The red-clad West Maui club has always taken pride in helping to develop the next generation of outrigger canoe paddlers in the Maui County Hawaiian Canoe Association by hosting the only summer regatta when the focus is purely on the keiki.

After two seasons wiped out by the pandemic, LCC is as strong as it has been in several years, with membership numbers near the 100 mark, about half of which are keiki.

The club’s best two finishes of the day on Saturday at Hanakao’o (Canoe) Beach Park were the girls 12A and 13 crews, both of which took second place.

“Good, like really nice, yeah, it’s fun,” said Hawea Lindsey, an 11-year-old steersman who guided both crews to runner-up finishes.

Lindsey

The rising seventh grader is in the Kula Kaiapuni Hawaiian immersion program at Lahaina Intermediate School and was all smiles as she stood near LCC keiki coach Rose Crichton.

“We do have a 13 girls steersman, but she’s out on vacation — we’ve got to work with what we have,” Crichton said. “Hawea has definitely been able to step up to the plate and hold her line. So, we definitely are grateful to have her as part of our family.”

Crichton said that the history lessons are easy to teach when her youth paddlers are having fun like they were on Saturday.

“It’s huge,” Crichton said. “You know, coming over in 2017 and kind of revamping the club ourselves, we learned a lot. We actually learned that the base of the club was actually the kids or the keiki of Lahainaluna (High School), from the boarding department. So, that’s how it started off.

“Knowing that this race (day) is dedicated to the keiki of Maui, the Keiki O Maui, it’s very fitting. It’s very fitting to be a family and have these awesome keiki with us.”

Lahaina Canoe Club keiki coach Rose Crichton cheers her girls 12A crew to a second-place finish Saturday.

Crichton has been a member of the LCC board, has coached adult crews and is now in her first year coaching the keiki division.

The LCC 12A girls included Linea Crichton, Rose’s daughter, along with Tatiana Vehikite, Keiko Wegner, Tay Faiva, Tia Faiva and Lindsey. The LCC 13 girls included Wegner, Emma Rosenthal, Rosana Kauvaka, Mya Kauvaka, Ashanti Diaz and Lindsey.

“Oh, I’m having so much fun,” Rose Crichton said. “To be honest, it has almost comes full circle for me. I grew up paddling with a small club (Kahana) who became big and we had two girls crews. So, I feel like it’s come full circle because now I’m coaching two girls crews.”

Next door at Napili Canoe Club, Kaulana Tihada was busy doing one of his favorite sports — the rising junior at Lahainaluna was the second-leading rusher and scorer in Maui Interscholastic League football in 2021.

“It’s fun because we never paddled for like three years, so I really like paddling,” Tihada said. “Behind football, it’s my second favorite sport.”

Crews in the boys 13 race, including Na Kai Ewalu (foreground), break from the starting line Saturday. Hawaiian Canoe Club won in 2:15.64.

The extended Tihada family is the driving force behind Napili Canoe Club, and the Dougie Tihada Regatta is named in honor of Kaulana Tihada’s late grandfather.

“It’s very cool because we all get to come together — this is a really big thing that brings us back together, because we always used to paddle before,” Kaulana Tihada said. “We kind of had to start over because it’s been so long. I had to get back into the groove.”

Napili head coach Joey Tihada, Dougie’s son and Kaulana’s dad, said the Keiki O Maui Regatta is always a special day for the MCHCA.

“It’s the building block for all the clubs and it’s just good to have all the kids out — that’s where we started as kids, my brothers and everybody,” he said. “It’s just a good building block.”

Hawaiian Canoe Club won the regatta with 168 points. Kihei was second with 101 and Lae’ula O Kai third with 67.

Paddlers line the beach at Hanakao‘o on Saturday.

Lili Kahaloa was the steersman on both of Hawaiian’s girls 12 crews, the A and B.

“It’s really fun,” Kahaloa said. “Today, it was really nice getting to paddle in such clear water that’s so flat.”

Kahaloa guided the HCC 12B girls to a win in their quarter-mile race in 2 minutes, 29.21 seconds.

Kahaloa was joined on that crew by Kalena Aguirre, Sydney Haole, Bellamoon Hunkin, Kealohi Sepulveda and Hiipoi Starbuck.

On the HCC 12A girls, Kahaloa was joined by Nora Carey, Mahina Cosare, Nevaeh Howard, Malie Kamai and Hulali Reyes. They won their race in 2:18.04.

Lae‘ula O Kai (from foreground) gets through the turn ahead of Kihei and Hawaiian in the women’s 60 race.

“We like it when we all paddle together just because being all girls is fun,” said Kahaloa, a rising seventh grader at Kamehameha Maui. “Like being together, plus most of us knew each other before paddling.

“I think it’s all really special because we haven’t been able to race with other clubs in a while. In the four years I’ve paddled I’ve only raced in one of these (Keiki O Maui) regattas.”

Veteran HCC keiki coach Paul Luuwai said the Keiki O Maui is always a regatta that is close to his heart.

“It is for me and anybody who coaches kids, I think it’s special,” Luuwai said. “The focus is always the kids for every club, not just our own. But, you know, our whole life is about the kids for any kid coach like me. It’s all good, it’s all about love and sharing our aloha with our kids. It is a special day to me, very special.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

MCHCA KEIKI O MAUI REGATTA

Saturday’s Results

At Hanakao’o (Canoe) Beach Park

Hawaiian 168, Kihei 101, Lae’ula O Kai 67, Na Kai Ewalu 59, Napili 56, Wailea 36, Lahaina 21, Kahana 8.

SEASON STANDINGS

Through 2 of 7 events

Hawaiian 332, Kihei 192, Lae’ula O Kai 145, Napili 115, Na Kai Ewalu 103, Wailea 65, Lahaina 50, Kahana 11.

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