Keiki practice kicks off for 2020 on Sun. Feb. 23 at 8 am. Come out and join in the fun!

Also, get your order in and sign up to volunteer to help with the Kalua pig fundraiser! It’s only $5 an 8 oz. bag. We can freeze and deliver.

Last week’s Keiki Fundraiser at a Karate Tournament on Sat. was a success, with special thanks to our parents and Paradise BBQ for the donations. Also,  the annual Canoe Blessing on Sunday! Mahalo to the Tampos Ohana and Kumu Kaimi for the blessing, your encouraging words and wisdom. Let’s grow, learn and have another great season Ohana!

Save the Dates and follow all our activities on Facebook!

• Feb. 28-29 – Kalua Pig Fundraiser
• March 14 and 15: Aloha Festival – volunteers needed!
• March 21 – Na Leo ‘O Ke Kai Open House – 11 a.m.
• March 28 and 29 – AZDBA Dragon Boat Festival – volunteers needed!
• April 4 – Lake Havasu Race – contact the coaches
• April 18 – Huli drills (TBD)
• April 25 – Shaka Festival in San Diego – our keiki first race of the season!
• May 9 – first SCORA race of the season (Crystal Pier, San Diego

Save the Dates and Sign your SCORA waiver!

• Feb. 15 – Karate Tournament – Keiki Fundraiser
• Feb 16 – Club Blessing – 9 a.m.
• Feb. 23 – Maintenance Day #2 (TBD)
• Feb. 28-29 – Kalua Pig Fundraiser
• March 14 and 15: Aloha Festival – volunteers needed!
• March 21 – Na Leo ‘O Ke Kai Open House – 11 a.m.
• March 28 and 29 – AZDBA Dragon Boat Festival – volunteers needed!
• April 4 – Lake Havasu Race – contact the coaches
• April 18 – Huli drills (TBD)
• April 25 – Shaka Festival in San Diego – our keiki first race of the season!
• May 9 – first SCORA race of the season (Crystal Pier, San Diego)

In order to make Na Leo ‘O Ke Kai a successful club, everyone needs to kokua. We were all recruited to paddle and that’s what the club is mainly about, but it takes more then paddling that keeps the club afloat every year. Come out and participate.

Sunday (1/26/2020), we had a successful Maintenance Day, much MAHALO for everyone who was able to come out and kokua your time. The paddles were sanded and varnished by the keiki’s, the Makana and the Makana’s iakos have been sanded down and first coat of varnish applied. Stay tuned for details about Feb. 23.

The general meeting bought us all together to forge our new year together. Great things are happening! Besides a hike planned this Sat. (1/18) at 9:30 a.m. South Mountain on the Javelina Trail (5.4 mi.), club business includes nominations for our club President, Vice President and a Member at Large. Please send all nominations by Jan. 25 to our Secretary, Carolee at Lil_italia71@centurlink.net.

And…Save the Dates!

• January 26: Maintenance Day, this day is mandatory. 8 a.m.
• Feb 16: Club Blessing
• March 14 and 15: Aloha Festival
• March 21: Na Leo ‘O Ke Kai Open House
• March 28 and 29: AZDBA Dragon Boat Festival

**Volunteers are needed for these events**

Finally – we are supporting a fundraiser for SunGi Women’s Dragon Boat Team, who has won a berth to World Club Crew Championships in France in 2020. Please clean out your closets and bring gently used shoes and clothes to practices before the end of Feb. to help support them (and our Na Leo paddlers on the crew!).

Aloha and Happy New Year Na Leo Ohana! We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. We have a general meeting  Sunday, Jan. 12, to go over the 2020 Season. If you have any suggestions or ideas for this year, please come and share them with the club. We depend on everyone to keep the club and the Keiki program moving forward into the future.

Fantasy Light Boat Parade 2019, our Na Leo Keiki’s entered with a Moana themed double hull. Huge Mahalos to all the parents for all your dedication and hardwork, especially Coach Christel and Coach Joey for your endless hours of brainstorming, organization and vision! It was an awesome night with all the Keiki’s and see it all come to life! All boat entries were pretty, unique and creative, amazing to see on our little lake. #1 prize for best new entry!

SAVE THE DATE – DEC. 15: Na Leo O Ke Kai’s holiday potluck is coming! Stay tuned for details…

Beautiful sunsets are part of cool fall paddling and training for Another Dam Race in at Parker Dam, AZ on Nov. 2. Na Leo represents with crew Alicia Lin Kee, Art Keanini, Betty and Richard Flores, Eugene Williams and club president Malie Kawamoto. Go team!

Congratulations to Na Leo crews who competed in the Queen Liliuokalani Race in Kona, HI (18 miles, iron race) and Catalina Crossing (27 miles, change race). Two great adventures as we wind up the SCORA season. Way to go Alicia, Vince, Lena, Mari, Julie, Carol, Randy, Makana, Mark, Roko, Todd, and our Australian branch: Greg and company. Special congratulations to Mari on her first crossing and welcome to Makana on her first race (of many to come) with her new AZ ohana!

Aloha! Na Leo O Ke Kai is beating the heat training at Tempe Town Lake and Saguaro Lake in preparation for the Catalina Crossing and Queen Liliuokalani 18-miler on Big Island. Our paddlers are also standing in solidarity with our Kupuna’s, Na Opio, Kanaka Maoli and the Kanaka Maoli by heart for Mauna Kea. Proud our members for supporting our beliefs and culture. You don’t have to be Hawaiian, you don’t have to live in Hawaii to feel and understand what’s going on and take a stance. 

It takes dedication and hard work to consistently improve yourself. Totally paid off for Na Le’s open co-ed UL team, taking 3rd place! We’re so proud of our team and our coed crew racing Spec. Way to push for each other, motivate each other and, most importantly, way to have fun together.

And our amazing keiki’s stepped up and raced outside of their age group. We are so proud of our keiki crews, their dedication, respect and support for each other! The experience and journey is not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.

Mahalo, Head Coach Vince and Lena, for trailering our canoes to the race and back.