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Good luck in Hawaii, racers!

/ Peggy Coulombe

Na Leo O Ke Kai will have a big presence on the Big Island this August and September. The International Va’a World Sprint Championships are being held in Hilo Bay Aug. 13-23 with more than 1800 competitors coming from around the globe. The U.S. Mainland will send 207 people, and our own Team Phoenix (led by Na Leo O Ke Kai IVF coaches Alicia Lin Kee and Andy Thomas) will take 24 racers in men’s 40s and women’s open, 40s, 50s and 60s. And one of four women in the U.S. to race open V1 will be Laura Baack. All have been training since before U.S. National’s qualifiers in 2023, so best of luck to everyone who has committed to training and competing at this elite level. The races will be live streamed on Facebook and the IVF website by Ocean Paddler TV.

In addition to World Sprints, Na Leo O Ke Kai paddlers will be representing at the Queen Liliuokalani Races in Kona that run on Aug. 29 to Sept. 2. Racing in the mixed masters iron race will be members of Na Leo (Eric, Kaitlyn, Ryan) and Team Arizona (Ilona, Kui, Stacia). In the 9-man relay race, our Na Leo women (Justina, Lucy, Ash, Michelle, Adrienne) will the joined by guests from Team Arizona (Hedy), Oceanside, Imua and Big Island. In addition, Na Leo members Amy Thomas, Julie Ling, Betty Flores will race in an open women’s iron crew and an open women’s double hull with others from CA and Alicia Lin Kee will race with her Molokai crewmates. Best of luck to everyone undertaking the 18 mile journey. Live feed: https://www.facebook.com/queen.liliuokalani.long.distance.canoe.race.2023 by Ocean Paddler TV or you can sign up for a free account: https://espnsports24.com/queen-canoe-race/

We are very proud of all our Na Leo athletes!

SCORA racing in May and June

/ Peggy Coulombe

Na Leo O Ke Kai racers have been taking their skills to California. Our crews represented at Crystal Pier (Hano Hano), Marina del Rey (Kahanomoku Klassic) and San Diego (Iron Champs) in keiki, short course and longer course races and supported Makapo adaptive paddlers. Check out our photo galleries!

Marina del Rey fun!

Iron Champs fun! Three short course crews, two long course coed crews and keiki/juniors crews:

Canoe blessing and Havasu Heat

/ Peggy Coulombe

Nā Leo celebrated one of the founders and core members who helped found the club, including Louise Navarro, Diane Escalante, Art Keanini and others. New members – many met at the Aloha Festival – and OGs gathered for the canoe blessing and paddle out for Lono Navarro, held in conjunction with the Nā Leo’s Open House at Tempe Town Lake. Lots of Aloha to close out the month of March, and open April’s first race of the year, Havasu Heat! Nā Leo took crews to race short course and long course, including “Boto” men’s crew (with Melissa!), “Team Phoenix” wahine going to World Sprints in Hilo, and the “Baby Goats,” Nā Leo’s breast cancer survivor crew. All took first place, but most importantly, had a wonderful time shared with Arizona’s Va’a Ohana. And if you are wondering what’s coming up next, don’t forget our Kalua Pig Fundraiser. Get your orders in by April 17: $10 per 8 oz. bag, cooking in traditional Imu (Hawaiian underground oven). We do it right! Email orders to: NaLeoOKeKai@gmail.com, with subject line: Kalua Pig order. Can pay by Venmo (@NaLeoOKeKai) or Zelle (NaLeoOKeKai@gmail.com).

Come see us at Aloha Festival

/ Peggy Coulombe

March 16 and 17 is the Arizona Aloha Festival at Tempe Beach Park off Rio Salado Parkway. This is the event’s 30th anniversary! The Na Leo O Ke Kai Ohana will be there with one of our canoes. We’ll have plenty of good stuff for sale too, as well as stories to share. We also volunteer at Paradise BBQ food tent to help earn money for the club. Come by and join us!

