Na Kama O Kapua canoe team in their ‘rebuilding year’

HONOLULU (KHON2) — One of Hawaii’s most storied canoe clubs is looking to the future. The Outrigger Canoe Club’s junior girls team — Na Kama O Kapua — is in a rebuilding year and coaches said this is a crew to watch in the years ahead.

They may be young, but the girls are carrying generations of paddling tradition. This season, their coaches said it’s about growth and laying the foundation for the future.

“Outrigger is one of the original clubs, amazing history and legacy of paddling, perpetuating with koa canoes and winning traditions,” said Anthony Hunt, Outrigger Canoe Racing Chair.

The junior wahine, who are 15 to 18 years old, are cycling in a younger group this year after losing several veteran girls.

“A lot of the same core girls, but five or six went off to college this year,” explained Kevin Espiritu, junior girls coach. “You see this incredible growth, you hit that peak and it just keeps going.”

For coaches, the mission isn’t just about winning races; it’s about keeping athletes healthy and preparing them for challenges like the Kaiwi Channel.

“These kids have amazing resiliency and a lot of try. They will push and go until the wheels fall off,” said Hunt.

“Kaiwi will give you off the side, hitting off your ama. The wind might come down from the northeast, but the tide might be pushing opposite direction. So you could have the same crew with completely different results depending on time of year, time of day, storm conditions what passed before.”

Na Kama O Kapua hasn’t paddled in Na Wahine O Ke Kai since 2019 and although it’s a building year, expectations are already high.

“This year is very much a building year, investing in them and I think we’re going to be seeing some cool outcomes from them in about two years,” Hunt added.

“I’m grateful for them. They allow me and they trust me enough to go and say let’s do this, sometimes they scared, but I feel honored there’s that trust with them,” said Espiritu.