IVF Hilo World Sprints, Practice & the Opening Ceremony

[Tuesday Photos]
After Sunday’s canoe blessing, official practices were held on Monday and Tuesday. Each region and country was given a turn to test out and get adjusted to the new canoes.

John Mauli of Samoa says, “We’ve got our starts down, now we just need to work on finishing” when considering the several practices they’ve had. “In Samoa, we only have two active clubs so this is a learning experience. We hope to revive the sport back home,” say Mauli.

David Smith, coach of a favorite 19 & under Hawai’i boys crew, a combination of Lanikai and Outrigger CC paddlers, says, “we’re still trying some different combinations, but on paper it looks like we have a stronger crew than this past Saturday.” Four of the same boys won the 18’s division for Lanikai CC by 16 seconds at Saturday’s State race. When asked about the competition, he says, “I don’t know what to expect. We haven’t seen what the times are like from New Zealand or Tahiti.”

Tuesday night at the Edith Kanakaole Tennis Stadium paddlers gathered for the opening ceremony. Teams from some 20 countries and regions proudly carried their flags into the stadium for the Parade of Paddlers and were greeted by Mayor Harry Kim, John Kekua of the Kekua Foundation, and IVF President Mike Tongg. Then crowd was treated to hula by Hilo’s Halau o Kekuhi.

Wednesday marks the beginning of competition with 95 races scheduled.
[Photos]

Posted by keizo on Wed, 08/11/2004 - 9:19am