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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Youthful exuberance fuels Seabury star

By Stanley Lee
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Seabury Hall freshman Kailea Tracy-Visintainer has the top times in the 200, 400 and 800 entering this week's state championships.

CHRISTIE WILSON | The Honolulu Advertiser

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ISLAND MOVERS TRACK & FIELD BOYS AND GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIPS

WHERE: Mililani High track

WHEN: Friday: Trials, field events start at noon, running events start at 3:15 p.m.

Saturday: Finals, field events start at 3 p.m., running events start at 5:40 p.m.

ON THE WEB: Results of the trials and finals will be updated live at www.kautech.com/results

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Kailea Tracy-Visintainer

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She'll run right past you and if you're caught off guard, possibly spray water at you.

Seabury Hall freshman Kailea Tracy-Visintainer has opened eyes and strides in track and field this season with speed and athleticism that has helped her excel in a variety of events. All the while, an assortment of fun gadgets like a water gun and bubbles keep goals and her love of running in focus.

In the 200-meter dash, she is the only girl in the state to run under 25 seconds this year. She also has a state-best time of 57.10 in the 400, just one of two girls to go under 1:00 this year, and has also ran a state-best 2:21 in the 800. She's even done the high jump, clearing 5 feet for the sixth-best mark in the state, and has a top-5 time in the 100.

"What's setting her apart now is that she has an enormous amount of talent and she's working harder than any kid on my team and any kid on Maui," Seabury Hall coach Tom Rehrer said. "She's a hard worker, super motivated. That's a pretty good combination, when you got talent and motivation."

Tracy-Visintainer likely won't compete in her myriad events at this week's Island Movers Hawai'i High School Athletic Association state track and field championships. The trials start on Friday and the championship is on Saturday at Mililani's John Kauinana Stadium.

"My goals, such as for this year, is to get personal records in 400 and 200 meters," Tracy-Visintainer said last week. "That's really what I'm focusing on. Next few years, state records, come away with medals and great times. I'm really focused on next week and looking to get fast times."

As a middle school cross country runner, the tall Tracy-Visintainer caught the attention of Valley Isle track coach Rudy Huber. Huber approached her about training with him.

"My first reaction was, 'well, why not?' " said Tracy-Visintainer, who was 16th at November's state cross country championships and helped the Spartans finish second. "I want to get better. I have these certain goals I wanted to reach. I felt like, sure, felt like it's the right thing to do."

The development has led to a runner who is technically skilled.

"She was raw with her form, the mental aspect of running," said Huber, who is Seabury Hall's volunteer sprints coach. "She just ran to run and that was it. In the years since, watching her go from just a person who enjoyed running and didn't know too much about mechanics and that stuff, she has really become a technician."

Huber said Tracy-Visintainer's smooth and effortless style is one of the best running forms he's seen in a long time. Confidence has also replaced her previous apprehensive outlook on competing.

"What really helped were people around me, supporting and helping me reach these goals," she said. "It took determination and perseverance to get to here. It took a lot of sacrifice and all that paid off working day in and day out."

Being allowed to work at her own pace has also helped Tracy-Visintainer grow and learn. She learned responsibility when a coach told her that she'd only hurt herself if she didn't go to practice.

"Nobody really pushed her very much in the seventh and eighth grade," Rehrer said. "She worked out couple days a week. There wasn't a whole lot of pressure. I think that was really good. So many times, kids you know they have talent when they're young and they're burnt out in high school. She's not. She's really hungry now."

Tracy-Visintainer ran a 24.85 in the 200 at the Blue & Gold Invitational on April 18. The following week, she broke the 200 record at the Maui Interscholastic League junior varsity championships with a time of 25.29. At the MIL varsity championships on May 3, she broke league records in the 200 (25.06) and 400 (57.10), then got drenched by teammates after she sprayed them earlier with a water gun.

"Bubbles, they're fun and interesting," Tracy-Visintainer said. "Sometimes you get so caught up in running, you lose the love for it. Focusing on getting better, you lose what you loved in the first place. They bring me out of that box."

The state meet records for the 200 is 25.04 by 'Iolani's Lauran Dignam in 2002 and a wind-aided time of 24.44 by Kaiser's Endia Abrante in 1998. Abrante also holds the 400 record from 1998 with a time of 56.11.

"It was amazing," Tracy-Visintainer said of her sub-25 time. "I've been training for it. It wasn't in the agenda at the beginning of the season. I was focused on running. I heard the time and it was a breakthrough. Not many girls have done that at states ever. It really gave me a confidence. I was psyched."

Huber said Tracy-Visintainer will be one to watch for this week and in the coming years.

"She's very young and definitely a humble girl," Huber said. "She enjoys doing what she does. Not many kids that can walk out (on the track) and feel so excited about coming out and love doing it. She's humble, enjoys what she does. It's going to be very exciting to watch her at the state meet."

Reach Stanley Lee at sktlee@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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