By Glenna Wong
The 2010 Molokai World Championships open ocean race will take place on Sunday, May 16, 2010. This race is recognized as the World Surfski Championship of long distance surfski racing, and is the title that the most elite watermen and water women covet the most.
Last weekend, the Farmer’s track and field team brought home a bag full of accomplishments, including a second place finish in the girl’s high jump, at the Maui Interscholastic League Championships on Maui.
Junior Kalei Adolpho earned second place in high jump, at 5’0,” automatically qualifying her to state. Adolpho also snagged fourth place in the 800 meter race, as did senior Candice Pauole in high jump with a height of 4’6.” The combined efforts of Adolpho and Pauole put the Lady Farmers at sixth place overall.
“Kalei is crazy – she never jumped once in competition before the MIL Champs,” said Coach Jesse Ford. “But she's got this competitiveness that allows her to make things happen at the last minute.”
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Kamakana Purdy’s favorite color is pink. While not what you would expect of a rodeo jock, Kamakana started wearing the color in support of his grandmother when she was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago.
While his grandmother is one of the survivors, around 40,000 women a year are not. To raise money and awareness to help fight the wicked disease, the Hawaii High School Rodeo Association – Molokai themed their last competition of the season ‘Tough Enough to Wear Pink’ last Sunday. The rodeo was an all-day event at the Molokai Ranch arena.
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A mass of vivacious fans packed The Barn last Saturday – some streaming in to see their tough keiki, others from off-island – as they cheered on about 230 competitors who faced off in Molokai’s wrestling invitational.
The Molokai Wrestling Club dominated its own tournament, beating out nine other Maui clubs with a total of 143 points – more than double the score of runner-up Central Maui Style with 67 points. It was the Friendly Isle’s first win of the Maui Style Wrestling season.
Molokai was the largest team represented with about 75 youth – ages 5 to 17 – competing. Sixteen of those youth went home champions, while another 22 were runner-ups.
Among the other clubs to contend were Upcountry Wrestling Club, Central Maui Style, Lahaina Roughnecks, Napili Surfriders, Kihei Maulers and Central Razorbacks, Punahou Pumas, Lanai Ka’ulula’au and Maui Makali’i.
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With Larriley Rawlins’ contributing homers in each of last weekend’s games, Molokai High School managed to sweep St. Anthony and snag a spot in the upcoming state tournament.
The Lady Farmers rolled out another mercy rule win – which they accomplished last week against Seabury – on Friday night, defeating the Trojans 13-1, in the first of three games.
Molokai had a close repeat the following morning, outscoring St. Anthony 14-1 in only four innings, and won the second, 11-0, in five.
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Molokai High School’s baseball team wrapped up its season last weekend with two wins in its triple-game series against Seabury Hall at Duke Maliu Regional Park – awarding the team second place in the final Division II standings.
The Farmers beat out the Spartans Friday evening by one run, lost by one run the following day, 8-7, and then recaptured the lead in their second Saturday game, winning 18-11.
“It was well played by both teams,” said Coach Steve Trout, a former major league pitcher. “We have respect for what Seabury has done, and they have respect for us.”
In Molokai’s final blowout game on Saturday, the farmers took a 6-0 lead after only one inning, then fell behind 10-7 in the top of the third, only to regain victory shortly thereafter.
“That was a really exciting game,” added Trout. “We showed what we practiced.”
In the last game of the triple header, Molokai's Ehukai Rawlins scored twice and drove in three runs, while Jubilee Tabilangan gained three runs and a ‘runs batted in’, and Shaquille Rapanot scored twice and drove in one run.
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By Ted Kanemitsu and Lisa Davis
It’s hard to believe that a whole year has passed since Lisa Davis and I embarked on our once in a lifetime journey across America. And let me tell you, what a journey it was.
Before I get started, let me take this opportunity to once again thank all of you who have so willingly given of your time, money, well wishes, encouragement, and of course prayers that made this event far surpass our wildest dreams. Also we would like to congratulate the non-profit organizations who have taken part in using this opportunity to raise funds for their various causes. We are honored to be of help to them as well.
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By Jodi Wilmott, Hawaii Surfing Association – Hard Rock Café Surf Series
With one foot in Hawaii's past and the other in surfing's future, 14-year-old Kaoli Kahokuloa has an opportunity to carry the ancient sport of he'e nalu forward in its true spirit and culture. Kaoli and his family embrace the blessing of his talents, but understand it is a privilege not to be taken for granted.
"We want to do it the old style way," says his soft-spoken father, Pulani. "Always stay humble, no matter what the result, and always come out smiling."
Kaoli has plenty of reasons to smile. He is turning heads around the world with his futuristic moves and a style that's as fluid as the ocean itself. At 14 he's doing well in state and national competition, and his gravity-defying aerials are gaining international recognition. He recently secured a grant from the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation to support his surfing progress.
This is a kid who killed his pet pig Houston, turning it into pork lau lau, to sell for the money to enter his first surfing competition. He was seven then, living on Molokai, and determined to enter an HSA (Hawaii Surfing Association) contest on Oahu. Seven years on, Kaoli is now a regular finalist in HSA's Hard Rock Cafe Surf Series. This weekend past he won his division at Sandy Beach.
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The Molokai High School boys’ volleyball team opened its season with three aggressive sets but fell short as a tough Seabury Hall took triple wins – 25-8, 25-13, 25-12 – in Friday night’s game.
Although the Farmers played their first game at home with a heap of cheering fans, Seabury’s relentless efforts showed no mercy on Molokai.
“Tonight showed our inexperience,” said Molokai coach Bill Dudoit. “We have a lot of youth on our team.”
Dudoit said Seabury was a polished team – the one to beat – but that the Farmers still hold promise for this season.
“It was out first game and a definite eye-opener,” Dudoit said. “We got to work on our overall game, serving and transitions, and know the importance of offense and defense.”
Dudoit expects a better game next week when the boys face off with Lanai on April 9 and 10 at The Barn.
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Although Coach Stacey Horner did not travel with the team this weekend, he said they still did fairly well.
“There were some challenging matches,” Horner said. “Mason Horner won his first match and said it was the longest one he ever played. He fought hard.”
Horner said his players felt the heat not only on the court, but in the air.
“It was really humid over there,” he said. “It was tough on them, very grueling.”
The tennis team will be competing in the East-West playoffs and team final on April 16 and 17.
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It wasn’t over for Molokai High School’s baseball team when they fell short, 6-5, to Lanai at Lahaina Ball Park last Friday. In fact, it wasn’t over in the least bit.
The Farmers found some extra runs needed to close out their season-opener doubleheader, winning the first game 12-4 and the second 12-0 in five innings on Saturday.
Molokai, a Maui Interscholastic League’s (MIL) Division II team, is tied with St. Anthony High School at 2-1.
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