After being asked by their coaches for an “all-hands-on-deck” effort, paddlers from Lanikai Canoe Club answered the call and then some.
Two-time defending Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association state champion Lanikai continued its stellar run through the summer sprint season and notched its fourth consecutive AAA division (31-45 crews entered) title on Sunday with a well-rounded performance at the OHCRA Championships at Keehi Lagoon.
Lanikai’s victory secured an undefeated season for the club, which swept all six official OHCRA regattas this summer. The green-and-white clad club tallied 212 points on a regatta-best 18 victories in the large-club division to best Hui Nalu (169 points), Outrigger (124 points) and Kailua (121 points).
“To be successful as a club, you have to win with everybody, and it was truly all hands on deck today,” said Lanikai Canoe Club head coach Scott Freitas. “It helps to have the bodies and the numbers, but you can’t just rely on the open women or open men. Today was exceptional with the number of wins we had, and we’ve just got to stay on that path and follow the course.”
Through the first 21 races, Lanikai established a slight 91-74 advantage over Hui Nalu thanks in large part to six early victories and seven runner-up finishes during that span. Lanikai then put together a hot streak through the open adult races, winning seven straight contests capped by a victory in the senior men’s race to put the club ahead by 37 points.
“The difference between us and most of the other clubs is that we’re all best friends, it’s like a brotherhood,” said Matt Crowley, a member of Lanikai’s victorious Senior Men’s crew that also included Nick Foti, Manny Kulukulualani, Ryan Murphy, Igor Sobreira and Karel Tresnak Jr. “I’ve known Karel and all the guys since we were racing at 10 or 12 years old. We fight and butt heads in practice, but when it’s time to race, we come together, and we go fast.”
The crew blitzed through the 1½-mile course in 11 minutes, 23.51 seconds and finished well ahead of Hui Nalu (11:41.54) and Outrigger (11:46.13) to cap an undefeated season in the marquee event.
“Our success is the product of our practices,” Crowley said. “We work so hard, it’s like clockwork. Nothing is given, and every time we come out, we’re nervous. But we follow the game plan and show up. We’re not going to slow down; our success is the product of a lot of hard work, and we’re going to continue doing that.”
Lanikai also saw its Boys 16 (Abhi Erukulapati, Castle Foti, Luc Lambert, Kepler Pharaon, Quinton Pierce and Carter Tseu) and Women’s 60 (Lisa Barney, Susan Butterbaugh, Jennifer Fisher, Barrie Morgan, Leslie Ann Murakami and Kelly Smith) crews complete undefeated seasons.
More than 3,000 competitors ranging in age from 12-and-under to 70-and-above represented OHCRA’s 18 member clubs in 46 races, 44 of which counted for points, spanning a ¼ mile to 1½ mile. Winning crews earned 7 points toward the team standings, while second-, third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place finishers were awarded five, four, three, two and one points, respectively.
The top four crews from each OHCRA event earned automatic berths in the HCRA State Championship Regatta on Aug. 6 at Keehi Lagoon.
“We will be fine tuning and training even harder over these next two weeks as we get ready for states,” said Lurline McGregor, a member of Hui Nalu’s Women’s Masters 70 crew that completed an undefeated campaign with Sunday’s win.
The triumphant crew, which crossed the line in 5:10.60 following the ½-mile effort, also included Lita Blankenfeld, Paddy Dunn, Dayna Owskey, Katie Scott and Elizabeth Sutter.
“We trained hard and were inspired by a good season, so we wanted to finish it off well,” McGregor said. “We’re all stoked to get points for the club, and of course we really want to see Hui Nalu beat Lanikai!”
Kailua’s Men’s 60 (Lance Anderson, Bruce Campbell, Rob Cates, Jeff Cummings, Kamoa Kalama and Kevin Pilbrow) and Hui Nalu’s Women’s 55 (Lisa Ah Sing, Polly Ai, Kitty Daniel, Christine Denton, Carol Jaxon and Norma Santiago) crews also finished off undefeated seasons with wins at the OHCRA Championships.
Keahiakahoe (79 points) captured the AA division (16-30 crews entered) trophy ahead of Leeward Kai (35 points) and New Hope (32 points).
All three clubs won at least one regatta during the regatta season, while Keahiakahoe finished the year with three straight dominant victories.
Healani (44 points) took gold in the A division (1-15 crews entered) and cemented an undefeated season in the small-club group. Waikiki Surf Club (37 points), Koa Kai (27 points), Hui Lanakila (26 points) and Waimanalo (21 points) were also in the mix in the small-club division.
