Author: Peggy Coulombe

Farewell 2025. Looking ahead to 2026.

/ Peggy Coulombe

Happy New Year to you all! A note to end the season from 2025 President Betty Flores:

“As my time as your President and Board member comes to a close, I want to extend my sincere thanks to the fellow board members I’ve served with over the past five years—and most importantly, to our paddlers. You are the heart of this club, and you truly make Na Leo ‘O Ke Kai a family.

Celebrating a Banner Year: 2025 Highlights

We achieved some incredible milestones this past year that deserve to be celebrated:
Racing Success: Strong turnouts throughout the SCORA season, capped off by a fantastic time at Another Dam Race.
Giving Back: We donated two canoes to our Colorado outrigger ohana and volunteered our time at the Feed My Starving Children event.
Club Growth: We officially welcomed Team Phoenix sprint program under the Na Leo banner!
Excellence: Congratulations again to our 2025 Scholarship and Member of the Year winners.
The Big Win: After years of fundraising and volunteer hours, we purchased a new Puakea Malolo racing canoe! It is expected to arrive in February, giving us plenty of time to train before the season begins.

Looking Forward

While there are still items on the “to-do” list, I have full confidence in our 2026 President Ash and our incoming 2026 Board. They have my full support as they lead us into another successful year.

Thank you all for your patience, your support, and your beautiful Aloha spirit.

As our 2024 Na Leo sprint crew Team Phoenix jerseys reminded us: Hoʻomau—to persevere, continue, and endure.“

Elections, holiday party and kudos

/ Peggy Coulombe

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!

Racing season starts

/ Peggy Coulombe

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 Madness: Aloha Festival – March 14-15 and Na Leo Open House -March 22

/ Peggy Coulombe

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!

Start of the season – small boats

/ Peggy Coulombe

Eight Na Leo O Ke Kai paddlers took to the waves in San Diego on Saturday, Jan. 25 at the 30th anniversary Hano Hano race. In a short course that had more than 400 paddlers, our own Laura Baack and Amy Hartle came in third of all OC2s (out of 35) and first in women’s OC2. Joining them on the course were Na Leo President Betty Flores and husband Richard, in their very first Hano Hano race. The long course, with winds gusting between 20 and 25 mph, was moved inside of the jetty. More than two hundred paddlers raced two rounds of the short course. Ceci Ng and Andy Thomas came in second in master’s coed OC2 and Alicia Lin Kee and Hisano Tasedan finished third in master’s women’s OC2. Fantastic turnout and efforts by all our clubmates! Also, thanks to our Na Leo board, coaches and paddlers for working as volunteers for January’s Rock and Roll Marathon to help raise money for a new unlimited canoe for the club.

Na Leo Happy New Year

/ Peggy Coulombe

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!