Me and the Duke at the Beach

Kayla Shumate, age 10, traveling with grandmother, posting from Honolulu, Hawaii –G mom and I went to the beach today. It was the first day of summer and a bright sunny day. When I got there I was so excited to play. When we found the spot we were going to stay I had to put my sunscreen on and take my bucket out of my pack. Then I went out to the wet sand and started to push the sand forward. I started to make a wall with the sand to block the big warm water waves from hitting my spot. When I was making my big castle there were children playing in the water all over the place. There were also surfers that were surfing in the big waves passing by. I finished the big wall and made my castle inside. When I was making my castle G mom came up and asked “What is the name of this castle?” I thought for a little bit and said King Hut. That was the first name that popped in my head. Then G mom said about 10 more minutes because I have been out for 1 hour. Then I washed myself at the shower. I got my towel and dried myself and then G mom and I saw a statue that was near where I played. It was the Duke statue! 

Let me tell you about Duke. He was born in August 24 1890. He was raised in Waikiki, Hawaii. He was a full Hawaiian. The best part is he was an Olympic champion. He was the world’s fastest swimmer. Between 1912 and 1932 Duke earned 3 gold metals, 2 silver metals and a bronze medal in four Olympic Games. He was known as father of international surfing. He showed surfing to the eastern seaboard of America, Europe, and Australia. He was a hero when he saved 8 lives with his surfboard when a ship turned over. On the statue it says he has honored his name, he has honored his race, he has honored his state, and he has honored us all.

Statue of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku (1890-1968) is in Kuhio Beach Park, Waikiki Beach.