Punahou champion paddler gets full ride to a top college — as a rower

By Cynthia Yip

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    HONOLULU, Hawaii (KITV) — King Kalakaua’s birthday on November 16th, 1875, marked Hawaii’s first regatta with extensive rowing competition. The King, a rowing buff, viewed the event from his yacht along with other members of his royal family.

The interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH) added rowing as a sport here in 1957 with Punahou, Iolani, Mid Pacific, McKinley and Kaimuki as the five schools competing.

In 1964, lolani became the first high school team in the nation to race in the finals of the Olympic Trials. The Red Raiders four-man crew finished a respectable sixth place behind winner Harvard. Despite Iolani’s success, the ILH dropped rowing in 1966 due to a lack of teams. Iolani continued their program another nine years before the sport was dropped in 1975.

Rowing is now making a resurgence in Hawaii. For some young Island paddlers, it is a waterway straight to college.

Just ask Sebastian Ako, a recent Punahou School graduate. He is a champion paddler and tells KITV4, “Not a lot of kids know this but there are a lot of opportunities in rowing that aren’t granted in paddling. [I got] the opportunity to go to a great college that I probably wouldn’t have had had it not been for rowing.”

Ako decided to train for rowing about 5 months ago with Ikaika Hawaii. Despite that short transition from paddling to rowing, he was invited to the USA Nationals Olympic Development Camp in Idaho for the Summer. Boston University also recruited the Punahou School Senior for his water sports skills.

“We’re just trying to make a name for ourselves and get rowing out there and to give more kids the opportunity to row not just here but at a higher level hopefully in college,” says Ako.

The 18-year-old Ako was on Punahou’s championship outrigger canoe paddling teams. He decided to train with Ikaika Hawaii because it is Hawaii’s only youth rowing program.

Rylie Hager, Ikaika Hawaii –Rowing Coach says, “College coaches are really trying to looking for young water sports athletes like paddling like kayaking to translate into that rowing skill they just don’t have that opportunity out here.”

The talented paddler and scholar, says his advice for other water athletes, stay consistent, disciplined and be willing to make sacrifices for greatness.

Ikaika Hawaii is a non profit perpetuating the Hawaiian Watermans Culture. It is currently fundraising for its 2nd four with plans to bring back an inter High School Regatta Program starting this winter.

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