WAILUA — Two schools controlled the outcome of the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation paddling regatta at the first of the sprints on the half-mile course on the Wailua River Saturday.
The Kaua‘i High School girls, coached by Lawree Parraga, finished top in the junior varsity and varsity girls races. Parraga was dealing with crew changes and adjustments from the onset, working with a “chop suey team” to work through the earlier distance races. The result of these changes saw just a sole JV Red Raider girls team work through the division on a run of 4 minutes, 42.17 seconds.
Kaua‘i’s varsity team advanced through the qualifiers and finished the varsity race on a 4:12.51 paddle, nearly six seconds ahead of Waimea’s 4:18.73.
Kapa‘a High School mixed paddlers controlled both the JV and varsity mixed races, getting help from the Voyager crew which was disqualified for leaving the starting line too early at the start of the finals race. The JV mixed Kapa‘a team set the course pace on a 4:13.66 run.
The varsity mixed race was a mixed bag, where the Warriors took the qualifying heat on a 4:00.62 run over Island School. In the finals, the DQ judgment saved the race for Kapa‘a when the Voyager team outgunned the Warriors on a 4:00.09 run compared to Kapa‘a’s 4:01.36 paddle in the finals.
Waimea High School, which dominated the distance races earlier in the season, finished with one first place — the JV boys race, where the Menehune edged out the Kapa‘a JV boys by a mere tick at 3:59.35, and getting help from a disqualification judgment against the Kapa‘a crew that finished in the wrong lane.
Island School claimed its sole victory in the varsity boys race where the Voyagers wrapped the course on a pace-setting 3:46.33 paddle before some of the team members adjourned to play KIF soccer in the afternoon.
The KIF sprints continue Saturday on the Wailua River, where the first races hit the water starting at 9 a.m.
Results
JV girls: Kaua‘i A (4:42.17)
JV boys: Waimea A (3:59.35), Kaua‘i A (4:14.04), Kapa‘a A (DQ – 4:00.80)
JV mixed: Kapa‘a A (4:13.66), Kaua‘i A (4:15.57), Waimea A (4:19.92)
Varsity girls finals: Kaua‘i A (4:12.51), Waimea A (4:18.73), Island School A (4:24.81)
Varsity boys finals: Island School A (3:46.33), Waimea A (3:50.17), Kapa‘a A (3:59.39)
Varsity mixed finals: Kapa‘a A (4:01.36), Waimea A (4:07.64), Island School A (DQ 4:00.09)
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
