Quick, name two traditional Hawaiian sports enjoying worldwide interest in the twenty-first century! Many people would immediately and correctly name surfing as one, but what is the other? If you answered, “outrigger canoe paddling”, you would be right. Although not
Quick, name two traditional Hawaiian sports enjoying worldwide interest in the twenty-first century! Many people would immediately and correctly name surfing as one, but what is the other?
If you answered, “outrigger canoe paddling”, you would be right. Although not as welt publicized as surfing, Hawaiian style paddling is rapidly becoming known all over the globe. Magazines such as “Pacific Paddler”, and “Canoe and Kayak” are not only spreading the word, but also recording the sport’s growing popularity. A glance at rosters from events like Na Wahine o ke Kai, Moloka’i Hoe, and the Lili’uokalani race tells all. Teams from Tahiti, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Europe, and the US mainland regularly enter these competitions. Even land-locked Switzerland has participated in the Moloka’i Hoe!
Why do they do it? Why do people who have never been to Hawai’i and who may know nothing about Hawaiian or Polynesian culture take up a sport so quintessentially Hawaiian? It certainty is not because they find it easy. Dispatches to “Pacific Paddler” magazine from an outrigger club in New York, for example, talk about having to break ice off of their canoes before setting out on winter practice sessions. Even in places where ice is not a problem, paddlers train and race in rough seas, rain, and blistering heat.
The reasons people paddle are as individual as the people themselves. For some, the physical challenge is paramount. Others take up paddling as a way of learning about Polynesian seafaring traditions or the Hawaiian marine environment. Still others appreciate the camaraderie of a sport that acknowledges almost no barriers; paddlers of all ages and both sexes have fun in canoes.
If you want to see how much fun they have, come to Kawaikini Canoe Club’s annual Walter Smith Memorial Regatta on 18 May at Wailua River Park. This is a free event that the whole family can enjoy. It will begin at about 8 a.m. with a traditional blessing. Races for kids from ten to eighteen will take place in the morning, and competitions for adults will follow.
So bring a picnic and spend the day! If you do not want to tug a cooler to the site, you can buy some of the ono shoyu chicken, salad, chili, and other grinds that Kawaikini will sell at its food booth. Cold soda, juice, and water will also be for sale. You can even get a club T-shirt to take home as a souvenir.
If you cannot wait for May 18, and want to find out more about paddling, or about the regatta, please telephone 822 0647.
