Girls Go Three Straight in Kayaking
by Aaron Kandell
A jumbojet roared overhead. Across the field, rapid-fire Samoan mixed over Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as the Samoan Cricket League announced halftime. And on the narrow strip of beach facing the brackish waters of Keehi Lagoon, the 'Iolani Kayaking team sat in a silent huddle.
"Take in all the sounds, all the people around you and let them roll away," guided Head coach Eric Chun. "Visualize yourself in the kayak: reaching, rotating, moving that boat through the water, across the finish line." The tight circle of kayakers nodded, their eyes closed, their legs crossed in meditation. The 2007 ILH Kayaking Championship was only moments away, but these athletes appeared more calm and focused, than anxious.
Returning champ Marissa Why summed up the team mentality. "We've been training hard for this moment… we're ready." After a series of Tai Chi stretches and a team cheer, the Iolani kayakers carried their boats to the water.
The clouds parted, the sun bounced off the water like skipped stones.
The race began.
First it was the girls, battling for their third ILH championship.
In the B heat, Senior Brittney Taamu-Miyashiro and Freshman Kimberly Souza made an impressive show with first and second place finishes. In the girls' A heat, a strong turn launched Junior Julia Anderson into a convincing first place lead.
With Hannah Smith (junior), Krista Speroni and Marissa Why (seniors) claiming top ten spots behind her, the 'Iolani girls beat out Punahou for the team championship.
The 'Iolani boys fought their way to a 4th place team finish, with some outstanding individual medals for junior Tucker Van Lier Ribbink (7th) and senior Dustin Shitanishi (13th). "This is a building year for the boys," says Couch Chun. "We've got some great talent and a lot of potential."
In the girls' overall individual medals, Julia Anderson and Marissa Why took first and third consecutively.
"We've been truly blessed with a great group of athletes," said Assistant Coach Jordan Kandell. "They are self-motivated, positive and hard-working. We are proud of all of them."
"Plus, kayaking is a unique sport," added Coach Casey Brown. "It provides a terrific opportunity to interact with our natural surroundings: outdoors on the water with athletes from other schools. And Hawaii is the only state that offers kayaking at the interscholastic level of competition."
Another jet roared overhead. Speakers blared. But above it all, the shouts of kayakers cheering their team to victory. It was an exciting conclusion to a successful season.
To see more photos, please visit iolani-events.org.
