An impressive construction project will be on display at today's Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship Regatta at Hilo Bay.

It will not be a building or an actual canoe.

It will come in the form of the Keauhou Canoe Club.

In a span of just five years, Keauhou has transformed from one of the smallest clubs on the Big Island to one of the biggest clubs in the state.

"It's a path of development that, I think, a lot of clubs strive for," Keauhou athletic director Bill Armer said. "We've been fortunate enough to fill gaps year after year, and here we are today."

For the first time in its 29-year history, Keauhou will compete in the AAAA division today. Keauhou, which is located on the Kona side of the Big Island, will bring 26 crews to Hilo Bay.

The AAAA division features the biggest canoe clubs in the state. This year, there are seven clubs competing in the AAAA division.

In 2005, Keauhou had just eight crews when it won the A division state championship. The A division is for the state's smallest clubs.

In 2007, the club received an influx of female paddlers and moved up to the AA division. By 2008, Keauhou was the AA state champion.

This year, the club received a boost of quality male paddlers.

"What accounts for this explosion is the continuing growth of our paddlers," Armer said. "We've always been a club blessed with (masters) paddlers, and then our women's program started growing. This year, we were able to add on the men's side in the open and novice level."

From the start, Keauhou's strength has been its masters program.

At last year's HCRA state regatta, Keauhou won the women's 60, women's 55, men's 55, men's 50, mixed 55 and mixed 50 races.

"It's probably a combination of different factors, a lot having to do with technique," said Lambert Lee Loy, a coach and paddler for the Keauhou masters program. "And a lot of it has to do with having good company to exercise with. I think word has got out that we're a club where older paddlers are welcome to train and be competitive at the same time."

The addition of a quality open men's program at Keauhou has created the most buzz. Many of them are recognized names in the sport, including Thibert Lussiaa, Bruce Ayau, Andrew Penny, Ikaika Hauanio and Mike Field.

They are considered contenders in the prestigious men's senior race.

Armer said the club could have cut six crews to contend for a AAA state title, but he wanted the entire club to celebrate this year's growth.

"Vaulting all the way from AA to AAAA is a huge jump," Armer said. "But we wanted to say to our paddlers, you deserve this, you earned it."

In truth, Keauhou probably does not have the numbers to contend for the AAAA championship. Hawaiian Canoe Club from Maui has 37 crews; Kailua from O'ahu has 36, and Big Island champion Kai 'Opua also has 36.

"We don't want to temper any expectations with winning," Armer said. "Just for us to be competing against these clubs is a big accomplishment."

RACES TO WATCH

Today's state regatta will feature 39 races.

The men's senior and women's senior are considered the premier races of the regatta. Those are the only 1 1/2-mile races of the day (all others are 1 mile or shorter).

The men's senior race will feature a long list of legitimate contenders, including Outrigger, Hui Lanakila, Lanikai, Hawaiian, Tui Tonga and Keauhou.

Lanikai won the men's senior race at last year's state regatta, but could not beat Outrigger during the 2009 regular season.

The women's senior race should come down to a showdown of four association champions: Hawaiian (Maui), Puna (Big Island), Waikiki Beachboys (Hui Wa'a) and Hui Lanakila (OHCRA).

Hui Lanakila won the women's senior race last year by 0.31 of a second over Waikiki Beachboys.

STREAKS TO WATCH

Several clubs will try to keep state championship streaks going today.

Most impressive, Waikiki Beachboys has won the women's novice B race at the last six state championship regattas. What makes the streak impressive is that the club has won it each year with an entirely different crew (paddlers can stay in the novice B division for only one year).

Another impressive streak is Hawaiian Canoe Club's five-year reign in the girls 16 race. Paddlers in that division also have to move up each year.

Keauhou has three crews with two-year winning streaks: women's 60, men's 50 and mixed 40.

Other streaks: Keaukaha (three straight in the men's 40 race), Waikiki Beachboys (three straight in women's novice A), Hawaiian (two straight in girls 14), Outrigger (two straight in men's 55 and women's 40).

TRAGEDY STRIKES HUI LANAKILA GIRLS CREW

Makamae Ah Mook Sang, a paddler on the undefeated Hui Lanakila girls 15 crew, died of accidental causes Thursday.

She was supposed to join her teammates in Hilo yesterday.

Hui Lanakila is one of the top seeds in the girls 15 race for today's state championship regatta.

"We still don't have all the answers," said Reggie Keaunui, who is the coach of the Hui Lanakila girls 15 crew and an uncle to Ah Mook Sang. "As a family, we're just trying to deal with this sudden loss."

Keaunui said the rest of the crew is "deeply hurt" but will still try to paddle in Ah Mook Sang's honor today.

The Hui Lanakila girls 15 crew went undefeated during the regular season with just six paddlers. Keaunui said he will borrow a paddler from another Hui Lanakila crew so that the girls 15 crew can still race today.

"We're going to talk it out," Keaunui said. "All we can do is move on and try our best."

The Hui Lanakila girls 15 crew — including Ah Mook Sang — was featured in The Honolulu Advertiser and on honoluluadvertiser.com on Thursday.