Ocean adventures

/ Peggy Coulombe

Na Leo O Ke Kai paddlers traveled to California in Feb. to meet up with Oceanside OCC, who generously loaned canoes and shared wonderful mana. These experiences contribute to our paddlers’ ocean skills and sets everyone up for competition in the 2024 SCORA races series (photo gallery below).

In addition to building distance and ocean skills, Na Leo paddlers are in month six of training to represent the mainland U.S. for the International Va’a Federation World Sprint Races in Hilo this coming August. Na Leo club member Alicia Lin Kee serves as coach for Team Phoenix (an all Arizona group that brings together competitive paddlers from Na Leo O Ke Kai, Team Arizona OCC, AZDBA and others from Havasu OCC, Oregon and California). Team Phoenix racers qualified last Oct. and we have Na Leo paddlers in the USA elite crew, in addition to Team Phoenix representing in club crew in women’s open, 40s, 50s, 60s and men’s open, 40s and 50s. Team Phoenix continues Na Leo O Ke Kai tradition over the last decade of representing the USA internationally with IVF (including a silver medal win in V12 500M sprints at IVF in Rio de Janiero in 2014).

Na Leo O Ke Kai and Oceanside OCC paddling adventure
On the water with Na Leo O Ke Kai and Oceanside OCC

New Season starts Feb. 4

/ Peggy Coulombe

Aloha and Happy 2024. The New Year started off with a bang and a birthday. Diane Escalante, one of the OGs of Na Leo, turned 80 with a big celebration that brought together generations of paddlers, friends and family and a few other OGs to celebrate her: Auntie Louise Navarro, Bobby Mahoe and Art Keanini.

Na Leo also launched a new approach to the keiki program, combining the keiki outrigger crew with the keiki dragon boat crew, a partnership that brings all the kids together as a group to do both sports. Their first paddle out day was a hit!

Na Leo individual paddlers also kicked things off at the Hano Hano Challenge, a SCORA winter series race hosted in San Diego’s Mission Bay. Amy and Laura took first in short course, ahead of all other women’s OC2 crews. Andy (OC1), Ceci and Peggy (OC2) took on the 12.5 mile long course and survived. Good times!

Join us at our Feb. 4 new season kick off to find out about lots more to come!

Another Dam Race – everywhere all at once

/ Peggy Coulombe

Aloha! Another Dam Race added a new category – Friday sprints – to it’s wealth of choices on Saturday. There was something for everyone and everyone in something this year!

Friday Sprints:

Team Phoenix had two women’s crews: Women’s Silver – Betty, Hedy, Tallman, Alison, Vega and Ilona – 2nd Place and Open Women – Adrienne, Lucie, Amy, Alicia, Julie, Hisano – 3rd Place

Na Leo paddlers were in the Keiki Crew – Preston, Lilly, Jackie, Joey, Melissa and Elijah (TAZ); a Juniors Crew – Gracie, Ayvah, Jerome, Patrick, Zoie and Kalani – 3rd Place; a Men’s Crew – Ryan, Richard, Kahale, Richard, Mike, Uncle Art and Joey; an Open Co-Ed – Andy, Amy, Alicia, Doug (Wisconsin), Vince and Cynthia (Florida) – 1st Place; and Open Co-Ed – Ryan, Kahale, Mike, Lucie, Adrienne and Makana – 3rd Place.

Saturday Races:

Short Course – Na Leo had V12 Keiki Crew/Adults – Patrick, Jerome, Kalani, Ayvah, Zoie, Preston, Patrick (Dad to Preston), Joey, Jackie, Adrienne, Rachel and Erica. And there were Na Leo paddlers in short courses with others, including Open women V6 (Alicia – 1st place) and Baby Goats – Breast Cancer Survivors V12 (Melissa, Michelle and Makana). Coach Vince completed the course on prone!

