July 17 - Hawaiian stays calm in Kahului winds

Article courtesy The Maui News — Sunday, July 18, 2004
By ROBERT COLLIAS, Staff Writer (The Maui News)

KAHULUI - Even on a day when the wind blew hard enough to turn Kahana Canoe Club's canopy tent into a parachute, Hawaiian Canoe Club showed why it has the calm confidence to rule the day.
Hawaiian may not have been completely satisfied Saturday in Kahului Harbor at the Mayor's Umeke Regatta, the next-to-last regatta of the Maui County Hawaiian Canoe Association calendar, but it and the other eight clubs set up an intriguing finish on several levels next week in Kihei.

The Moki Kalanikau Regatta has never been the host of the Maui County championships, but Ka Lae Pohaku and the unknown conditions that await there have paddlers intrigued. Saturday was the last chance for crews to position themselves not only for the final regatta, but also for the seeded lane draw before it. The crews with the top point totals now will get their choice of lanes for the final regatta.

The MCHCA has a 5-3-2-1 point system for each race with the top two season point totals earning slots to the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association state championship regatta on Aug. 7 at Keehi Lagoon on Oahu.

"There were some crews moving around today,'' said Sharon Balidoy, co-coach of regatta host Lae Ula O Kai and MCHCA race director. "Different crews had different people where they were trying to move into position. Hawaiian had some good results, I think they should be happy.''

Actually, HCC had some mixed results, losing a state slot here and gaining one there. Nevertheless, Hawaiian tied the MCHCA scoring mark it set just last week with 151 poitns, which came on the strength of 20 wins and 13 second-place finishes in the 39-race slate. Kihei was second with 80, Kahana third with 47, Lae Ula O Kai fourth with 36, Na Kai Ewalu fifth with 31, Wailea sixth with 29, Hana seventh with 17, Lahaina eight with 13 and Napili rounded out the field with 8.

HCC hopes to have as many as 23 top-seeded crews from the MCHCA move on to state, but will be in battles for No. 1 seeds in girls 12A, girls 13, boys 13 and men's junior. HCC lost a seed in the men senior master 50 race with a third-place finish Saturday.

Hawaiian now has 30 crews in state slots and hopes to push that to 33 in Kihei.

"We are just trying hard and trying to get as much as we can in there,'' Hawaiian keiki coach and men's steersman Paul Luuwai said. "The big races of the week next week are the open men and open women, so that is real exciting.''

The final two races of the day in the championship regatta - men's open and women's open - carry winner-take-all status for state qualifying purposes. Last week, Hawaiian showed everyone that it will be a factor in the women's open with the fastest time that was wiped out by a disqualification for burying the flag in a turn. Saturday, Lae Ula O Kai took back the top spot it has held in that event for most of the year.

Hawaiian won the men's open race at the first two regattas of the season, but Wailea won that race for the fourth staright time on Saturday to claim the lane choice as top seed going into the finale.

HCC did free itself of some distractions next week by mathematically nailing down top seeds in several events. That also gives Hawaiian the freedom to put top paddlers in races where state qualifying questions still exist. HCC is fighting with Kai Opua of the Big Island and Kailua of Oahu for most crews to state, where every qualifier that finishes fairly scores.

"Right now we have the possibility of (sending) 22, maybe 23 one seeds to state,'' Luuwai said. "With only two lanes available (to the MCHCA), that would be phenomenal. ... I see state as a three-club battle with us, Kai Opua and Kailua.''

Luuwai said that Saturday was a mixed bag of results.

"It was good in the sense that we moved up in several rankings,'' he said. "We solidified some crews with guaranteed number one seeds. That gives us a bunch of flexibility for next week.''

HCC women's coach J.B. Guard IV was also pleased to see his troops nail down state seeds in the sophomore and junior levels. The club has also locked down top seeds in mixed open and women open 4, freeing up women's ranks already stretched thin.

The best HCC girls 16 and 18 paddlers have moved into the women's freshman crew to try to get a state spot there.

"Those girls are right there knocking on the door,'' Guard said. "It is all coming down to next week as all the clubs know. ... We took a lot of pressure off ourselves today by nailing down some state seeds.''

