Garden Isle paddlers take part in international competition across the pond

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Paddling teams from Hawaii are racing with the world’s best in London, England, including a club from Kauai.

Members of the Kilohana Hoe Wa’a canoe club are in England this week, competing in the 2022 International Va’a Federation world Sprints.

A bi-annual championship that invites some of the best paddlers from around the globe to converge on the waters of the host country, this year the races are taking place at Dorney lake in Windsor, unfamiliar waters for the team from the valley isle.

“Different canoe, different environment, different scenery, different competition, but it’s the same old.” Coach Kaina Makua told Hawaii News Now. “You got a paddle still yet and growing up we was always told, it’s not the paddle, it’s not the canoe, it’s the paddler, so if we can continue to follow that, I think our girls should be fine.”

The girls wrapped up day two of the seven day competition and no matter where they finish when its all said and done, the knowledge gained through the experience is the bigger prize

“The experience is going to be big for our girls.” Makua said. “At this stag,e you’re going to race against some good paddlers across the world, but you’re also going to have some time to learn from some really good paddlers also and I think if they can do both, where, yeah, we compete, win or lose, we bring something home.”

While also representing the state and their small community on Kauai.

The 2022 IVF Va’a World Sprint Championships wrap up on August 16th.