Article provided by http://www.tahitipresse.pf/
Hawaiki Nui 2007 becomes repeat of 2006 as Team OPT wins 2nd leg
(Tahitipresse) - Team OPT won Thursday's second leg of the Hawaiki Nui outrigger canoe race in the Leeward Islands, just as it did a year ago when the Shell Va'a canoe club also won the first leg.
Although the finishing times were not immediately available, Team OPT's victory Thursday in the 26-kilometer (16-mile) course inside the lagoon shared by Raiatea and Taha'a put it in a tie for first place with Shell Va'a.
But although both clubs have the same number of points, Shell Va'a has a slight advantage in the accumulated time for the first two legs. The Shell team won Wednesday's opening leg, a 44.5-kilometer (27.7-mile) course from Huahine to Raiatea with a time of 3 hours 27 minutes. Team OPT finished second.
Thursday's results set the stage for Friday's final leg, a 58-kilometer (36-mile) course from Taha'a to Bora Bora.
Last year, Shell Va'a won the final leg with a time of 4 hours 16 minutes 23 seconds. That gave the club an overall winning time of 9 hours 35 minutes 51 seconds for the 129-kilometer (80.2-mile) race.
ATP
Submitted by truckstop13 on Thu, 10/25/2007 - 12:59pm
This is the top 20 from thurs for complete race results http://www.hawaikinuivaa.pf/
Team Hawaii is now 6th overall and about 19 minutes off the pace.
Team Bradley was second and healani was 9th in the womans division...
team opt Tahiti 01:59:13
shell va a Tahiti 02:01:31
Team Hawaii Hawaii 02:01:38
erai va a Tahiti 02:02:57
tamarii vairao Tahiti 02:03:18
tiare tahiti va a Moorea 02:03:33
bora bora va a Bora Bora 02:03:51
tamarii punaruu Tahiti 02:04:19
a.s banque de tahiti v a Tahiti 02:04:29
team opt Tahiti 02:04:39
manahe e va a team Tahiti 02:04:48
team raiatea Raiatea 02:05:08
te u i he e no bora bora Bora Bora 02:05:31
piroguier tahuareva no tautira Tahiti 02:05:38
mataiea va a Tahiti 02:06:12
edt Tahiti 02:06:21
a.s nunue va a Bora Bora 02:06:35
shell va a Tahiti 02:06:50
pirae va a Tahiti 02:07:29
a.s i mua nui Moorea 02:07:50
#1 Thu, 10/25/2007 - 2:35pm
Who are the members of Team Hawaii Hawaii?
#2 Thu, 10/25/2007 - 3:24pm
These are the Team Hawaii members that I know. There may be a few others that I am not aware of.
John Foti
Jim Foti
Mike Judd
Thiebert Lussia
Andy Penny
Karel Tresnak
Kai Bartlett
Kea Paiaina
Kelly Foster
#3 Thu, 10/25/2007 - 8:57pm
Good crew of paddlers but last years team was more stacked in my opinion . Our only hope is to truely put our best guys foward and last years team was the closest so far .
#4 Fri, 10/26/2007 - 9:03am
3rd leg- final race
Shell won-
OPT 2nd
not sure how Hawaii team did.
#5 Fri, 10/26/2007 - 12:31pm
team Hawaii did 6th only 8 minutes behind shell va'a, not sure how they are overall including the 3 legs, here the link http://www.hawaikinuivaa.pf/hwnv_res3open.htm
Live Aloha!
#6 Fri, 10/26/2007 - 4:33pm
here the top 20:
1 SH 76A shell va a Tahiti 0 0 0 04:19:50 00:00:00 04:19:50
2 SH 360A team opt Tahiti 2 0 2 04:23:57 00:00:00 04:23:57
3 SH 76B shell va a Tahiti 3 0 3 04:24:35 00:00:00 04:24:35
4 SH 22A pirae va a Tahiti 4 0 4 04:24:45 00:00:00 04:24:45
5 SH 16A tamarii vairao Tahiti 5 0 5 04:26:51 00:00:00 04:26:51
6 SH 647 Team Hawaii Hawaii 6 0 6 04:27:41 00:00:00 04:27:41
7 SH 60A fare ara Huahine 7 0 7 04:28:37 00:00:00 04:28:37
8 SH 242 manahe e va a team Tahiti 8 0 8 04:28:51 00:00:00 04:28:51
9 SH 8 tamarii punaruu Tahiti 9 0 9 04:29:16 00:00:00 04:29:16
10 SH 240 tiare tahiti va a Moorea 10 0 10 04:29:41 00:00:00 04:29:41
11 SH 490 erai va a Tahiti 11 0 11 04:30:52 00:00:00 04:30:52
12 SH 11 mataiea va a Tahiti 12 0 12 04:31:30 00:00:00 04:31:30
13 SH 87A a.s nunue va a Bora Bora 13 0 13 04:34:11 00:00:00 04:34:11
14 SH 360B team opt Tahiti 14 0 14 04:34:34 00:00:00 04:34:34
15 SH 33 arue Tahiti 15 0 15 04:34:35 00:00:00 04:34:35
16 SH 477 ha avai Huahine 16 0 16 04:36:06 00:00:00 04:36:06
17 SH 118 a.s banque de tahiti v a Tahiti 17 0 17 04:36:43 00:00:00 04:36:43
18 SH 12 as rautere Tahiti 18 0 18 04:36:48 00:00:00 04:36:48
19 SH 32 edt Tahiti 19 0 19 04:37:16 00:00:00 04:37:16
20 SH 22B pirae va a Tahiti 20 0 20 04:37:37 00:00:00 04:37:37
#7 Fri, 10/26/2007 - 4:36pm
Looks like 5th overall-about 27 minutes behind after three days of racing. Not too shabby- I'd like to see how they would do witha year of practicing together.
