Le Jardin can paddle with pride

There is a certain pride in building, whether it’s a canoe or tradition.

There is a sense of ownership, a sense of sharing, a sense of self.

That has been the experience for the outrigger canoe paddlers from Le Jardin Academy. What began as a senior class gift in 2011 has become so much more, a present that will give back for years to come.

Last Friday, Ia Mau Ho‘olina was presented by paddlers from the class of 2012 with a blessing and traditional chant at Kailua Beach. She joined Ho‘omaka Hoe, the first canoe designed and built for the fledgling paddling program by the students under the guidance of master canoe builder Jay Dowsett.

"It is so meaningful for us, for our paddlers and our school," said Kathy Erwin, head of the Bulldogs’ canoe and kayak programs. "Jay was so willing to work with the kids, allowing them to design and then build the canoes.

"They are part of the canoes. It’s not like a boat just arrived and they go paddle it. It’s theirs, an amazing senior gift, and they will always know they have that legacy."

It began just months before Dowsett’s son, Michael, was scheduled to graduate in 2011. He asked his father if he would help his fellow seniors build a canoe.

Jay Dowsett had built canoes for other high schools but never had allowed the students to be part of the process. In part because of the work with hazardous materials.

"I had to explain to the kids that they had to take it serious, they had to wear masks, they couldn’t be listening to their iPods," Dowsett said. "They did everything they needed to do. They committed to it, even with finals coming up.

"Some canoes can take up to a year to build. They did it in a week. I’m very proud of them. They’ve taken ownership of the whole process."

Both times it has included lessons in history and Hawaiian culture. The canoes are Malia-mold, using a mold of Waikiki Surf Club’s venerable koa Malia, considered the mother of the first fiberglass canoes.

Dowsett said the paddlers wanted to use a more modern mold but he talked them out of it, saying that the Malia was the best canoe for the type of paddling conditions they would experience during the high school season.

Besides the building process at Dowsett’s shop on Sand Island, the paddlers studied chapters from the late Tommy Holmes’ book, "The Hawaiian Canoe." They also had to learn the canoe builder’s chant "I Ku Mau Mau" and help perform ka ‘oki ‘ana o ka piko, the presentation ceremony denoting the figurative cutting of the umbilical cord.

The paddlers have literally left their marks on the canoes. There are handprints on the seats and there are butterfly patches inside the hull that represent each senior.

Logan Spencer, a junior, helped with the building this year.

"It was amazing to have this opportunity from Mr. Dowsett to learn," Spencer said. "That he has one of the only Malia molds and we actually built it using that is really cool.

"It was really interesting to wax it down, paint it. Our canoes are beautiful."

The cost is about $10,000, $7,500 for the hull and $2,500 for the ‘ama (float) and ‘iako (wooden spars that connect the hull to the ‘ama).

Through fundraising efforts by the parents and donations from businesses, what was considered a dream by Erwin became a reality.

"It’s been our hope for a long time that we could have our own canoes," Le Jardin athletic director Reed Olaso said. "We’ve been fortunate that Kailua Canoe Club allowed us to borrow their canoes and now to house ours at their halau (canoe house).

"Now that we have this tradition, it’s going to be hard to slow it down. We will probably have to build something up on our campus to store our canoes and kayaks. But that’s what makes it special, that our students are giving back to the program with the idea of building it for the younger kids."

Varsity boys coach Michael Smith said the plan is to have four canoes so that they no longer have to borrow from Kailua and Lanikai canoe clubs for full practices. Donations are always welcome, he said.