KAILUA-KONA – On a nearly cloudless Saturday morning, three Big Island schools finally made their return to paddling competition.
“It’s great to see the kids back out there,” Kealakehe coach Mike Atwood said. “Great to see a nice, beautiful day here in Kona.”
In the first BIIF paddling races since early 2020, Kealakehe’s boys and Hawaii Prep’s girls took home victories at Kailua Bay. The Waveriders won the boys three-mile race in a time of 26 minutes and 12 seconds, while Ka Makini took the girls’ race with a finish of 31 minutes, 56 seconds. Finishing behind Kealakehe on the boys side were HPA in second with a time of 29:01 and Parker third in 30:04. For the girls, Kealakehe was second with a 33:10 finish, followed by Parker in 34:55.
“Even though we only saw the west side schools today, it’s a good indicator for what we’ve got and what we need to work on,” said Atwood.
While the shortened season meant less prep time before the season’s first race, just getting back in the water to compete was a win for the three schools.
“I think any time you can go up against somebody else and compare how you’re doing to them, it sets you up,” added Atwood. “Very excited, very enthusiastic. I saw a lot of potential.”
Competition will return to Kailua Bay next week when the first BIIF regatta will be held. Start time is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday morning.