#8 Fri, 10/26/2007 - 6:03pm
What do you mean - a year of practicing together ?
A race is a race; when it is over, you have a result.
The proper analysis of why Hawaiian outrigger paddling is not dominant is not made with 'would have, should have'.
There are only very few individuals in the islands that take this sport serious. Like it or not.
To be good at a strength endurance sport you need about 20 hours of training a week, over years. To build complete competitive musculature takes up to 10 years, uninterrupted.
The ones that have this ambition were in the Hawaiian boat in Tahiti.
If there was anybody else, you would have had a second team from Hawaii, wouldn't you.
Everybody else seems to be undecided whether paddling is a past time or serious competition. Nothing wrong with that, everybody has a right to chose, but it does not foster excellence or dominance.
The proper analysis is simple: if you want to dominate in this sport, you have to work more than others. Not different from anything else.
Competitive swimmers get up in the morning to get 2 - 3 hours of swimming done before they go to school. Then they return in the afternoon for more work.
A year of practicing together - I do not understand that.
Why don't you say: if the Tahitians _____ ( fill in whatever you like ) they would have won by a larger margin.
Hawaiian paddlers are generally good in local conditions - and that's about it.
#9 Fri, 10/26/2007 - 8:18pm
Well, it's a team sport, and I figured more time together might improve the performance. You know, like how Shell Va'a practiced together for three months non stop leading up to the channel. At the highest level, everything must be optimized-individual and team preparation. As for Hawaiian crews not being good in other places, a similar crew won the Bora Bora stage in 2000, last year's team placed 3rd in stage 2, and this year they also placed 3rd in stage 2. So the potential is there. Someone here is not a team player...(picks up baseball bat).
#10 Sat, 10/27/2007 - 1:44am
Team Hawaii did a great job. 5th place is not a bad at all especially for a throw together crew. Dont think these guys train much together since they paddle for different clubs. Would like to see how Austrailia or California would have done. Hawaii has a lot of talent, but have not seen there best in one canoe yet. Just an idea, but I would love to see a crew that would look something like. Karel jr., Kai Bartlett, Kea Paiiaina, Maui Kejeldsen, Danny Ching, Theibert Lussia, Mike Judd and Manny kululualani etc... Bet they would do some damage...... Get it together guy's, would be interesting to see. Just make sure you train for at least 3 months
#11 Sat, 10/27/2007 - 5:03pm
Of course you are right, Jim.
The more you practice together, the better you might get.
You do know that in the beginning of the season. If you do not do it, while others do, do not expect to win.
There is a lot of talk about how Shell Vaa does it, as if they had an unfair advantage !
I do not feel comfortable with such talk. Shell Vaa, OPT have simply done what it takes to dominate.
If Hawaiian paddlers want to dominate, they have the same opportunities.
Yes, it is worth taking up a 'bat', for two reasons:
it is not good sportsmanship to claim 'what would have been, if' after the race. Everybody can do that.
5th place is a very good result, nothing wrong with that. I am proud of it for them.
Secondly, paddling in Hawaii is taken seriously. However, the intensity of training that it takes to be among the very best, is only kept up by very few individuals. That, for some reason, does not sit well with me.
If you demand Olympic level efforts, how many paddlers do you think are left to mention ?
I assume at least three - Karel Jr, John Foti and Kai Bartlett; Manny, maybe a few others that I do not know. 20 hours/week, year round. And I am not even sure about those.
Again, nothing wrong with that. nobody has to be a competitive paddler at that level, it's a choice.
But if you want to claim to be the best in the world, you also have to be the hardest worker in the world. And that is currently Shell Vaa.
I wonder myself, why it bothers me. But you have this wonderful talent, they go to the mainland to study, and you ask, do you paddle over there, - 'no, I am rock climbing'. Another talent, are you doing one man season, ' no, wrestling, no water sports this year'.
