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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, March 28, 2003

Drive, wooden car spur Sacred Hearts to victory

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

Sacred Hearts Academy relied on two 12-volt batteries and a lot of girl power on its award-winning electric car.

The all-girls school edged two-time defending champion Kohala of the Big Island to win the HECO Electron Marathon Best of Show Saturday at Ford Island.

In front of an estimated 3,000 spectators, Sacred Hearts clinched the overall title by finishing in a three-way tie for first place of the vehicle performance (race) portion of the Electron Marathon with West Hawai'i Exploration Academy and Waialua High and Intermediate School. Kohala finished fourth.

It was the first time that an all-girls school has won the overall title in the eight-year history of the Electron Marathon.

The event featured 30 schools that were judged in four academic and performance categories: project documentation, oral presentation, construction and safety, and vehicle performance. The team with the highest cumulative score in the four categories won Best of Show.

Sacred Hearts scored 95.35 out of a possible 100, followed by Kohala (94.96), Waialua High and Intermediate (87.35), Waiakea (86.68) and Maryknoll (83.93).

Sacred Hearts junior and car driver Kristen Debo, 17, said the team wanted to show that last year's second-place finish was no fluke.

"We've always been ridiculed and people have been mean to us because we're an all-girls school and we do so well," Debo said. "This year we just wanted to come back and show everyone that we are just as good as boys, if not even better. This year I think we actually proved it."

Sacred Hearts lead teacher Carl Debo, who is Kristen's father, said he set three goals for the team: take pride in its one-horsepower, aircraft mahogany-bodied car; be able to start the race; and be able to finish the race.

He said the team came up with additional goals.

"One of their goals, year after year, is to finish first," said Debo, an attorney who races cars as a hobby. "Our car is built by the girls. They did all the welding. They even made their own wheels. They wanted to make it more comfortable for the driver and put (shock absorbers) up front. They've been working on it since August.

"All I do is point," Debo continued. "They let me sand once in a while, since they all hate sanding."

Added Sacred Hearts junior Christina Gamayo: "The instructors guided us, but we did all the work. They said, 'this is your team, you guys are going to build your own car.' "

In the Electron Marathon, drivers raced for 60 minutes on a closed loop, half-mile LeMans-type course made up of right and left turns and straightaways. The car that completed the most laps was declared the winner.

Sacred Hearts, West Hawai'i Exploration Academy of Kailua, Kona, and Waialua each completed 51 laps. Kohala completed 49 laps.

"No one expected us to come out with a wooden car," Sacred Hearts junior Aislinn Hernandez said. "And we did well. It makes it more fun."

Results

High School (unless otherwise noted) Score (out of 100 points)*

1, Sacred Hearts 95.35
2, Kohala 94.96
3, Waialua High/Int. 87.35
4, Waiakea 86.68
5, Maryknoll 83.93
6, Lanakila Learning Center 78.97
7, Kaua'i 78.21
8, Iolani 78.03
9, West Hawai'i Explorations 77.53
10, Kapolei 76.40
11, Seabury Hall 74.73
12, Lanakila Baptist 72.75
13, Castle 71.79
14, Wai'anae 67.93
15, St. Andrew's Priory 65.19
16, Hawai'i Baptist 63.93
17, Mid Pacific 61.62
18, Kapa'a 60.21
19, Kalaheo 57.53
20, Honoka'a 57.02
21, St. Anthony 56.50
22, St. Louis 55.87
23, Mililani 54.63
24, Waimea 54.48
25, Kahuku High/Int. 53.96
26, Lana'i 53.45
27, Damien 49.25
28, Ho'ala 47.80
29, Maui 47.65
30, Kalani 38.06

*—includes scores for documentation (max 40 points), oral presentation (10), construction and safety (20) and performance (30).

Each school designed, engineered and built its vehicle with identical basic parts, a $2,500 spending cap and an unlimited amount of imagination.

The basic parts, such as batteries and electronics, were provided by HECO, Hawai'i Electric Light Co. and Maui Electric Co.

No car performed or looked the same. Some cars had three wheels, while others had four wheels. Some teams went with rear-wheel drive and other front-wheel drives. At least one car had a four-wheel independent suspension, and another used bullet-resistant material for its protective roll bar.

Some cars were clocked at more than 30 mph with West Hawaii Exploration Academy topping out at 31 mph.

Schools, such as Waialua and Sacred Hearts, even pulled out secret weapons and used the expertise of female drivers.

"We came in here knowing that Sacred Hearts was going to be a big competitor to us," Kohala junior Wesley Brum said. "We just tried to keep up with them as much as we could."

At least one school, Waialua, incorporated special education students into the program. Of the 15 team members on Waialua, 12 were special education students, said adviser Glenn Lee.

"A lot of these kids need something hands-on," Lee said. "They need something exciting and challenging. They want to see why they are learning all this math, science and technology. This was the perfect project for them. They really shined."

Kohala lead teacher Fern White said she was proud of her team's performance and work ethic. She said each member put in an average of about 200 hours of work on the project.

"When you look at the big picture, they're all winners," White said. "Before they left, I told them you're all winners because we were able to complete the project and overcome all the obstacles. In terms of materials and resources, we're really behind the eight-ball."

The event was sponsored by Hawaiian Electric Co., U.S. Navy, state Department of Education, Hawai'i Electric Light Co., Maui Electric Co. and Young Brothers Ltd.