Elections for our 2026 board members and officers are coming up! Thank you to all our club board members and coaches who have supported our paddlers and Ohana throughout 2025 and consistently volunteered their time to help meet our fundraising goals to support our adult and keiki programs. Come celebrate the year with us at our Na Leo Holiday Party on Nov. 22 and be part of our Thanksgiving Imu fundraiser: Prep and Drop off on Nov. 26, Pick up Day on Nov. 27 (YUM!). See link/QR to order below!

What’s next on the water? As the race season winds up, Na Leo will take multiple crews to Another Dam Race in Parker, AZ on Nov. 15 to race in short course and long course. So excited to have 20+ paddlers participating and happy to support other groups taking on new experiences and racing along with us. Welcome to our new paddlers and novices racing for the first time!

This fall also brought success to our veteran racers in our Na Leo sprint program, Team Phoenix, at U.S. Nationals in V1 and V6. Our open, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s wahine and open kane crews were officially invited to represent the U.S. at the International Va’a Federation Sprint Championships in Singapore in 2026. In addition, many of our individual paddlers will race for the US in V1 and join the US Elite V6 crews. Go Team!

Na Leo O Ke Kai joined paddlers from SCORA clubs for the first two races of the year: Crystal Pier and Battle of the Breakwater. New experiences all around. At Crystal Pier keiki, wahine and kane crews represented. At B of B, Nā Leo wāhine repped with Mikaela Ginerva (Team USA DB padder too!), who sat seat 1 stroking for Lanakila and taking 1st Place. Good days with more to come.

March was canoe madness, with the club canoe blessing, fundraisers, Moana movie night and open house. But, the best part was welcoming all the new adult paddlers to the club and their keiki: Danny, Eduardo, Will, Jayo, James, Gab, Michelle, Miranda, Melinda, Shelby, Albertine, Jason, Jodie, Tiffany and Loke!

Come meet us at the Arizona Aloha Festival this weekend and come out with the Na Leo Ohana on March 22 at Tempe Town Lake. Look for our green tent and the smiling people. Bring your family, find out about our keiki paddling program and share in our adventures in AZ, CA, HI and beyond. Oh, and put in your Kalua pork order. So ONO!

The leadership team and coaches for Na Leo O Ke Kai would like to thank everyone for a wonderful 2024! We closed out the year with a bang, racing at Another Dam Race in Parker, AZ (photo below!), which we’ve attended since it was started, working on the canoes, and participating in the Na Leo Thanksgiving Fundraiser imu, as well as volunteering for the AZ Ironman, as a fundraiser. Coach Richard and Betty Flores hosted the end of season party for the club, family and friends, and Malie Kawamoto and Na Leo families hosted a party for the keiki. We are thankful and looking forward to all the shared adventures ahead in 2025. A big welcome to our new 2025 board and coaches! Thankful for you, your good mana and generosity.

Last Race of the Season! Na Leo ‘O Ke Kai represented huge this weekend with the Keiki’s Double Hull Short Course, the first ever Relay Race (20 Miles), we had a mix crew of 12 entered, a mix long course crew, 6 of our Na Leo paddlers hopped in with Oceanside’s Triple Hull Party Boat and 4 of our Na Leo paddlers hoping in with an NAC crew and a Texas crew! Everyone paddling hard, good mana and with plenty Aloha! Mahalo Coach Richard for keeping us together as one this weekend!

In August, September and October, paddlers with Na Leo O Ke Kai and Team Arizona joined hands to represent Arizona’s Ohana Va’a on four journeys: The Molokai Hoe, the Na Wahine O Kei Kai crossing, Queen Liliuokalani Race and the International Va’a Federation World Sprint Championships hosted by Hawaii (see August blog). For most of our Arizona paddlers this was a homecoming. The women and men who undertook to cross the Kaiwi Channel were blessed to be carried by the Ho’ola, a koa canoe shaped by master builder Bobby Puakea, with the generosity of the Puakea Foundation of Hawaii. One of the toughest races that many had undertaken, with unexpected challenges, it was also the most spiritually rewarding experience for all. We are thankful that all our hearts in AZ could take these four journeys with them (livestream!) from Moloka’i across the channel to O’ahu, and on Big Island, from Kailua Bay to Honaunau, and in Hilo Bay, and share their connection with home.