On calm water with minimal resistance from the Wailoa River current, the Waiakea boys canoe paddlers pulled the surprise of the day.
On calm water with minimal resistance from the Wailoa River current, the Waiakea boys canoe paddlers pulled the surprise of the day.
The Warriors won the half-mile race at the first all-schools BIIF regatta at Hilo Bay, showing the ability to produce a strong turn and finishing kick.
Saturday’s race was basically a preview for the BIIF championship, which will be held Jan. 23 back at Hilo Bay.
Unfortunately, there were no heats for the boys and girls events, only the mixed race. Heats always test a team’s depth and a coach’s strategy.
For the boys and girls races, there are three alternatives each behind the six starters. For the mixed race, there are four backups.
The Kamehameha girls, the defending BIIF champion, won in 4:25.07, and proved they’re still the team to beat.
In the closest race of the day, Kealakehe displayed its depth to take the mixed race in 4:08.68, just ahead of Keaau (4:09.94).
It wasn’t really that close in the boys race.
Waiakea finished in 3:54.91, beating Kealakehe (3:59.47) and three-time defending BIIF champion Keaau (4:03.12).
The Cougars came off the starting line first, charged into the turn first, but came out third. The Warriors went into the turn second and came out first.
If the current is powerful, it can serve as a best friend or worst enemy for canoes on the inside lanes.
The current could provide a nice push out of the turn. But if a crew is not careful near the turn, there’s the possibility of a buried flag and subsequent disqualification.
The Wailoa River current took it easy on a perfect day for paddling with clear skies, little wind and a competitive atmosphere soaking the all-schools meet.
The Waveriders went into the turn third and came out second. When they looked up, it must have been a surprise that Waiakea was ahead of everyone.
The Warriors finished third last season at the BIIF championships and qualified for the HHSAA state meet.
They’re competitive, but not really on anyone’s short list of being considered a BIIF contender.
Waiakea coach Mahea Stanley couldn’t remember the last time the school won a BIIF title, if ever, for any event.
There are no points earned for winning a regular-season regatta. The best reward is a boost of confidence for the BIIF championships.
“Hard work pays off,” said Stanley, emphasizing any sport’s most popular mantra. “We’ve worked hard at practice, so it comes naturally in the races.
“We’ve got a lot of newcomers. We had to bring a couple up from the junior varsity. Everybody works together. The win gives us confidence for the next race, knowing there’s a target on our back, and we have to push harder.”
Kamehameha’s roll
The Warriors had to rally to win. They went into the turn first, but Parker, on the outside lane, emerged with the lead at the halfway point in the home stretch.
About a football field or 100 yards away, Kamehameha surged ahead, relying on their straight-line power strokes.
“I’m pleased with how we did, but we still have to work on our turn,” Kamehameha coach Keahi Warfield said.
The Warriors usually have a lot of depth. Warfield was bummed that were no heats because he wanted to give backups Makamae Kamaka-Mauhili and Hiilani Kamau paddling time.
If there are heats at the BIIF championships, the goal is to get into the finals. But at what cost?
Do you use six starters for both races and tire someone out? Do you rely on backups in the preliminaries and maybe not qualify?
“It’s a gamble,” Warfield said. “That’s why at practice, you emphasize that the backups be on par with the rest of the crew.”
Name association
Some schools are linked by their Moku O Hawaii coaches.
Warfield has been a long-time, significant figure at the Keaukaha Canoe Club, like Stanley at Kamehameha, not the school but the canoe club.
Kealakehe’s coaches are Mike Atwood and Uncle Bo Campos, the two chiefs for Kai Opua.
They get a bonus when they’re coaching at the school, able to draw paddlers from their Kai Opua club, like stroker Hanalei Akazawa, and rival clubs like Hiram “Nana” Anakalea Jr. from Kai Ehitu.
It’s always nice when summer club rivals become teammates.
“It was a good win. We worked hard,” Akazawa said. “We had a good start and finish and timing. We paddled together and everybody was in sync.”
It’s worth repeating once again that in the 16 years of BIIF canoe paddling no school has ever swept all three titles.
That would make for a nice headline, but Atwood prefers the stiff competition. And there’s one more tune-up at Kailua Pier before everything counts.
“It’s great to see competition no matter where it is, whether it’s here in Hilo or in Kona,” he said. “When you know the competition is level, you can’t slack off.”
Suddenly, Stanley’s motto of hard work pays off was running around. And Atwood gave a shout-out to her and assistant Jody Whitney.
“No one saw that coming,” Atwood said of Waiakea’s victory. “We knew Keaau is good, but hat’s off to Mahea and Jody. Waiakea looked strong.”
And maybe Stanley’s Warriors are peaking at the right time, and their victory was no surprise at all.
Canoe paddling
Saturday
Hilo Bay
Half mile
Girls varsity
1. Kamehameha (Kaimi Kipapa, Hopoe Sipinga, Wai Wichimai, Lahela Rosario, Kaiao Shine, Leila Kaupu), 4:25.07; 2. Kealakehe, 4:30.37; 3. Keaau 4:41.17; 4. Parker 4:41.43; 5. Pahoa 4:42.07; 6. Waiakea, 4:45.83; 7. Hawaii Prep, 4:53.72; 8. Hilo 5:01.04
Boys varsity
1. Waiakea (Austin Takemoto, Kody Haleamau-Rubio, Kailana Kon, Purtin Robinson, Joseph Pakani, Noah Eblacas), 3:54.91; 2. Kealakehe, 3:59.47 3. Keaau, 4:03.12; 4. Kamehameha, 4:06.43; 5. Hilo, 4:06.69; 6. Pahoa, 4:06.99; 7. Parker, 4:09.73; 8. HPA, 4:17.70
Mixed varsity
1. Kealakehe (Hanalei Akazawa, Kawehi Pelekane, Hiram “Nana” Anakalea Jr., Anthony Sierra, Paola Wygzell, Abcde Tan), 4:08.68; 2. Keaau, 4:09.94; 3. Waiakea, 4:11.45; 4. Parker, 4:14.02; 5. Kamehameha, 4:21.55; 6. Pahoa, 4:24.06; 7. Hilo, 4:37.14; 8. Ke Kula O Ehunuikaimalino, 4:42.37
Quarter mile
JV boys
1. Keaau, 1:52; 2. Kamehameha, 1:53; 3. Hilo 2:00
JV girls
1. Waiakea, 1:56; 2. Kamehameha, 2:02; 3. Kamehameha, 2:06; 4. Pahoa, 2:08; 5. Konawaena, 2:16; 6. Ke Kula O Ehunuikaimalino, 2:17; 7. Hilo, 2.19
JV mixed
1. Keaau, 1:52; 2. Kona, 1:55.58; 3. Waiakea, 1:55.64; 4. Pahoa, 1:56; 5. Parker, 1:58; 6. Kamehameha, 2:06; 7. Hilo 2:09; 8. HPA, 2:10
Varsity non-scoring
1. Kona, 1:56; 2. Keaau, 2:00; 3. Parker, 2:00; 4. Waiakea, 2:02; 5. Kamehameha, 2:07; 6. HPA, 2:11; 7. Ke Kula O Ehunuikamalino, 2:16