Kamehameha’s Tai Atkins found a silver lining Friday when the BIIF baseball championships were postponed by rain.
He turned it into gold.
Atkins was supposed to be starting on the mound in the mid-afternoon for the Warriors against Konawaena at UH-Hilo, but upon finding out the series opener was wiped out mid-day, he had a back-up plan.
“I thought, ‘Perfect, I’ll go to track,” Atkins said.
The senior hopped on over to Paiea Stadium and jumped into a lead role during the opening day of the BIIF championships, claiming two gold medals, including an improbable victory in the high jump.
“Funny story,” Atkins said, “I’ve never practiced it in my life. Just a matter of showing up (to meets) and having fun.
“I have confidence in my athletic abilities.”
In his final attempt in one of the six field event finals held Friday, Atkins cleared 6 feet, 1 inches to edge Hawaii Prep’s Dean Connors, who reached 5-11. Connors was the favorite after clearing 6-3.25 earlier this season.
Working around his baseball schedule, Atkins entered two regular season meets, never getting higher than 5-8.
“All the boys were helping me out, and, of course, the coaches and ones from other schools,” he said. “It wasn’t until after the meet that I found out (Dean) had done 6-3 earlier.
“I thought, ‘Wow, I got lucky.’”
Atkins’ win in the triple jump (42.6.25), an event that came after the high jump, wasn’t as surprising. He had the best effort in the BIIF this season at 42-10.75 on March 30 at Keaau, though he didn’t think he’d be participating in the event again until the state championships.
But then came Friday’s rainout.
“My legs were in that power position, it was just a matter of getting hyped,” he said.
Atkins is also the top seed in the long jump, an event he thinks he’ll be able to compete in Saturday, especially after Game 1 between the Wildcats and Warriors was moved to Kamehameha’s Kameeiamoku Field, just across campus from Paiea Stadium.
The Division II baseball contest will follow Game 1 between Hilo and Waiakea, which is slated to start at 10 a.m.
“That the plan,” Atkins said of his personal doubleheader Saturday.
Day 1 of the of the track and field championships was a good one overall for Kamehameha.
In the least surprising result of the day, junior Chenoa Frederick (16-10.50) repeated as long jump champ, while senior Teva Reynolds out-threw two boys who had beat him all season, winning the discus in 139-05.
As expected, Waiakea placed 1-2 in the girls pole vault, with Jasmine Lewis taking gold and Cienna Corpuz silver after each cleared 9-3.
In the girls shot put, Kealakehe’s Anastasia Tuifua struck gold with a toss of 33-4.50.
The remainder of the finals are Saturday.
Frederick qualified first Friday in the 100 and second in the 200, though she didn’t enter 400 preliminaries, so her maximum gold count is five. She won six at BIIFs last season.
Frederick also is the top seed in the triple jump and high jump.
In the boys 100-meter dash trials, Hilo High’s Riley Patterson blazed to personal record of 10.97 seconds.
Patterson’s time trumps the 10.99 recorded by Kealakehe’s Calvin’s McHone a week earlier, setting up an interesting race Saturday. The final is thought to be the first BIIF 100 that’s includes two athletes who have recorded sub-11 times. On Friday, McHone and Waiakea’s Cheyn Tam-Switzer each ran 11:19s.
