LIHU`E -Dr. Samuel Freas, Head Coach of the University of Hawai`i swim team brought some of the Olympic spirit to the Kaua`i High School pool with the appearance and competition of Olympic swimmers Renate duPlessis, 19 of South Africa, Leslie
LIHU`E -Dr. Samuel Freas, Head Coach of the University of Hawai`i swim team
brought some of the Olympic spirit to the Kaua`i High School pool with the
appearance and competition of Olympic swimmers Renate duPlessis, 19 of South
Africa, Leslie Kwok, 21 of Singapore, Matt Kwok, 21 of Hong Kong, Nick Focker,
23, and Simon Thrisk, 23 of South Africa.
“We’ve heard about Coach Anaya
and the Mokihana (Aquatics program), and wanted to come and support him and
swimming,” Dr. Freas explained.
Age-group swimming is a youth sports
format, taking children as young as 4 years old until after-college in a
training and competition program. Many Olympic swimmers have come up from
these ranks.
The Olympians were on hand for the Mokihana Aquatics’ Fun Meet
that was held over the weekend at the Kaua`i High School Pool. It is
sanctioned by the United States Swimming program and carried off with the
efforts of the Mokihana staff as well as a lot of efforts from the parents of
the competitors and swimmers that are a part of the Mokihana Aquatics.
As
the Olympians took to the water, spectators gasped in awe.
“I have never,
with my own eyes, seen anybody swim that fast,” said former collegiate swimmer
Mike Givens as he watched Focker in the 100-meter freestyle event. Focker’s
time in that event was 45.37 seconds, almost ten seconds faster than what
Givens considered to be fast for that event.
Coach Anaya himself shook his
head as he watched Leslie Kwok do a 50-meter freestyle sprint in 20.59 seconds.
“The Hawai`i state record is 20.71,” said Anaya. “How appropriate that the
record got broken here on Kaua`i since it was a Kaua`i boy, Corey Carrol who
set it originally.”
Jason Ebesu, 13, Wayne Carter, 13, Kimo Merrin, 12, and
Keenan Anaya, 11, were the legs of the Kaua`i’s boys’ relay team that took the
challenge of competing against the Olympians.
Anaya, the eldest son of
Coach Anaya was puzzled, “Dad, those guys will be in the stands eating hotdogs,
while we’re finishing our last lap.”
“Keenan, those are Olympians. Go learn
something from them,” was the reply as the Olympians remained in the water at
their marks following their event, congratulating each of the youngsters that
had competed against them.
The 8-years-and-Under event is not about speed
or competing. It is about making it all the way across the pool for the small
fry paddlers and kickers who make shallow dives to pause, surface, gulp air,
and once more thrash towards the distant wall of the pool to the cheering and
encouragement of beaming mothers and fathers, and brothers and sisters.
The
Olympians spread out among the perimeter of the event, were drawn to the
water’s edge by the efforts of the fledgling swimmers.
As they worked
towards meeting the swimmers at the wall, the swimmers looked up to see the
Olympians leaning over them with words, “Well Done! You are a Great
Swimmer!”
Lisa Dutdut, mother of Kimberly Carillo sobbed quietly in the
crowd.
Her daughter had not even competed in the final event, but she
confided to Coach Anaya, “It is just me, Coach, or is that the most beautiful
thing you ever saw?”
Mokihana Aquatics Fun Meet 2000
Times in
parenthesis are seed times
Girls Open 100-yard Freestyle
Liz Parkinson
(54.66) 53.17
Renate duPlessis (54.00) 53.66
Sydney Freas (54.66)
54.49
Melissa Hsieh (55.00) 57.37
Christa Putller (57.22)
58.12
Starr Carter (55.22) 58.77
Boys Open 100-yard Freestyle
Nick
Focker (45.83) 45.37
Leslie Kwok (46.77) 48.26
Simon Thirsk (50.00)
48.91
Matt Kwok (51.00) x
Girls 13-14 100-yard Freestyle B
Division
Katelyn Umetsu (1:14.96) 1:08.52
Leiani Bailey (1:21.58)
1:11.25
Mia Shiraishi (1:19.55) 1:15.60
Liana Nakazawa (1:20.71)
1:20.89
Lee Rodelo (1:25.09) 1:32.64
Maghenn Matsuda-Blalock (1:15.94)
x
Boys 13-14 100-yard Freestyle B division
Jason Ebesu (1:19.80)
1:13.23
Wayne Carter (1:21.98) 1:20.90
Girls 11-12 100-yard Freestyle B
Division
