covering hawai'i's state team sport since 1996 - Pacific Paddler

Tui Tonga
By Kafoa Hala Latu
Youth at Honaunau, Kona
Keoua’s Uncle Louis
Kelekolio race was held at beautiful
Honaunau Bay on January 12, '08.
It brought many paddlers from around
the island, especially the island’s youth.
Tui Tonga’s Youth Program came out in
force with kids ranging in age from 13-
to-15. They paddled in both one and
two-man canoes with their own 2 1/4
mile course. Calm seas and sunny skies
were perfect for them to show their stuff!
The overall winner for the Junior
course was 13-year old Nainoa Dano
who came in with a time of 26:30.
He was followed by Wranden Togia
(27:16), Dan Gampon (29:19), and
Kalama Freitas (31:14). The only
OC2 on the course was a brother and
sister team, Kayla and Kegan Delmar
(31:05). Rebekah Mersbergh from
Hui Palama won the 13-15 girls with
a time of 37:16. The kids finished the
course with many cheering parents,
friends, and onlookers.
Tui Tonga’s older youth participated
in the six-mile short course.
The OC2 team of Puni Freitas &
Chandler Palakiko came first in their
division and third over all with a
time of 49:33. Chase Von Nordheim
came in as the first Junior man on the
course and 20th over all with a time
of 54:42. It was a great day for Tui
Tonga and no one was prouder than
their head coach Lyle Palakiko.
Currently, Tui Tonga’s Youth Program
consists of 19 youth ranging in age
from 10-to-16. The younger kids practice
once a week while four of the older
kids cross train and practice four times
a week. The main focus of the program
is to live healthy and be active. The
program has donated canoes that the
kids use during practice. Some of the
kids have enjoyed themselves so much;
parents are now purchasing canoes for
them. A father who lives down south
of the Island brings his two children to
practice every weekend, despite the
long commute.
Tui Tonga’s dedicated coaches are
Lyle Palakiko, Delbert Freitas, Parent/
Coach Tate Marks and Makua Lani
High School Coach Masepa Tanoai.
They want the kids to understand the
importance of focus, self-motivation,
self-improvement, and to use paddling
as a tool to guide them toward future
endeavors. Running, swimming, pushups,
and sit-ups are also a part of the
training program, which will improve
their performance on the water. The
main thing is to keep the kids positive,
motivated, and happy doing the sport
they love.
The long-term goal for Tui Tonga's
Youth Program is to learn and apply
the tools top paddlers around the
world are using for success. Tahiti is
one example Coach Lyle gave. “If we
learn from teams like Shell Va’a from
Tahiti, we can bring our youth to new
levels of health and fitness. They will
learn about new training techniques,
diet, and how to be successful both
on and off the water. Tui Tonga has
room to grow and evolve to something
beneficial for our kids, and that’s what
drives us to do what we do. The youth
is the future and we need to support
them and our program does just that.”
42 February ‘08, Pacific Paddler www.pacificpaddler.com