State qualifying times was the norm for the Swim Kaua‘i Aquatics meet, Saturday at the YMCA of Kaua‘i pool when four swimmers pocketed state times in their events. Kaira Ka‘aihue, 10, set the pace, earning three state qualifying times at
State qualifying times was the norm for the Swim Kaua‘i Aquatics meet, Saturday at the YMCA of Kaua‘i pool when four swimmers pocketed state times in their events.
Kaira Ka‘aihue, 10, set the pace, earning three state qualifying times at the SKA meet.
Ka‘aihue, already holding one state qualifying time, opened the day with a state time in the 50 Yard Backstroke where she touched at 40.18, bettering her previous swim in the event by 1.45 seconds.
Ka‘aihue went on to pocket state times in the 50 Yard Free (33.64) and the 100 Yard Backstroke where she slashed 6.05 seconds off her previous best time on a 1:27.42 swim.
Dutch Fairbanks, 9, chopped 3.54 seconds off his previous swim in the 100 Yard Individual Medley, touching in 1:31.23 for another state time.
Tyler Keith, 14, and Yasmine Ware, 13, jumped into the 1000 Yard Freestyle for the first time in their respective swim careers, both earning state times when Keith posted an 11:46.25 swim and Ware stopped the clock at 11:35.35.
“SKA Coach Billy Brown was really impressed with how much stronger his swimmers have gotten in the distance races,” said Stacey Machorek in an SKA release. “He was also impressed with how aggressive they are getting with their sprints as well.”
Quinn Hannah White, 14, earned a personal best, taking 8.07 off his 1000 Yard Free swim when he touched at 11:47.87, falling just short of a state time and settling for a HI AA standard.
Sophie Britzmann, 14, also settled for a HI AA in the 1000 Yard Free when she touched at 12:19.28 for an impressive 29.41 seconds improvement over her seeded time.
“I am really pleased with the performances of the kids,” Brown said. “We are picking up right where we left off, and that is just what I like to see after our annual two-week break.”
Sisters Aleya, 10, and Sadie, 7, Stearns competed in four individual events with Aleya earning “B” time standards in three events at her first swim meet — the 50 Yard Backstroke (52.16), 50 Yard Freestyle (44.45) and the 50 Yard Breaststroke (58.37).
Brandie Aguinaldo, 9, swam in three events, earning “B” time standards in the 50 Yard Backstroke and the 50 Yard Breastroke.
“There were some very tight finishes with kids challenging each other into the wall,” Machorek said.
Some of the other featured accomplishments include Sam Goldberg, 12, racing hard to secure a “B” time in the 50 Yard Free and Kirra Lindman, 8, recently moving here from O‘ahu, swimming in four events.
Pualei Pratt, 11, Blaise Thompson, 13, and Matthew Vickers, 8, posted improvements in their respective four events they each swam.
SKA heads into a busy fall season with a training camp scheduled during the Fall Break and a swim meet on Oct. 9.
On Oct. 15, SKA hosts its annual Swim-A-Thon before heading to O‘ahu to compete in the Bill Smith Invitational, Oct. 23-24.
Visit www.swimkauai.com for more information.
