WAILUA — Waimea High School girls, Kauai High School boys and Island School mixed will represent the Kauai Interscholastic Federation at the 2025 Hawaiian Airlines Hawaii High School Athletic Association Canoe Paddling State Championships.
The three teams earned eligibility to participate in the state competition after winning the Central Pacific Bank KIF championship regatta held Jan. 25 at the Wailua River. States will be held Saturday at the Keehi Lagoon on Oahu.
Waimea High School girls A team captured the regatta during the final run with a paddle that stopped the clocks at 4 minutes, 11.79 seconds, over the efforts of the Kapaa A team (4:20.74), and the Island School A team (4:28.80).
Waimea, who earned 10 points during the regatta, finished with a cumulative total of 21/31 points. Third-place finisher Island School earned 4 points, but finished second with a cumulative total of 16/20.
The Kauai High School boys were undefeated heading to the finals, and finished the championship regatta with another first finish, breaking the 4-minute mark at 3:43.71. Kapaa’s A team also broke the 4-minute mark, finishing just five seconds behind the Red Raiders.
On the varsity mixed lanes, the Island School mixed team broke the 4-minute mark for first place, crossing the finish line at 3:53.93 ahead of the Kauai A team that crossed at 4:03.61, and the Kapaa A team at 4:17.97.
The JV division winners do not earn participation rights at the state tournament, and include the Kapaa A team taking the JV girls races just a second faster than the Island School A team. The Kapaa girls stopped the clocks at 4:27.98 over the Lady Voyagers at 4:26.26.
The Island School JV boys ran in the second heat to earn the first place slot of 4:13.62 over the Kapaa B team who paddled in the third heat for their 4:15.16 run.
The Kapaa JV mixed A team earned the top berth in that division by about a second over the Kauai A team. The JV Warriors stroked to a 4:09.03 run over the Kauai A team who finished at 4:10.77.
