About Big Island Junior Va'a

 In 2019, a mischievous group of friends got together to form a Junior Crew for the 18-mile-long Queen Lili'uokalani Race in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i. We were a rambunctious crew made up of club paddlers, competitive swimmers, surfers, divers, and fishermen. The category for our age division didn't exist, so with the help of our Dads and Uncles, we created it. We became one of the first (and youngest) crews, made up of 14-16-year-olds who were given special permission to do the grueling 18-mile race.  After a successful finish, we continued to do some fun races on the V-1 and OC-1. Little did we know it was the start of something cool....

We started out with just a few local races on our island- Race Around the Hat on O'ahu, and another big goal at the time- the 2020 IVF World Sprint Trials held in Hilo, Hawaii. It sounded fun and challenging so we went for it! Unfortunately, a freak storm rolled in and the trials were canceled! But it was a worthwhile experience with our family and friends.

As some of our friends ventured off to college, or got full-time jobs, some of us still remained die-hard paddlers. Thanks to the supportive board members at HIPA, the HIPA Freddie Berengue canoe halau at Honokohau Harbor became our second home and we spent our early mornings and/or afternoons honing our skills on the one-man and the rudderless canoe. With our Dads and "The Uncles" looking out for us, we were able to do some fun paddling races and epic downhill runs on the va'a.

The good race results from our hard work became noticeable in the paddling community. We were putting in more time on the water, exposing ourselves to bigger surfing conditions on other islands while broadening our ocean knowledge. Each of us focused on our individual growth in the OC-1 / Va'a and pushed hard together in long-distance paddling. This opened us up to meeting great ocean-minded people and being able to further hone our paddling skills. 

Big Island Junior Va'a was given a great opportunity to take the reigns on HIPA's Valentine's Day Race sponsored by Huggo's. This gave us a chance to be more involved with the community and learn what goes into organizing a small race. Our first event was a hit and became an ongoing yearly event that has doubled in size over the years.

We had a supportive network thanks to our community believing in the Junior Va'a program. From boat donations to paddles, and plane tickets for off-island races, our community and sponsors generously helped us each step of the way.  We are thankful to the many people who continually take the time to help mentor us to be better paddlers and members of our community.

Big Island Junior Va'a has evolved into a specialized hybrid program embracing personal and team excellence for Junior Paddlers all over the State.  Supported by our local community, coaches, and families, we recognize that growth and success require going past our comfort zone to cultivate resilience, and to conquer challenges inside and outside of the Va'a. We are looking forward to traveling to more worldwide destinations to test our mettle, bringing up the next generation of scrappy paddlers, and giving back to our community.