​Aloha kakou e na hoe wa’a.
 
Mahalo nui loa (with warmth and many thanks) to everyone for helping to make yesterday a great day.  Ke Akua saved this best day of the year for our regatta and for that we are extremely thankful.
 
You can take pride in helping our hui wa’a provide its 20th annual hosting of the sprint regatta at Green lake.  It was another successful, safe and fun event for our sister clubs and the racing association.  Our hui wa’a couldn’t have done it without everyone’s kokua (cooperation) andlaulima (teamwork/working together) and lokahi (unity or harmony).  I’m extremely proud of all of you and for what you do for Wakinikona.  Noteworthy from yesterday were:
--Leo Anderson for organizing and handling all the registration tasks throughout the day—keeping our accounting straight, adjusting to the changes and fielding tons of questions—another fantastic job.  It got more complex with the new event insurance, but she just took it in stride.
--Jason Zimmermann and his officials crew of Erik and Meridith Anderson.  Using the spreadsheet he developed last year, Jason made it looked so calm and routine in processing the results of each race.  When 3 clubs had to pull their canoes and leave after event 34, our officials easily made the adjustments and created new lane assignments on the fly—with no disruption in the flow of races.  Outstanding flexibility and responsiveness.
--Uncle Ed Tanaka with the PA duties to hustle crews to get on deck and stay on time, not to mention recognizing the finishers and keeping everyone entertained w/music.  He really makes a difference at any race where he is announcing—we all appreciate him and consider ourselves very fortunate to have him volunteer to do this—his 20thyear serving our club.  Maika’i!
--Robert Segundo and his kitchen crew of his wife Stacy, Nicole Juliano, Natalie Fujii, Nicole’s husband Zeb, and Stacey’s friend Z did a fantastic jog organizing, preparing and serving both breakfast and lunch.  As always the presentation was outstanding and very impressive.  Everybody enjoyed the “grindz” and came back often.  We appreciate all of you who agreed to join the food plan and helped finance the food that nourished all of us.  We may not be the best sprint paddlers, but with Robert in our crew we are the best fed.
--Bryan Pule and Mark McDermott for getting the crews organized, scheduled, and registered.  We appreciate the re-juggling they had to do in reacting to see who was available as the day wore on.  Bryan did a superb job in shuffling the keiki into as many crews as he could, and many of them won or placed in each event.  It was heartwarming to see so many keiki and their parents at the race venue.
--Lani Haase for organizing our raffle, encouraging members to donate, beating the bushes with businesses for donations, and hyping the raffle to stimulate more raffle ticket sales at the race venue.  She was ably assisted by her crew of Loretta Little,Karen and Heidi Yoneda, and their friend, May, and even new paddler Josh Padilla.  Mahalo to all of you who contributed something to the raffle.  Your outstanding generosity and creativity generated lots of interest, and some fun moments.  There was a lot of buzz and excitement over the raffle and it was a sight to see the efficient pulling of tickets, announcing winners and handing out prizes.  Lani and her crew deserve a lot of credit in earning additional revenue to pay for more projects at our beach.  Great job, Lani!
--To everyone for pitching in.  I can’t remember everyone but I do know that everyone as a group did whatever was needed or asked, and we worked efficiently and in harmony, e.g., unloading the gear and canoes, hauling everything to the site, rigging canoes, setting up tables and tents, shuffling gear to make space, helping out in the officials tent, and cleaning up a the end of the day.  
 
We had WHC kupuna drop by to observe our event.  They included past president, Kimo Douglas, Peter and Carmen Nova, and Uncle Danny Kaopuiki.  I appreciate those of you who took time to talk to them and even to feed a couple of them.  As a group they were impressed with what they saw and proud of what the hui wa’a is doing in our community.  I, too, am very proud of all of you—you make it a pleasure for me to come to practice and to race.
 
We have just two more sprint regattas left.  So keep working on your paddling technique, timing, jelling and blending as crews, turning skills, and conditioning.  The next sprint opportunity is Sat, June 10th at Silver Lake, in Everett.  Again, mahalo to all for doing your part in making our sprint regatta successful and be sure to rest up and enjoy your Memorial Day.   As usual, we will be off-loading canoes on Tue, May 30th, and rigging them before we practice.  To help, you’ll need to be at the beach prior to 6:00pm.
 
Aloha nui loa, e malama pono.

Please come and make time to join us at our Saturday, May 20th General Meeting at Newport Swim and Tennis Club at 5 pm. We love meeting new people! E komo Mai! 

