Earning his keep Kai Barger joins the junior pro elite
By Kevin Whitton

Event: Macy’s E-Series Junior Pro
Date: August 18, 2008
Location: Kuhio Beach, Queen’s
Conditions: Two- to three-foot and clean 

Macy’s E-Series Junior Pro Results 1) Kai Barger (Ha‘iku, Maui) $2,000 2) Sebastian Zietz (Kilauea, Kaua‘i) $900 3) Keanu Asing (Ewa, O‘ahu) $600 4) Albee Layer (Ha‘iku, Maui) $500

 

Joining forces with the annual Duke’s OceanFest celebration this year was the third and final installment of the Macy’s E-Series 2008 lineup of ASP sanctioned events. This junior pro event at Queen’s offered the professional under-20 competitors prize money and value points to qualify for the World Junior Championships in Australia to be held in January, 2009. It also acted as a great forum to many up and coming kids to go head-to-head with the likes of Casey Brown, Clay Marzo, Kekoa Cazimero and others who will be making the jump to the ‘QS in the near future. 

The boys took their progressive fins-free surfing to the quarter-pipe quality of Queen’s and every heat saw some sort of nail-biting match up. The final culminated with the closest heat of the entire event, as first and second place had to be determined with a count back. The difference of 0.6 points gave Maui’s Kai Barger the top spot, an edge he secured with his snappy and vertical backhand attack against his forehand rivals, who were left arching cutbacks on the shoulder to stay in the pocket of the groomed, soft rights. “I think I might have had the slight advantage being backside,” explained the victorious Barger. “When it’s so small, you can kind of just throw it up there and it might look a little better to the judges.”    

With all the boys hanging on the grass under the palm trees, listening to tunes and joking around, you’d never believe the competition and rivalries that exist in the water. “I’ve never made a pro junior final,” exclaimed Barger. “I’ve watched all my friends win. I’ve been hurting for one.” [PAU]

Summer Olympics Hawaiian Style

Staying wet at the seventh annual Duke's OceanFest
By Noa Myers 

Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku is a revered figure and somewhat of an idol in Hawai‘i’s history, just beneath Maui in terms of godly ability reflected by a list of achievements longer than his name, most notably earning Olympic medals in swimming and an appearance in water polo, too.    

The Duke’s repertoire extended far beyond the Olympics, though, for swimming was just one aspect of the term he epitomized, if not created, “waterman.” Growing up as a Waikiki beach boy, Duke participated in all sorts of sports available on the sand and in the sea, from canoe paddling to surfing to beach volleyball. He embraced them all, thereby creating the modern day Hawaiian waterman tradition.    

The Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation once again hosted the seventh annual Duke’s OceanFest, a weeklong event from August 17-24 in Waikiki, to celebrate and perpetuate Duke’s legacy. Known as the “Hawaiian Olympics,” the festival embodies all the sports that Duke did, and all within a week.    

Though the week’s composition of sporting events drew most of the attention, the focus was always on aloha. To start things out right this year, DukeFest teamed up with Rabbit Kekai and hosted his Gromfest on the first day, a true aloha event that welcomed contestants 13-years-old and under.    

“It’s great to be with DukeFest,” said Rabbit. “It was Duke who taught me the motto, ‘He awe mai,’ to give back. That’s the whole reason behind this contest and this week, it’s to give back and we’re helping to hand down Duke’s tradition to the kids.”

Rabbit’s vision came true, as Kuhio Beach was invaded by little mop-headed keiki with shirts saying, “Rabbit is my uncle” and a silhouetted picture of Rabbit surfing with his daughter.     Rabbit and DukeFest provided the surfboards and the venue to optimize an atmosphere for fun, and one could easily see the reward in Rabbit’s smile every time a stoked grom caught a wave. His eyes especially lit up for the Access Surf challenged competitors division comprised of surfers with disabilities, which was by far the biggest hit throughout the week.    

“It’s great for them,” said Warren Ho‘ohuli, on the Access Surf division. “We’re just trying to get them in the water so they can feel how we feel. You know, share the aloha.”    

Aloha was perpetuated throughout the entire week, even through the more serious events like the Macy’s E-Series Jr. Pro and the Roxy Jam, an ASP event and one of the biggest women’s longboarding events in the world. “The Roxy Jam really gives us an opportunity to shine,” said Megan Godinez.    

“All the girls we surf with are a family,” said Haunani Kane. “We all share the same tents at the beach during contests and all cruise together. Since this is such a big contest, lots of girls came from far, like California, but when they see us, I don’t think they see us as a surf team, but an ‘ohana.”     Jen Koki, Roxy Jam and SUP contestant as well, quickly added to Haunani’s observation: “We try to make everybody feel welcome when they come here because when we travel, we take the aloha spirit with us to show everyone what Hawai‘i is about.” Despite the girls’ fine ambassador skills, the Roxy Jam final was an all Hawai‘i heat.    

The Macy’s E-Series Pro Jr. event was the final event in the summer series and also served as a valuable qualifier for the ASP World Junior Championships in Australia. It featured the state’s young surfers including the likes of Clay Marzo, Keanu Asing, Kekoa Cazimero, and Kaimana Jaquias. All the future world champs were ultimately ousted by the consistent Kai Barger of Maui, who won every heat he was in throughout the entire contest.     After the Juniors were finished shredding the waves, the week took a lean to the more traditional waterman sports. Stand-up paddle surfing’s recent insurgence into the surf scene owes a debt to Duke, as well. Though Laird and the gang may have brought it back, it was originally Duke and the beach boys who took canoe paddles to the waves, except they powered around hefty wooden boards rather than the lightweight epoxy boards of today. Nonetheless, the tradition has been reinducted into the waterman lifestyle and taken to another level by the likes of Brian Keaulana and a whole lot of followers in their cutting edge wake left at DukeFest.    

The best tandem teams trapezed their way across the Queen’s turquoise peelers to the tune of hoots of the ‘ohana on shore. In true Duke tradition, an open ocean swim and a paddleboard race were held to test the truest watermen. To honor the wisest watermen and top the week off, a Legends event brought out all the old-school talent.     On the final day, all the remaining final heats were treated to a bump in swell that everybody had been waiting for all week. SUP, Access Surf and Legends finals were held in clean, slightly overhead surf at Queens, the gem of Waikiki. As the clock dwindled on the last heats, the Shell livened up as the whole week would come to a musical conclusion with the classic sounds of Kalapana and Cecilio and Kapono, a fitting closing ceremony for the Hawaiian Olympics and perfect send-off for this year’s honoring an omnipotent waterman. Mahalo Duke for sharing your aloha. [PAU]