As if on cue, new-look Kai Opua enters the Moku O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Racing Association regatta season as the heavy favorite.
The West Hawaii powerhouse has won the last eight A Division (21-42 events) titles. Puna beat Kai Opua, 161 to 132 points, for the championship in 2006, the last time someone got in the way.
The season kicks off Saturday at Kailua Bay with Kai Ehitu’s “Papa” Kimitete regatta in honor of late club founder Bernard Kimitete, a master wood carver and Polynesian traditionalist.
Kai Opua will be under new direction with Yurik Resetnikov taking over as the canoe club’s athletic director and men’s coach.
Mike Atwood goes from the club’s AD to vice president, handling Moku O Hawaii and Hawaii Canoe Racing Association.
It’s good timing, too. The 10th annual Aunty Maile Mauhili/Moku O Hawaii championships will be held July 18 at Hilo Bay. The HCRA state championships will be held on the Big Island two weeks later.
“I’ll work on Moku and HCRA logistics and he’ll do activities on the water, overseeing the club and rigging canoes,” Atwood said. “Yurik is easy-going, smart and has been around. He’s from Hawaii and knows what’s going on.
“He’s aware of the culture. He’s been the men’s coach before and did a good job.”
Resetnikov is a firefighter based out of the Kailua station. He paddled as a keiki, moved to Oahu for a stretch, and returned to Kai Opua in 2006.
His wife Lindsay is a special education teacher at Kealakehe elementary, and paddles in the women’s open.
Daughters Kona, 12, and Mehana, 10, are big-time water enthusiasts. They paddle, swim in coach Steve Borowski’s Kona Aquatics club, and surf.
They’ll compete in the Keiki Surf contest at Pine Trees this weekend.
“They love it all,” Resetnikov said. “They love anything in the water.”
One of Resetnikov’s biggest changes is installing a new stroke technique in the men’s program, built for long distances.
“It’s a little longer stroke, but efficient with a quick recovery,” he said. “Everyone is focused and re-energized. I’ve gotten positive feedback from the paddlers, and I think we’ll do really well.
“Hopefully, if we stick to the program and stay disciplined, and train well we’ll have a chance at possibly repeating.”
State vibe
It’s a different deal when the state championships are held at Hilo Bay. Kai Opua gets revved up, and comes within sniffing distance of elusive gold.
The Big Island has never won the big-fish Division AAAA (21-42 races) crown. Moku O Hawaii is batting 0 for 64.
The HCRA state championships turn 65 years old on Saturday, Aug. 1.
Hawaiian, the dominant force from Maui, makes itself at home at Hilo Bay and eats Moku O Hawaii’s lunch.
Kai Opua finished second to Hawaiian in 2002 and ’09 at Hilo Bay in HCRA’s largest division.
Atwood is also the canoe paddling coach at Kealakehe, so he knows all about the tune-ups during the BIIF season. The only race that carries weight is the league championships.
That’s not the case under the HCRA umbrella, which includes the Big Island, Maui, Molokai, Kauai and two Oahu associations.
Points in every regatta count. Moku O Hawaii will have three lanes at states in each race. No one wants to sit on the sand watching, a reason each regatta will be a dogfight.
“In the BIIF, you could be undefeated, but if you have a bad race or a DQ (disqualification) in the (boys, girls mixed) championships, your whole season is shot. It is what it is,” said Atwood, sounding like Bill Belichick. “We’re stoked that (HCRA) states is here. We’re trying to get more strength in numbers. We want to secure as much lanes as we can. Sometimes, you use better paddlers in one event to get points, but miss out on another race. It’s a balancing game.”
Maybe someday
The toughest obstacle to winning big-fish gold is something Kai Opua can’t fight. Hawaiian holds a huge advantage because of association lineup and island size.
There are 15 clubs in Moku O Hawaii, and the talent is spread around from East to West Hawaii. There are 10 clubs in Maui’s association, and Hawaiian in centrally located in Kahului Harbor, another attraction to its winning tradition.
There has always been talk of Moku O Hawaii combining top paddlers and forming a super club, like the Avengers with Hulk, Captain America, Thor and Ironman.
“We’ve come in second, but never won. Everything has to fall into place,” Atwood said. “Most clubs wouldn’t want to have all-star crews. That would defeat the purpose of participation.
“You have to build on the grassroots level. When the paddlers have an opportunity to get a medal, they want to become part of that success. We’re getting stronger as we go along. We’ll see. I do think it’s definitely possible Moku could win a state title.”