HONOLULU (KHON2) — Jaimie Song is getting ready for Na Wahine O Ke Kai 2025. Instead of racing across the Channel, she’ll be appearing on the channel. Channel 5, that is.
Jaimie Song, a Fire Captain for the Honolulu Fire Department, is trading in flames for fame as she gets ready to host for the first time.
“Being able to come on and host with Walter and Kamaka and the rest of the team is such a blessing because it allows me to stay connected to the race, but more importantly, to the community,” Song said.
Jaimie Song is no stranger to the Ka’iwi Channel. After 26 races, either in a one-man or six-man canoe, she’s earned nine top-three finishes.
“I’ve been paddling since I was 19 years old. I miss it, and I love paddling so much. I just don’t have the time right now to commit to the training regimen for a race of this magnitude,” Jaimie Song said.
This race has required rigorous training from these athletes, and Jaimie has approached hosting with the same dedication.
“As far as prep, it is a little overwhelming because one, it’s my first time and you just hope that you do the sport and the community justice,” Song said. “The biggest thing for me prepping is gathering information from all the crews that are coming, not just locally, but we’ve got a ton of international crews coming in [and] from the mainland.”
Jaimie wants to shine a light on one of the most important parts of this race, its athletes.
“The other piece is the relationships that I built racing with [and] alongside some of these women or against these women for years and years. Hopefully, I can share some of their individual and crew stories that are just as important as the actual race itself,” Song added.
With race day on the horizon, Jaimie thinks this year’s will be one to watch.
“We know the local competition, right? You know who you’ve been racing against all year. But there might be some dark horse from Tahiti or from the mainland that comes in and shakes it up,” Song said. “You just, you don’t know what you’re going to get. And I think that’s kind of the beauty of it.”
After watching, Jaimie hopes viewers at home feel inspired to learn more about the sport.
“I really encourage people to get out, join your local canoe club… It’s a good way to stay in shape, to be outside in nature. ” Song said. “And it really is a sisterhood… You have these friendships that are forever friendships, and you do life together.”
Don’t miss the Na Wahine O Ke Kai 2025 on Sept. 28, airing live on KHII.
For more race day information, you can also check out the Na Wahine O Ke Kai website.