornings and afternoons as training got serious. Races were held every Saturday during the six-week season. So what has become of the 1988 initial burst of activity? The average person may not have noticed some of the eolumn headings that were tucked away in the sports pages of the major newspapers during August of this year such as: "Kayak sweep," "Gold rush for Isle paddlers," "Hawaii paddlers strike gold at nationals" and "Kayakers triumph." You guessed it! The team from Hawai'i won the overall team trophy at this year's Nahonal Championships held in Indianapolis. Their 598.5 total points was far

superior to the 254.7 amassed by the second-place Washington Canoe Club in the four-day event. They won gold medals for 26 first plaee finishes and placed in a lot of other individual and team events. The success of the last few yeam of participation at the national level by Hawaiian youngsters in this new Hawaiian sport provides an important elue for the future. Don't be surprised if our Hawaiian youth are successful in bringing home some bacon in the next 01ympics. It'll really be a boost for all our children when those successful individuals take their places in the growing eolleehon of Hawaiian role-models for our younger children and those yet unborn to emulate. If you're passing the Ala Wai on an ahemoon or weekend, take notice of our present and future champions in training and give them a "honk" or acknowledgment. And know that those in the kayaks are Hawaiians.