Much like a utility player, a versatile canoe paddler is a coach’s best friend.

Whether it’s setting the pace in the first seat as stroker, calling changes and keeping rhythm in seat two or keeping the canoe on course as the steersperson, a utility paddler provides a coach with a multitude of options.

Senior Shea Tamura is capable of handling the aforementioned duties and played an instrumental role in helping the Kamehameha girls paddling squad secure the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship.

The team, under the guidance of second-year head coach Kehau Meyer, is vying for a second consecutive First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Canoe Paddling Championships title Friday at Hilo Bay. When Meyer took the reins at Kamehameha in 2010 following the retirement of longtime skipper Rosie Lum, it was Tamura who helped ease the transition.

“When I was a volunteer coach, I was responsible for coaching the varsity girls, and when Shea first came up to varsity as a sophomore, that’s when I noticed her talent,” Meyer said. “Coming into her junior year when I became head coach, she said ‘You’re the coach now, and I got your back.’ She was very encouraging and it was nice to know that I had paddlers who believed in me during that season, and it helped both of us move forward and get better.”

Tamura credits a relentless work ethic exuded by all her crewmates in allowing Kamehameha to enter Friday’s race as one of the favorites to take home the hardware.

“Although it’s hard work, it’s just temporary discomfort for that climb, and in the end, it all pays off,” Tamura says. “We have targets on our backs, and this was our goal: to go to states. We’re going to push to make that common goal happen.”

Also, Tamura’s ability and willingness to fill various positions helped her coach experiment with various crew combinations until settling on the ideal crew lineup.

“That’s just invaluable to any paddling coach,” said Meyer of Tamura’s versatility. “It’s priceless, because if you can sit in any seat, in my mind, you’re an ideal paddler. You’re helpful in any position. It’s just comforting to know that wherever I put her, she’s going to give 100 percent effort. I don’t know where I’m going to put her yet (for the state championship races) but I’m confident she’ll do amazing.”

Meyer has modeled her program after the groundwork laid by Lum, who guided Kamehameha to five state championships in the first six years of the state race’s existence. While she has added her own touches to the approach, Meyer attempts to teach her paddlers in the same way she was instructed.

“When I was paddling in the program under Aunty Rosie, it was a program that worked because it stressed discipline and hard work and you were not going to get anything unless you put the work in,” said Meyer, who as a junior and senior (2004, 2005) under Lum, helped paddle Kamehameha to consecutive state titles. “She was the one that helped me fall in love with paddling. Living up to that is huge. That’s where I learned to paddle, and that’s where I got that mentality. The program itself was magical when I was in it and I wanted the girls to experience it, too.”

Said Tamura when asked about the special bonds forged while paddling, “Our relationships with our coaches and ourselves are special. We all want to be the best.”

Friday’s race will be Tamura’s last competition for the foreseeable future, as she will head to college in San Diego and will put paddling on hold while studying business management.

“This will be my last race in high school,” she said, “but I’ll definitely be paddling throughout my life. This will just be a break, a pause.”

While Kamehameha and its ILH foes competed in long-distance races off Magic Island, Friday’s race will involve half-mile sprints. Hilo Bay has been known to offer up a host of hindrances, from swirling winds to constantly changing weather conditions and currents. The course could prove to be the X factor in determining the state titlist in a relatively short sprint.

“Everyone has their opinion about different venues, but if the girls can go and take everything they’ve done at practice and have fun while doing what they love, they can push through whatever situation they’re faced with, whether it’s vog or a different course,” said Meyer. “In my mind, there’s never an excuse why they can’t do as well. You should be able to paddle in any conditions.

“I don’t want them to win just to have a title,” Meyer adds. “I want them to have a moment and to have a legacy to pass on as they promote their passion for paddling to other girls.”