Paddling in Hawaii is great, a huge community sport, wonderful. It is also a great competition at average amateur level. More than that, I do not see.
I sincerely wish it were different.
#12 Sun, 10/28/2007 - 12:05am
There's sportsmanship and there's analysis. Since I wasn't competing personally, I believe my comments fall into the latter category. I was just saying that more practice as a team will help any team do better. Nothing to spazz out about, mein Bruder. Also, I truly believe that there are more than nine people in Hawaii who take the sport seriously, and eventually a Hawaii select team will win that race.
#13 Sun, 10/28/2007 - 5:40am
Just returned frim Tahiti and the HNV:
TH did a great job and improved over last yearʻs race with an 11th, 3rd and sixth = fifth overall.). Day #2 was an incredible sight with TH actually reeling in Shell Vaʻa and passing them briefly in front of thousands of spectators on land and in spectator boats + live TV. Very chicken skin for all the Hawaii contingent to see. Unless you see this race in person, it is hard to appreciate how difficult it is and what a huge, very competitive event it is. Definitely the ultimate challenge in paddling. The separate womenʻs race on day #1 was very tough, and Hawaii had three crews competing with Team Bradley finishing second
Some more lessons learned this year on what it takes to win this race (or even a stage). TH as noted did not have a lot of practice time together, and they also had to quickly adjust to a brand new canoe. This canoe built in Tahiti for TH proved to be a very good one and will stay on Huahine for TH to use in future races.
That being said, it will take more dedication, commitment & sponsorship help for continued improvement. Training specifically for the race, and possibly having two teams like Shell and OPT to push each other will make a difference. Some younger paddllers need to get involved as it is a transition time. As pointed out, Shell and OPT had no one in the boat over 24 on day #3. The depth in Tahitian paddling is incredible and for young paddlers it is a major goal to get to the top level.
Unfortunately for Hawaii, there is almost no coverage of this fantastic race and very few people actually know what happens down there. Work to be done here just like for Molokaʻi.
#14 Sun, 10/28/2007 - 2:38pm
Sounds like the ultimate challenge, Hawaiki nui Va'a!
i have a question, the fact that tahitian stroke rate being up on the high sixties or even high seventies, could that make that 20 seconds faster per mile??
to work, train and have the stamina to perform at that high stroke rate could be one of the answers?
just a question of someone who really need to learn.
mahalo.
#15 Mon, 10/29/2007 - 3:16am
Didn't someone say they were going at 80 plus strokes per minute in the channel? It works for them, but I think for the vast majority of paddlers, such a stroke rate is unrealistic. Just my opinion, but most crews will reach top maintainable speed at a much lower stroke rate. But if you have the horses to paddle like that, why not?
#16 Mon, 10/29/2007 - 4:06am
Much like the RPMs in a car, I think strokes per minute would be mostly irrelevant to hull speed. I can rev my car engine to 7000 RPMs in first gear and still only go 25 miles per hour.
It would be the torque behind the stroke. High torque at 60 spm would move the boat much faster than 80 spm with little torque behind them. Likely, Shell has trained to provide both - high rate with high torque. If you can keep the torque up and increase your rate by 10-15 strokes a minute, you're obviously going to go faster.
Basically, they've trained to SPRINT for four hours.
#17 Mon, 10/29/2007 - 5:31am
yep, thats exaclty how they make it look, a sprint, 16miles, 36,41,etc.....80miles in 3 legs averaging 7:13 minutes a mile. or even less doing changes in the kaiwi.
among the phisicall-tecnic-mechanicalls they seem to have that mental attitude to go through long distances as a 1 mile sprint.
wich makes all the sense on their results and all what i been reading on these posts.
so much to learn, so much to work......i would say, big mahalo to Tahiti for pushing us and inspire us for more.
well done!!.
#18 Mon, 10/29/2007 - 6:15am
Thanks for the post pekelo! Good stuff....
Like larghi is saying, I think the Tahiti phenom is pushing the top dogs here in hawaii to new levels, these guys are used to winning local races by miles, not much competition, for me looking at them, I just trip on how much better/faster these guys are, now they are doing the same looking up to Shell & OPT. Theres always a bigger fish.
I see why you're frustrated eckhart, but it is a public forum and it allows for dudes to rant and ramble on a bit, but when you boil it down, I dont think people would state these feelings in public or to the face of any top paddler from Tahiti or Hawaii.
#19 Mon, 10/29/2007 - 9:17am
I like that.. There is always a bigger fish. Tahiti may have won the big races the last two years, but everyone is beatable. Two years before that Lanikai dominated and no one bragged about how much better hawaii paddlers are from the rest of the world. TH did well and you never know, they could bring down the mighty Tahitians.or maybe it will be someone else. That is the evolution of sports. There will always be someone to take down the top dog.. Look out. when they fall, it will be a cry the whole paddling world will hear.. whoa.
#20 Mon, 10/29/2007 - 10:23am