Roxy DuBois (1:26.25) 1:14.15
Torrey Ikeda (1:32.65)
1:16.73
Boys 11-12 100-yard Freestyle B Division
Dylan Strong (1:22.00)
1:17.43
Kimo Merrin (1:31.90) 1:19.20
Boys 11-12 100-yard Freestyle A+
Division
Keenan Anaya (1:09.14) 1:04.93
Girls Open 100-yard
Butterfly
Renate duPlessis (55.00) 56.95
Liz Parkingson 1:03.33)
1:01.65
Sydney Freas 59.99) 1:02.05
Melissa Hsich 59.00)
1:02.75
Boys Open 100-yard Butterfly
Nick Focker (49.99)
51.39
Simon Thirsk (51.00) 52.30
Leslie Kwok (54.33) 53.05
Matt
Kwok (54.00) x
Girls 13-14 10-yard Butterfly B Division
Katelyn Umetsu
(1:30.15) 1:24.81
Mia Shiraishi (1:39.91) 1:32.30
Liana Nakazawa
(1:44.27) 1:41.94
Lee Rodelo (1:51.09) 1:56.08
Maghenn Matsuda-Blalock
(1:42.61) X
Leiani Bailey (1:50.98) DQ
Boys 13-14 100-yard Butterfly B
Division
Wayne Carter (1:50.01) DQ
Jason Ebesu (1:50.26) DQ
Girls
11-12 50-yard Butterfly C Division
Tiare Kamakawiwoole (59.00)
40.76
Torrey Ikeda (48.81) 42.98
Cava-Lei Wilson (48.15) 43.44
Kimi
Carillo (50.16) 44.98
Sky Smith (55.04) 47.23
J.C. Cataluna (58.57)
48.20
Jasmane Waipa (54.82) 48.80
Michelle Bailey (NT) X
Marica
Centeno (1:03.67) DQ
Girls 11-12 50-yard Butterfly B Division
Roxy
DuBois (48.67) 43.49
Boys 11-12 50-yard Butterfly B Division
Dylan
Strong (45.00) 44.80
Kimo Merrin (43.01) 45.59
Boys 11-12 50-yard
Butterfly A+ Division
Keenan Anaya (33.59) 32.63
Girls 10 & Under
50-yard Butterfly C Division
Krista Speroni (55.88) 46.26
Jena Smalling
(54.98) 53.40
Amanda Tanner (1:16.87) 56.74
Boys 10 & Under 50-yard
Butterfly C Division
Tyson Chihara (1:03.06) DQ
Andrew Yamamoto
(1:22.67) DQ
Keoni Kelekoma (NT) DQ
Kapono Kamakawiwoole (1:20.00)
DQ
Girls 8 & Under 25-yard Butterfly C Division
Megan Wakayama
(28.18) 22.21
Rachel Hu (32.36) 28.17
Angeline Bemirbag (32.36)
36.13
Sarah Kamakawiwoole (33.00) 36.69
Kendra Rask (52.63)
37.47
Kona-Kai Wilson (52.63) DQ
Taylor Gibson (40.84) DQ
Chelsea
Chock (49.87) DQ
Megan Chock (50.00) DQ
Boys 8 & Under 25-yard
Butterfly C Division
Austin Strong (NT) 23.90
Matthew Viesas (NT)
DQ
Sam Brock (44.00) DQ
Jonah Hu (55.00) DQ
Girls Open 100-yard
Breaststroke
Starr Carter (1:11.11) 1:10.37
Christa Putller (1:14.33)
1:13.46
Boys Open 100-yard Breaststroke
Matt Kwok (58.00)
59.12
Nick Focker (1:00.00) 59.96
Girls 13-14 100-yard Breaststroke B
Division
Katelyn Umetsu (1:41.53) 1:35.01
Leiani Bailey (1:48.43)
1:38.66
Mia Shiraishi (1:56.00) 1:44.78
Lee Rodelo (1:54.97)
1:50.33
Maghenn Matsuda-Blalock (1:49.93) X
Liana Nakazawa (1:54.51)
DQ
Boys 13-14 100-yard Breaststroke B Division
Jason Ebesu (1:31.57)
1:33.35
Wayne Carter (2:05.42) DQ
Girls 11-12 50-yard Breaststroke C
Division
Torrey Ikeda (48.50) 44.09
Tiare Kamakawiwoole (56.00)
45.22
Roxy DuBois (49.46) 47.52
Cava-Lei Wilson (1:02.22) 53.72
Sky
Smith (56.03) 55.01
Kimi Carillo (1:04.77) 1:00.36
Michelle Bailey (NT)
X
Jasmane Waipa (55.720) DQ
J.C. Cataluna (49.34) DQ
Marica Centeno
(1:06.96) DQ
Boys 11-12 50-yard Breaststroke A+ Division
Keenan Anaya
(47.20) 39.52
Dylan Strong (44.00) 40.83
Kimo Merrin (46.07)
47.30
Girls 10 & Under 50-yard Breaststroke C Division
Amanda
Tanner (1:41.49) 1:08.52
Jena Smalling (1:07.50) DQ
Krista Speroni
(57.21) DQ
Boys 10 & Under 50-yard Breaststroke C Division
Kapono
Kamakawiwoole (1:20.00) 52.36
Edmond Plfeegor (1:20.00) 1:16.56
Tyson
Chihara (1:09.76) DQ
Andrew Yamamoto (1:29.87) DQ
Keoni Kelekoma (NT)
DQ
Girls 8 & Under 25-yard Breaststroke C Division
Megan Wakayama
(31.00) 28.76
Taylor Gibson (41.41) 31.37
Angeline Demirbag (38.01)
32.51
Kona-Kai Wilson (49.41) 33.76
Rachel Hu (31.00) 33.84
Kendra
Rask (52.84) DQ
Chelsea Chock (58.26) DQ
Sarah Kamakawiwoole (45.00)
DQ
Boys 8 & Under 25-yard Breaststroke C Division
Matthew Viesas
(NT) DQ
Sam Brock (47.00) DQ
Boys 8 & Under 50-yard Breaststroke B
Division
Austin Strong (56.00) 52.91
Girls Open 200-yard Freestyle
Relay
Baywatch Hawai`i ‘A’ (2:00.00) 1:39.89
Boys Open 200-yard
Freestyle Relay
Baywatch Hawai`i ‘A’ (1:22.00) 1:26.40
Mokihana
Aquatics ‘A’ (NT) 2:17.42
NOTE: Results will be continued in Wednesday
TGI
Sports.
(Photo by Dennis
Fujimoto; [
HREF=”mailto:dfujimoto@pulitzer.net”>dfujimoto@pulitzer.net])