In the end, things went smoothly for one of the smallest clubs to run a regatta in Lae Ula O Kai. The winds in the 15- to 25-mph range sent a few things flying down the beach, including the 50-by-30 green tent and its moorings from the Kahana area between the Hawaiian and Na Kai Ewalu hales at Kahului Harbor. A tent pole caught Kahana paddler Keith Keahi on the forehead, but he was steering his men's open crew late in the day. Earlier in the afternoon, the regatta was halted for about 30 minutes as a barge pulled out of the harbor.

"Logistics-wise, it was a good day,'' Balidoy said. "It was a little windy, but we were running smoothly.''

Next week, it might be a little different.

"Kihei can be a real tricky place,'' Luuwai said.

MAYOR'S UMEKE REGATTA

Saturday's Results

At Kahului Harbor

Team scores-Hawaiian 151, Kihei 80, Kahana 47, Lae Ula O Kai 36, Na Kai Ewalu 31, Wailea 29, Hana 17, Lahaina 13, Napili 8.

Team standings-Hawaiian 860, Kihei 497, Kahana 309, Lae Ula O Kai 191, Wailea 176, Na Kai Ewalu 158, Napili 88, Hana 87, Lahaina 74.

FEMALE

Quarter Mile

Girls 12B-1. Hawaiian (Amara Kunishi, Leslee Ramoran, Cianna Cruz-Wallace,Erika Jardin, Ashley Gusman, Deanna Rosa) 3:06.62, 2. Hana 3:12.30, 3. Na Kai Ewalu 3:15.29, 4. Kihei 3:23.74. Girls 12A-1. Hawaiian (Christina Adams, Ashley Davis, Shaenis Lono, Nicole Joslin, Hoku Lindsey, Kaena Magsayo) 2:42.91, 2. Kahana 2:69.50, 3. Hana 3:02.74. Girls 13-1. Hana (Kaneau Kanakaole, Kalena Aina, Megan Medeiros, Akaneki Lind, Poha Kanakaole, Minoaka Kapoi-Smith) 2:35.25, 2. Hawaiin 2:34.63, 3. Kihei 2:51.84, 4. Lahaina 2:57.31. Girls 14-1. Hawaiian (Malia Purdy, Jessica Laanui, Katherine McDougall, Britney Rosa, Chelsie Aina-Lucas, Tatiana Malia-Piena) 2:30.74, 2. Na Kai Ewalu 2:34.13, 3. Lahaina 2:51.21, 4. Wailea 2:56.52. Women Novice B-1. Kihei (Heather Parker, Laura Hitzig, Cathy Borgia, Elsie Borden, Josee Hansen, Jamaica Ransom) 5:28.82, 2. Na Kai Ewalu 2:29.44, 3. Hana 2:31.03, 4. Lae Ula O Kai 2:32.56.

Half Mile

Girls 15-1. Hawaiian (Cassie Ho, Marci Ono, Pualei Kaaa, Lei Ishikawa.Tanis Biga) 4:54.13, 2. Kihei 4:55.44, 3. Lae Ula O Kai 5:13.54, 4. Napili 5:30.95. Girls 16-1. Hawaiian (Michelle Marks, Kanoe Barcai, Maria Leon, Darcie Nakoa, Chelsea Laanui, Sanoe Elf) 4:39.23, 2. Kahana 5:11.85, 3. Na Kai Ewalu 5:12.50. Girls 18-1. Hawaiian (Sonya Niess, Marci Ono, Kanoe Barcai, Carlen Crockett, Ashley Rosa, Nohelani Uu) 4:45.17, 2. Lae Ula O Kai 4:50.61, 3. Napili 5:05.76, 4. Kahana 5:26.69. Women Novice A-1. Kihei (Cheryl Melinder, Pohai Kaiwi, Chelsea Nesbitt, Carla McGuire, Sandy Reyno, Patty Phillips) 4:35.52, 2. Hawaiian 4:47.81, 3. Kahana 4:55.25, 4, Napili 5:19.78. Senior Master Women-1. Kihei (Kathie Zwick, Iris Mountcastle, Vanessa Weiss, Anita Anderson, Pua Williams, Lea Giddons) 4:52.89, 2. Hawaiian 5:18.10, 3. Na Kai Ewalu 5:39:43. Open 4 Women-1.Hawaiian (Deborah Robison, Noelani Vorhies, Margie Kawaiaea, Shelly Leimana Spencer) 4:43.37, 2. Kahana 4:55.37, 3. Lae Ula O Kai 4:56.80, 4. Na Kai Ewalu 5:16.98. Golden Master Women 55-1. Hawaiian (Kekoa Enomoto, Aulani Takatsuka, Judy Martter, Mary Akiona, Carol Childerhose, Dinah Starbuck) 5:18.26, 2. Kihei 5:37.74.

