Courtesy Photo | Team Special Operations Forces Molokai Hoe 2012 haul past Diamond Head toward the...... read more read more
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HONOLULU - One hundred thirty-seven outrigger canoes at six paddlers apiece heave-hoed through the 38 miles of the Kaiwi Channel in Sunday’s Molokai Hoe race.
The grueling race’s beginnings hail back to Oct. 12, 1952, when three Koa outrigger canoes embarked from Kawakiu Bay on Molokai and landed on Waikiki nearly nine hours later. The winning canoe from Molokai, Kukui O Lanikaula, crossed more than 38 miles of open ocean and subsequently spearheaded the annual Molokai Hoe outrigger canoe race.
This year’s Molokai Hoe, officially organized and sponsored by Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association, remains a rigorous sport of exhausting physical and mental demands in the often turbulent channel between Oahu and Molokai.
According to the OHCRA website, the Molokai Hoe is the Olympics of canoe races. Despite the difficulty of the event, teams from all over the world race here to compete.
Maj. James Hochstetler, Army Special Operations Command Pacific, wrangled a group of special operations men from nearly all branches of the armed forces to compete in this year’s Molokai Hoe.
“Looking at the history of the Molokai Hoe event and the Hawaiian warrior culture, it’s actually a really great fit for us,” Hochstetler said. “Most of the guys I had in the boat do water things in the military by trade whether or not they’re Navy SEALs, combat divers, or Air Force Combat Control Team guys. We’re comfortable in an endurance event and I thought the warrior ethos fit well with the kind of men we had involved.”
Hochstetler worked with Paul Anslow, director of safety for the Marine Corps Air Station, to train the military team out of Anslow’s paddling club Na Koa Lani Outrigger Canoe. Anslow’s passion for the sport led him to create the club for military members and families new to the sport and interested in participating.
“I wanted to bring paddling to the military community because it’s a little intimidating walking up to a club with 60-70 people and you’re new to paddling and new to Hawaii,” Anslow said. “I wanted to bring it onto the base where it might be more comfortable.”
“Na Koa Lani” means ‘heavenly warrior’ or ‘sky warrior’ and Anslow said he thought because of the proximity of the air station that it was a fitting name.
In a narrative written by a member of the Na Koa Lani club, Team Molokai Hoe 2012 is made up of nine active duty special operations forces from Special Operations Command Pacific. This team competed to fundraise support for the wounded, fallen, active and reserve and their families.
The team placed 90th of 137 canoes with a time of 7:31:12 in a race with unfavorable wind conditions and a team given only six weeks to train.
“I was a little hesitant because usually people practice for years and years,” Anslow said. “But we worked hard, we practiced hard, and we had an absolutely fantastic race.”
Maj. Momoevi Taware, Army Pacific Command Headquarters at Camp Smith, said this was his first time in the race and he would compete again.
“None of us had any expectations because we’d never done it before,” Taware said. “I think we performed a lot better than we anticipated and were definitely more competitive than we thought we would be.”
The Molokai Veterans Helping Veterans provided lodging, meals and transport to support the team during their stay in Molokai. Anslow, Hochstetler, and Taware each expressed gratitude toward the non-profit organization for their hospitality.
The Molokai Hoe continues to represent one of Polynesia’s most important and hallowed cultural traditions for paddling teams around the world.
| Date Taken: | 10.07.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2012 18:46 |
| Story ID: | 97524 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HAWAII, US |
| Hometown: | HONOLULU, HAWAII, US |
| Hometown: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 390 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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