It is with sadness that we report the passing of John J. Yoneda on Dec 24, 2016. John was born on Nov 24, 1939 in Honolulu to Choichi and Kiyoko Yoneda. The fourth of six sons, John’s first seven years were spent on his parent’s hog and chicken farm in the Waialae area. At age seven, the family moved to Kalihi where John spent his youth and graduated from Farrington High School. Enlisting in the Army in 1961 he spent most of his service in a heavy artillery unit in Germany. After leaving the Army, John got a job in Purchasing at Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu. It was at Queen’s he was attracted to a cute fellow worker, Karen Luke. Not letting any green grass grow under his feet, he made his play. They were married on May 27, 1971. He took advantage of his G.I. Bill benefits and entered the culinary program at Kapi’olani Community College where he earned certification as a chef. John’s service in the Army had stimulated in him a taste for traveling. With the rising cost of housing in Honolulu, he convinced his wife that they should go and reside in the Northwest. At least, try it out for five years. In 1981, John moved, with his wife and two young children, to Seattle. The five years has lasted thirty-five years. John joined the Wakinikona Hawaiian Club (WHC) on Oct 15, 1988, as an Active Member. He has served, as the club’s Sergeant-at-Arms, from 2008 to 2016. John was a gentle spirit. He was well-liked by all, pleasant and friendly. LELE KA HOAKA (The Spirit has flown away) He loved to eat. Where he put it on his lean frame, we’ll never know. He also loved bag-pipe music. John leaves behind his wife, Karen, of forty-five years; children Chad and Heidi; five brothers Samson, Kenneth, Eric, David and Edward. The WHC extends their sincere condolences to Karen and all the members of John’s ‘Ohana. God be with you till we meet again. Until then, our aloha to you, John 

​The memorial service for John Yoneda will be held at Overlake Park Presbyterian Church on Sun, Jan 15 at 1 PM. The church is located at 1836 156th Ave NE, in Bellevue, WA. Casual attire is requested and the wearing of aloha shirts and other Hawaii-style clothing is welcomed and encouraged. 

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Due to inclement weather and a severe storm alert for Saturday evening President Kimo Douglas made an executive decision to cancel October  15, 2016 Meeting . Be safe and no leave your hale and keep your okole safe ! See you in November 2016 

​With club officers’ terms ending on Dec 31st, club president, Kimo Douglas had to ensure our meeting selected a nominating committee. The committee will be composed of the following: Anne Dahlin, Stan Dahlin, Mike Sturrock, Bryan Pule and Lani Haase. They will find members who are interested in serving, then put together a slate of candidates before the membership at the October meeting. Members will also be allowed to make nominations from the floor. Then at the November meeting, attending members will be asked to vote for the officer for the 3-term starting on January 1, 2017. If you are interested serving as a club officer and an active member, please contact one of the five members of the nominating commit

​As in any organization, it takes people to step forward to get things done. Our kupuna kahiko (ancestors) knew this well and set values of laulima (cooperation, working together, many hands) and lokahi (unity, agreement, unison, harmony) in order to develop strong communities and improve the life and well being of their ahuapua’a. The Wakinikona Hawaiian Club is part of your community and it too relies on its members to step forward in the spirit of laulima and lokahi. Think about, then take action to see how you can help out, or continue to help. Every 3 years we elect club officers (Pres, VP, Secretary, Treasurer, Chaplain & Sgt-at-Arms), Trustees. We have relied on the same individuals time and again, and often than not, these are our kupuna members. It is well past time for others to step forward and pitch in so our elder members can relinquish responsibilities they’ve borne for at least a decade. While these kupuna may not outwardly show their readiness or willingness to transition their duties, they would be pleased to see the younger generation take hold and start shouldering more responsibility. We need all new officers starting in January, and could also use a corresponding secretary to take over the club newsletter and a book keeper to maintain our accounting records. All are volunteer positions which give great opportunity for learning and self development. Contact Mike Sturrock or Stan Dahlin on our nominating committee. If you would like to learn more about how you can serve your club, please talk to the club president, Kimo Douglas, any of the trustees or to the corresponding secretary, Stan Dahlin. The club needs you to go forward

Raiatea Mokihana Maile Helm made history in 2006 as Hawai‘i’s first solo female vocalist ever to receive a Grammy Nomination for her sophomore CD “Sweet and Lovely.”
At 21 years old, she was one of the youngest performers to attend the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California. It was a remarkable achievement when you consider that she comes from the tiny island of Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i, a mere wisp of volcanic land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Look for many of our club members at the festival. Lani Haase will be demonstrating how to make a hawaiian lei at 1:00 pm in the Armory. Karen and Heidi Yoshida are also great Wakinikona volunteers and assist in many Live Aloha festivities . 

CLUB SLOWS PACE FOR THE SUMMER June 2016 
NEXT MEETING NOTICE WHEN: Saturday, June 18, 2016 TIME: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM WHERE: Newport Hills Swim & Tennis Club, Bellevue, WA …..
No club meeting in July. Come out to June meeting to wala’au and renew acquaintances before everyone scatters on vacations. …..Members will need to pay their annual dues starting Jan 2016. Dues are $36 for the year, or $30 if you pay by January 31. You can pay the treasurer at our club meeting or mail it to her at her address on page 2. …..If you prefer to receive this newsletter in electronic form rather than paper, thus reducing club mailing expense, send an email to our corresponding secretary, Stan Dahlin, at scdahlin@comcast.net. www.wakinikonaclub.com
As the weather heats up, our club slows down a bit to enjoy the weather, allow families to squeeze in whatever time they have for vacations, and otherwise just lay back and take it easy. The first obvious sign of this slowing pace is the monthly potluck. We don’t have one in July, and the August one serves as our summer picnic. We also don’t have a potluck in September, so it is more time off from the routine. However, when we do have meetings, we encourage members to participate and attend them so they can promote fellowship and camaraderie —one of our primary goals of our club. Our next potluck on June 18 is another chance to meet and renew acquaintances with fellow club members. Come out for a relaxing evening on the 18th in a very nice setting overlooking the pool at Newport Hills.