Mile

Freshman Women-1. Lae Ula O Kai (Andrea Moller, Holly Dollar, Kelly Cua, Mari Toro-Ford, Holly Ho, Sharon Balidoy) 9:16.77, 2. Wailea 9:33.49, 3. Hawaiian 9:40.53. Sophomore Women-1. Hawaiian (Dane Ward, Theresa Felgate, Margie Kawaiaea, Michelle Cerizo, Vicky Gascho, Leimana Spenser) 9:06.37, 2. Lae Ula O Kai 9:27.93, 3. Na Kai Ewalu 10:32.46. Junior Women-1. Kihei (Donna Abdill, Keri Mehling, Stacy Guthrie, Ingrid Thronson, Lani Espinoza, Polly Lorge) 9:39.17, 2. Hawaiian 9:53.08, 3. Lae Ula O Kai 10;19.49, 4. Napili 10:24.44. Master Women-1. Kihei (Colleen Ford, Catherine Hughes, Joyce Roark, Nalani Kaninau, Tammy Osurman, Cheryl Jennings-Logsdon) 9:26.00, 2. Hawaiian 9:43.61.

1 1/2 Miles

Open Women-1. Lae Ula O Kai (Andrea Moller, Lani Gomes, Holly Ho, Michelle Golberg, JoAnna Garcia, Makanani Dela Cruz) 14:17.47, 2. Hawaiian 14:43.00, 3. Kihei 15:00.52, 4. Kahana 16:25.11.

MALE

Quarter Mile

Boys 12B-1. Hawaiian (Ua Rosa, Stephen Imai, Kainalu Bargamento, Kahumoku Barbamento, Kekoa Bargamento, Bryceen Silva) 3:02.36, 2. Lahaina 3:13.29, 3. Na Kai Ewalu 3;15.15, 4. Kihei 3:40.51. Boys 12A-1. Hawaiian (Mana Rosa, Manu Gibson, Paul Kenolio, Ua Rosa, Corey Imai, Bryson DeFrancia) 2:44.76, 2. Kihei 2:57.45, 3. Hana 3:40.42. Boys 13-1. Kahana (Marcus Curimao, Bryson Williams, Quinton Raymond-Shin, Joey Ventura, Cody Hayworth, Skyler Raymond-Shin) 2:26.50, 2. Hana 2:31.22, 3. Hawaiian 2:33.46, 4. Kihei 7:11.06. Boys 14-1. Wailea (Matthew Paul, Kegan Conway, Andrew Driscol, Sean Howard, Ben Gainey, Clark Camp) 2:03.87, 2. Hawaiian 2:08.33, 3. Kihei 2:20.28, 4. Lahaina 2:24.93.

Half Mile

Boys 15-1. Hawaiian (Woodbridge Brown, Page Nakooka, Roland Mahi, Kona Porras-Ragsdale, Bobby Kaiwi, Kaikaika Nance) 4:01.24, 2. Lae Ula O Kai 4:51.75, 3. Kihei 5:05.37. Men Novice B-1. Hawaiian (Chris Evenson, David Heyman, Jack Hunsucker, Frank Gummich, Martin Gastaldi, Diego Panza) 3:53.71, 2. Wailea 4:05.13, 3. Na Kai Ewalu 4:10.62, 4. Lahaina 4:20.62. Boys 16-1. Hawaiian (Keola Olaitman, Tyler Lausten, Ikaika Maalea, Darrin Neagoy, Nainoa Awo, Kekupaa Naeole) 4:08.11, 2. Kihei 4:22.49, 3. Na Kai Ewalu 4:33.02. Senior Master Men-1. Na Kai Ewalu (Chris Overall, Brett Simison, Brian McCafferty, Paul Doty, Bruce Dobbin, Malama Chun) 3:59.12, 2. Kihei 4:01.89, 3. Hawaiian 4:09.61. Golden Master 55-1. Kihei (Jamie Woodburn, Ken Pearsall, Bob Fulkerson, Bill Gearon, Bill Prucha, Kimokeo Kapahulehua) 4:11.63, 2. Kahana 4:15.27, 3. Hawaiian 4:45.71. Open 4 Men-1. Hawaiian (Mael Carey, Tyson Kubo, Johnson Agpoon, David Ward) 4:00.31, 2. Kahana 4:09.84, 3. Wailea 4:18.17, 4. Napili 4:19.39.

