The graduation season is not yet over for the boys 18 crew of the Kane'ohe Canoe Club.

Before they can move on to the adult divisions of paddling, they need to complete a couple of final tests.

In particular, the boys 18 crew would like to ace the Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a Championship Regatta tomorrow, and the state championship regatta on Aug. 2. Both championships will be held at Ke'ehi Lagoon.

"We know what's on the line," steersman Dane Kimokeo said. "We're working hard. It is kind of like graduating (from high school). You have to work hard to get there, but you want to have fun along the way, too."

While transforming from boys to men, the paddlers in the Kane'ohe boys 18 crew have formed "a brotherhood" that has led to success in the canoe.

"Some of us have been with this club for 9 or 10 years," Kimokeo said. "Our bond has just grown deeper and deeper every year. We're all like brothers now."

The Kane'ohe boys 18 crew will be one of the keys if the club is to make it six Hui Wa'a championships in a row, which it is favored to do.

The Kane'ohe boys 18 crew went undefeated during the regular season. Members of the crew are Kimokeo, Keoni Anderson, Keoni Gonsalves, Nainoa Kahale, Keli'i Mutch and Keali'i Pa'ao'ao.

"Some of these boys were with us since they were babies," Kane'ohe head coach Clint Anderson said. "They've been paddling together so long, they know everything about each other. I think that's what makes them good together."

In canoe regattas, the youngest division for boys is 12-younger; the oldest is 18-younger.

Coincidence or not, Kane'ohe has turned into a powerful club as the boys have grown up with the club.

"Ever since we were small — paddling in the 12s — we knew that the kids were important to the club," Kimokeo said. "So we always tried to do our best because we knew it would help the club."

The championships will be the last time the crew will race together as youth paddlers. Next year, they graduate to the open men's program.

"It'll be different because we were together every year," Kahale said. "When you move up (to open men), it's all mixed up. You don't paddle with the same guys every time."

Maturity has brought strength to the crew, but it has also cut into practice times.

"These boys are at the age where they all have to work," Clint Anderson said. "I wish they would practice more. They practice together only one or two times a week, and they still go out and win. Imagine how good they could be with more practice."

When work commitments cut into practice time, the boys often create their own workout schedule.

"We're all older now, so we try get together and practice on our own without the coaches," Kimokeo said. "It's hard to get all of us together at the same time because of work, so we do what ever we can to make it work."

Practice or not, they always make time for play.

"Some clubs have practice, and then everybody goes home and does their own thing," Pa'ao'ao said. "We hang out with each other — swimming, diving, anything. I think that's why we're close in the (canoe), too."

The newcomer to the crew is Mutch. He transferred from another club last year.

"At first, I didn't know what to expect; I was the new guy," he said. "But once I got to know them better, it really is like a brotherhood, and I'm happy they let me in."

The one thing the crew hasn't achieved as youth paddlers is a state championship.

"The best we got was third when we were 16," Kimokeo said. "It's hard because there's a lot of good competition out there. But we'll try our best. Our goal is to win states."

In any case, Clint Anderson said he would like to see the entire crew remain with the club as adults.

"They're all good kids," he said. "I hope they stick around because they're the kind of guys who can take over the club (as coaches) some day."

OHCRA REGATTA SET FOR SUNDAY AT KE'EHI

The O'ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association will run its championship regatta on Sunday at Ke'ehi Lagoon.

Lanikai is the two-time defending OHCRA champion and the favorite to win it again this year.