The KIF air riflery season is over, but at Kaua‘i High School, the kerplunk of lead pellets striking metal backing still broke the afternoon quiet. Coaches Douglas and Melissa Nobriga had their state-bound competitors practicing for the Hawai‘i High School
The KIF air riflery season is over, but at Kaua‘i High School, the kerplunk of lead pellets striking metal backing still broke the afternoon quiet.
Coaches Douglas and Melissa Nobriga had their state-bound competitors practicing for the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association air riflery championships coming up Tuesday at the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall on O’ahu.
“Casey Shimokawa and Liane Muraoka both finished the season with average mid-240 scores,” Douglas Nobriga said. “The other two girls, Charissa Riofta and Maureen Sibolboro, are strong shooters in the 230s.”
Douglas Nobriga, who has been to the state championships before, is hoping his shooters can hold their stamina for the two rounds involved in the state competition.
“In KIF competition, they go 15 to 20 minutes for each phase,” Douglas said. “At states, each phase is twice that. I’m hoping they don’t start losing their concentration in that second half.”
Kaua‘i High School, who captured both the boys and girls KIF title with an undefeated record, will send four girls and four boys to the state championships.
Of the eight, only Aaron Braun has experience at the state competition, going one year as an alternate and another year as a competitor.
“We’re going to leave Monday because we need to be at the site by 7 a.m. Tuesday,” Douglas said. “Hopefully, the students won’t be overwhelmed by the setup.”
Joining Braun, Cody Navarro, Kelan Adachi and Jason Cabot make up the boys team. They will be joined by individual shooters Kekoa Masuda and Jared Coleman-Stark of Waimea High School.
Shimokawa, Muraoka, Riofta and Sibolboro make up the girls team, which will be joined by individual shooters Michelle Woltmon and Richelle Ridenour of Island School.
“If the Kaua‘i girls shoot their personal best, they have a good chance of taking second in the team competition,” Waimea coach Major Victor Aguilar said while monitoring his J.R.O.T.C. cadets at the county’s Halloween celebration Thursday evening. “But it’s going to be hard to get past Punahou, last year’s champions.
They shoot year-round.”
Waimea, the 2005 KIF champions,finished the state competition in third for boys and fourth for girls.
For the first-time KIF shooters practicing for the state championships, there was the challenge of trying to get motivated.
“They’re shooting for breakfast now,” said Melissa Nobriga. “The girls already won dinner, so we know we’re going to Todai at least one night. Each of the boys has to buy each of the girls a dinner because the girls outshot them.”
That scenario was not uncommon during the KIF season as the Kaua‘i girls outshot their male counterparts on several of the matches.
“I keep telling them to just shoot like how they did in the KIF,” Douglas said. “That should be good enough. They keep telling me not to worry, but we’ll see. All we can do is go out there and do what we’re going to do.”
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