One Mile

Boys 18-1. Hawaiian (Kualii Wittman, Douglas Neagoy, Ryan Grasa, Michael Kahula, Corey Rosa, Eli Hedani) 8:46.49, 2. Lae Ula O Kai 9:09.89, 3. Na Kai Ewalu 9:25.82, 4. Kihei 12:12.44. Men Novice A-1. Hawaiian (Rodrigo Da Silva, Yuri Soledade, Marcio Silva, Kealii Forsberg, Francisco Prado, Andrew Gascho) 8:07.59, 2. Wailea 8:11.63, 3. Lahaina 8:21.02, 4. Kahana 8:29.92. Freshman Men-1. Hawaiian (Davin Lum, Lopkaka White, John McCandless, Kualii Wittman, James Knutson, Kekupaa Naeole) 8:03.81, 2. 8:04.23, 3. Lae Ula O Kai 8:47.28, 4. Hana 8:57.30. Sophomore Men-1. Wailea (Jacob Abeytia, Mark Cluney, Tony Calderon, Ralph Wiegmann, Felipe Gomes, Kekoa Cramer) 7:39.06 2. Hawaiian 7:54.50, 3. Kihei 9:42.03, 4. Na Kai Ewalu 10:23.79. Junior Men-1. Kahana (Strider Kerrick, Mason Panis, Wyatt Loft, Kekai Keahi, Svar Hartman, Moses Kiakona) 7:48.55, 2. Hawaiian 7:51.17, 3. Wailea 7:51.70, 4. Lae Ula O Kai 8:09.24. Master Men-1. Hawaiian (Dana Souza, Rory Frampton, John McCandless, John Lewis, James Knutson, Paul Luuwai) 8:06.53, 2. Kihei 8:10.94, 3. Kahana 8:28.08, 4) Na Kai Ewalu 9:01.85.

11/2 Miles

Open Men-1. Wailea (Jacob Abeytia, Tom Kern, Eric Mitchell, Nabil Vogele, Jake Durnell, Felipe Gomes) 11:43.01, 2. Hawaiian 12:07.64, 3. Kahana 12:13.15, 4. Lae Ula O Kai 12:22.44.

MIXED

Quarter Mile

Mixed 12-1. Kihei (Ashley Shaffer, Kuaika Quenga, Brandi Anguay, James Pamplin, Zana Vellina, Conner Logsdon) 2:37.85, 2. Hawaiian 2:43.77, 3. Lae Ula O Kai 2:55.35, 4. Kahana 3:11.90. Mixed Novice B-1. Hawaiian (Daniel Patao, Heather Stiller, Jack Hunsucker, Patrick Peralez, Laura Denton, Maria Mendiburo) 2:03.89, 2. Kihei 2:07.02, 3. Kahana 2:11.41, 4. Na Kai Ewalu 2:12.55.

Half Mile

Golden Mixed 55-1. Kahana (James Kohler, Randy McClanahan, Joyce Tihada, Diane Delos Reyes, Laura Jane Kohler, Charlie Nakagawa) 4:30.47, 2. Hawaiian 4:32.09, 3. Kihei 4:48.32. Mixed 40-1. Kihei (Polly Lorge, Vanessa Weiss, Vince Robinson, Lou Dionese, Carla McGuire, Rob Phillips) 3:59.14, 2. Hawaiian 3:59.74, 3. Napili 4:15.39, 4. Kahana 4:20.86. Mixed Open-1. Hawaiian (JB Guard, Mike Giblin, Rick Nuu, Michelle Cerizo, Cathy Uu, Dane Ward) 3:28.73, 2. Kihei 3:31.65, 3. Wailea 3:36.08, 4. Kahana 3:52.52.

Posted by keizo on Mon, 07/19/2004 - 7:50am