Long Course – Na Leo had V12 coed crew with Makana, Justina, Lucie, Vega, Kahale, Richard, Uncle Art, Ryan, Adrienne, Vince, Gene, Amy (1st Place) and a blended Panama-a-a-aaa V6 (Julie and Betty, 2nd place). And coming in 3rd place in OC1 was Andy Thomas. A fabulous weekend with great people!

USA Sprint Nationals – Team Phoenix

/ Peggy Coulombe

USA Sprint National Championships were held for the first time on Lake Natoma in Sacramento, CA on Oct. 14 and 15 and Team Phoenix was there with paddlers racing in the open, 40s, 50s and 60s categories (500M and 1000M) and individual Team Phoenix paddlers racing in open, 40s, 50s, 60s and 75s V1 (500M). Everyone paddled their hearts out, most advanced to finals and many finished top 3: Open Women 1000 – 2nd place; 40s men 500 and 1000 – 2nd place; 50s women 500 – 2nd place and 1000 – 3rd place; and 60s women 500 – 3rd place. Congratulations racers!

USA Sprint National Championships is the qualifying race to represent Team USA (mainland US) at the IVF World Sprint Championships to be held in Hilo, Hawaii in 2024. Thank you to Head IVF coach Alicia Lin Kee, Amy Thomas and IVF men’s coaches Andy Thomas and Vince San Nicolas for taking on significant coaching responsibilities, in addition to representing on the race course, and to presidents and coaches of Team Arizona and Na Leo O Ke Kai for critical support. And YES! Team Phoenix will be going to Hilo, Hawaii in 2024. Details pending.

History of Team Phoenix. We are a group of people with different abilities, talents, experiences and backgrounds who have come together for a shared purpose, to paddle! There are no shortcuts, we need to put in the hard work, dedication, sacrifice, effort, commitment, teamwork and patience to level up! Team Phoenix was originally formed in 2021 with paddlers from Na Leo O Ke Kai, Team Arizona and SunGi, MonGi and PFD dragon boat teams and coached for 2022 IVF competition by former Na Leo head coach Margaret Coulombe, with support from Alicia Lin Kee (coach with Na Leo) and Laura Baack (coach of PFD). The goal for the group was to take the best in Phoenix and elevate our performance nationally and internationally. In 2023, Team Phoenix expanded significantly, including attracting athletes from AZ, CA, NV and OR. Looking forward to 2024 in Hawaii. Go Team!

Sept. 23 Paddle Out and congrats

/ Peggy Coulombe

On Sept. 23 at 9 a.m., there will be a Paddle Out for Lahaina and Maui families who have been impacted by the wildfires. Details below! Also, congratulations to Na Le O Ke Kai mixed team (Alicia, Andy, Amy, Ryan, Julie and guest steers Hisano), who raced at the 50th Anniversary Queen Liliuokalani event on Big Island. Kudos also to Na Leo O Ke Kai club members Ceci and Peggy who placed 4th in 50+ women and 2nd in double hull with Washington Canoe Club (Washington, DC) and Lucy who placed 2nd in 40+ women and 1st in double hull 40s (with Amy) and raced with Makana’s wonderful Hale’iwa’s women’s crews. Congratulations all!

Summer paddle adventures

/ Peggy Coulombe

Aloha. It’s hard to believe that we are approaching September and that most of the keiki are already back in school. We’ve had adult general practices on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings, plus special sessions on Thursday eves and Sunday mornings for our men and women partnering with paddlers on Team Arizona training to attend USAORCA Nationals Oct. 14 and 15 as Team Phoenix. And then there are those who have added in their outrigger training to attend Queen Liliuokalani’s 50th Anniversary on Big Island at the end of the month. Head Coach Vince and club president have also been working with members of the keiki team on Sunday mornings, teaching OC1 canoe skills as well as OC6.

We may be in a desert, but there’s been lots of water time!