Posted on: Sunday, November 7, 2004
Punahou paddles to sweep of ILH titles
By Kyle Sakamoto
Advertiser Staff Writer
A newcomer to the sport and a veteran searching for redemption led Punahou to a sweep of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu kayaking championships yesterday at Ala Wai Canal.
Eric Abbott, a former Buffanblu volleyball player, won the 2,000-meter distance race in an impressive 9 minutes, 12.62 seconds.
"Eric did exceptionally well," Punahou boys coach Wes Luke said. "It's even more amazing because he just learned how to kayak this summer. He was on Punahou's varsity volleyball team and wasn't seeing as much time as he wanted. He loves the water and loves to surf and saw this was a good fit."
The Punahou boys finished with 28 points, Kamehameha (61) was second and Mid-Pacific (80) third.
In the girls' 250-meter sprint race, Punahou senior Mele Carr won a tight race in 1:11.52.
"I've been waiting for this since my freshman year," she said. "I was the only freshman in the A (top division) final and I flipped at the start."
Carr said she finished second in the ILH last year and there were no sprint championships her sophomore year.
Just behind Carr were Kamehameha's Kilty Inafuku (1:11.87) and Angie Giacaterino (1:12.22) of Punahou.
Punahou senior Halli Van Lier Ribbink won the 2,000-meter race in 10:42.60.
In the distance races, paddlers went roughly 500 yards each way and had to turn around buoys. Van Lier Ribbink made her move during the second of the three turns.
"The two other girls were in the wrong position," she said. "One girl was inside me, but behind so she snapped back and the other girl was too outside so she had to wait."
Buffanblu teammate Rosie Scott (10:47.62) was second and Kamehameha's Ella Aki (10:51.68) finished third.
The Buffanblu girls finished with 38 points, Kamehameha (55) placed second and Mid-Pacific (81) was third.
"This class that won, it's a group that come up from freshman year," Punahou girls coach Denise Darval-Chang said. "They did really well; they expected to do well.
"The girls, we had 46 (paddlers) and I tend to keep a big team because there is no JV. That way we're strong every year."
Pac-Five senior Patrick Dolan ruined a Buffanblu sweep of the individual events by winning the 250-meter boys race — the final event of the day — in 56.88.
"It feels great to win," said Dolan, who attends Maryknoll. "I've been finishing second (during the season) and it's been killing me. I got a first and I'm happy."
He added the paddler who usually beats him is Punahou's Cole Scott, who finished second in 57.63. Nathan Rice of Mid-Pacific was third in 1:01.83.
Abbott, a senior, spent most of the 2,000-meter race paddling by himself way ahead of the pack.
Buffanblu teammate Tom Roth was a distant second in 9:36.28 — nearly 24 seconds behind — and Mid-Pacific's Ben Creps was third in 9:44.50.
"It's kind of hard, but I tend to go for the clock," Abbott said when asked if it's tough to paddle with no one challenging him.
Said Luke: "One in every five years or so someone can pick up the sport that quickly and be the best."
Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8041.
