Many who follow local sports may recognize A.J. and Brashton Satele from their accomplishments in baseball and football.

However, the former University of Hawaii-Hilo baseball standout and University of Hawaii linebacker turned NFL hopeful are now taking the sport of outrigger canoe paddling seriously.

The Sateles joined Olelo O Keola this year, and in just their first race, were part of the victorious men’s novice A crew that took home gold in the Na ‘Ohana O Na Hui Wa‘a’s season-opening Kalihi Kai Regatta on Sunday at Keehi Lagoon. Olelo O Keola’s winning crew, which also included Ryan Burgos, Jarren Pestana, Lance Arnold and Silafaga Luaifoa, finished the 1-mile race in 8 minutes, 15.76 seconds to best Na Keiki O Ka Mo‘i (8:30.28) and the Waikiki Beachboys (8:31.24).

"We finished playing football, finished playing baseball, so we were looking for something to do to stay in shape and remain competitive," said A.J., a Kamehameha alum who credits Olelo O Keola founder Chauncey Pang with influencing the pair to pursue paddling. "It was good to get that first race out of the way. This was our first one, and we wanted to see where we stand."

"It helps us keep that competitive edge," added Brashton, who starred on the prep level in both football and track and field with Word of Life Academy. "After football, I needed to find an outlet to let loose and release the competitive side in me. I really like paddling, I love everything about it. Just like a football team is a big family, the same thing is true with our canoe club."

The Sateles have retired from professional athletics for good, and A.J. is working at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard as a rigger while Brashton recently became a stevedore. The brothers expressed a desire of building on their young success in the canoe together under the guidance of coach Kevin Mokuahi.

"They’ve got good hearts, they’re both great athletes and their attitude is wonderful," Pang said. "It’s an example for the younger kids. If you put your heart and desire into what you want to do, it can be done."

Final point standings were not available at press time because of technical difficulties, according to race director Heather Murakami. Na Keiki Ka Mo‘i has taken two of the last three organizational AAA titles, including the 2012 crown, which resulted from winning all nine Hui Wa‘a regattas. The club was also contending in Sunday’s regatta.

The Waikiki Beachboys were among the early leaders in the AA division (13-24 crews entered). Ka Mamalahoe and Kaneohe kept things close early in the day. Waikiki’s "Beach Girls" dominated the marquee senior women’s event as the crew of Frances Lichowski, Dana Gorecki, Eko Lapp, Jennifer Polcer, Lindsey Shank and Kaui Pelekane traversed the 1.5-mile course in 13 minutes, 21.43 seconds while easily holding off Manu O Ke Kai (14:31.07).

Ka Mamalahoe recently bolstered its numbers to more than 100 paddlers, and will compete consistently in the medium division this year.

Scotty Thompson was joined by Ted Kunishige, Norbert Kitashima, Barry Whitfield, Kenneth Montpas and Nahi Missbach in Ka Mamalahoe’s victorious men’s 60 crew that surged from behind to claim victory over Ka Mo‘i by 1.18 seconds in the half-mile event. The bright orange-clad crew trailed from the quarter-mile mark, when the canoes turned back toward the finishing flag. But Ka Mamalahoe inched up on and eventually passed Ka Mo‘i just yards before crossing the line in 4 minutes, 25.38 seconds.

That team, along with the club’s men’s 55 and mixed 55 crews, won Sunday after finishing the 2012 campaign undefeated.

"We just raced our race, but I could see Ka Mo‘i, so I knew we had to (catch up)," said Thompson, a coach and paddler with Ka Mamalahoe, the club he helped start in 2002.

Thompson noted that the club is taking a "wait and see" approach to the season, as new combinations of paddlers fill out the majority of Ka Mamalahoe’s crews.

"I try not to think about it, because the crews are different than last year," said Thompson, when asked about the impressive undefeated runs. "Hopefully the training pays off. A lot of different guys are in the crews."

Sunday’s event marked the first full-fledged canoe-paddling competition held at Keehi Lagoon since the site was closed to the public following the Feb. 1 high school paddling state championships due to high levels of bacteria in the water. The lagoon was shut down by the State Department of Health, which, along with the City’s Department of Environmental Services, has monitored the water quality with frequent tests.

Hui Wa‘a’s next event is slated for Sunday with the Manu O Ke Kai Regatta at Haleiwa Beach Park.

The Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association kicks off its season Sunday with the Clement D. Pa‘aina Regatta at Keehi Lagoon.