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Taking a road trip to a new event is always a lot of fun. Last weekend I was lucky enough to be able to take the short puddle-hop to Maui for both the King's Trail Triathlon and the U.S.A. Hockey Inline Regional Championships. The combination of the two events kept me very busy but the great games and terrific triathlon far outweighed the fatigue.

The three day hockey tournament attracted the best players from the Islands of Hawaii, Oahu, Kauai and, of course, Maui. Kona was well represented by four all star teams called the Kona Sharks (10-and-under), Kona Rink Rats (12-and-under), Kona Tsunami (14-and-under), and the Kona Kings (17-and-under).

All four teams played in some very close and exciting games. It was great to see these young athletes putting out such good efforts especially in a sport like hockey which isn't usually thought of as a game that kids in Hawaii would play.

During the three days of play from Friday through Sunday, the Sharks ended up 0-3, Rink Rats 5-0, Tsunami 2-2 and the Kings 1-2. The Rink Rat's superb record and clean play ended up earning them the first ever state championship by a Big Island hockey team.

Their championship game on Sunday afternoon was definitely one of the best of the entire tournament. At half time they trailed Team Matrix of Oahu 3-1. Following the short intermission, J.R. DeGroote of the Rink Rats came out on fire and within a few minutes had almost single handedly tied the game up.

The game was very well played by both teams and the roaring Matrix fans were rarely quiet except when the Rats would score another goal. As the final horn buzzed the scoreboard read Rink Rats 6, Matrix 4. The much smaller Kona cheering squad erupted with joy and pride as the Rats earned a spot in the U.S.A. Hockey Inline National Championships to be held at "The Cooler" in Alpharetta, Georgia, from July 31 to the 4th of August.

When I was finally able to calm down a bit I realized that our young champions not only have their work cut out for them on the rink but also in the area of fund raising. The team made up of Colin Aukai, J.R. DeGroote, Kevin Koseda, Dillon Parent, Joseph Tui, Aaron Scales, Samantha Stablein, Greg Walker and Josh Wong, and their coaches Liana Carroll and Gary Wong most likely will need about $1,000 each. Anyone who would like to contribute or has a good fund raising idea should call Isabelle DeGroote at
883-0996.

On Sunday morning Mouse and I took a short drive towards Makena to watch and volunteer at the King's Trail Triathlon. In only it's second year the race brought out over 300 participants. It was an interesting mix of several of Maui's regulars, a few neighbor islanders and a lot of visitors, especially from the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society's Team In Training group.

The challenging Olympic distance (.9 mile swim, 24.8 bike, 6.2 run) course was a long time dream of Maui's famous Jaiom "Aluminum Man" Berger who was killed by a drunk driver a few years back. His Aluminum Man Series continues to thrive thanks to the efforts of Jami Kimmell and Nancy Roberson and now his King's Trail dream is a reality due to the hard work put in by
race directors Bonnie and Jerry Stowe.

The weather was very warm and beautiful on race day but the heat and humidity definitely made the tough bike and run segments even more challenging. The swim got going on the beach fronting the Maui Prince Hotel with the kane wave leaving first followed five minutes later by the wahine and the relays.

Tim Fleming, a very strong all around triathlete from Arcata, California, was the first individual to complete the almost a mile swim. He popped out of the ocean in 22:58 with Jeff Sanders of Maui close behind in 23 and change. Another Maui athlete, Aaron Altura, was on their heels in 3rd at 23:22. On the wahine side, Jennifer Lightfoot led the way with the day's 4th fastest swim of 25:11.

Following a short but quad burning run up the beach the leaders headed out for a hot and hilly 3-lap ride. On the bike Fleming continued his dominance with the day's fastest individual ride of 1:04:50. Sanders also had a strong ride and was still within striking distance as the leaders hit the bike-to-run transition.

Lightfoot maintained her lead for the first lap but with the two waves all blending together it was hard to tell who was on what lap. Somewhere between laps 2 and 3 Connie Dowler, a visiting triathlete from Maryland, hammered by Lightfoot and assumed the lead. By the end of the ride, Dowler had put several minutes between herself and Lightfoot and began the scenic but hot 6.2 mile run in a very good position.

Out on the course, Fleming was running strong as was the hometown boy Sanders. Behind them another outstanding Maui athlete Roger Busch was gaining time on the leaders but as the miles wore on it looked as if he was simply going to run out of mileage.

At the finish Fleming, a 2004 Olympic hopeful and future pro, was able to stride smoothly across the line making it look way too easy with a time of 2:08:54. Sanders hung tough taking a solid 2nd place in 2:10:21. Busch, as usual, had the day's fastest run of 35:33 to take 3rd in 2:15:14.

Jeff Harten, also from Maui, raced well for 4th place at 2:19:05. Recently Harten finished Ironman New Zealand in 129th place with a great time of 10:20. Erol Ackdoe wrapped up the top five and took 1st in the 35-39 age group in 2:22:15.

Our top Kona finisher was Dusty Roads who placed 19th overall and easily took 1st in the 55-59 age group with a time of 2:38:18. Dowler held on to her wahine lead and tripped the tape in first for the wahine and 16th overall at 2:40:57. Lightfoot stayed steady all day and looked strong finishing in 2nd at 2:45:31. California's Tanya Ingardia-Pinto took 3rd at 2:53:26. Marsha Sarver was close behind in 4th at 2:53:44. Carla Fuller put the lid on the top five with her 30-34 age group winning time of 2:54:45.

The relay race was completely dominated by the two man team of Steven Dowler (swim-run) and Josh Frick (bike), our 2002 State Time Trial Champion. Dowler exited the ocean in 3rd overall but during the ride Frick powered his way to a big lead with the day's fastest overall bike time of 1:02:24. Dowler wrapped up the victory with the top relay run of 41:03 and a total time of 2:08:41. Malcom Cooper, Nancy Roberson and Jami Kimmell teamed up for the mixed crown with a time of 2:25:33.

It was definitely a full road trip but getting the chance to see such quality events made it well worth it. I was especially impressed by the great job that the Stowe's and their crew did at the tri. For a race in just it's second year everything went off very well and had the look and feel of a seasoned, well oiled event.

As for the hockey it was great to see our state's youngsters doing their best while playing a healthy sport but I must admit that many of the so called adult fans and parents really disappointed me as they used profanity, heckled and booed the keiki in age groups from 10 & under on up to 17 & under. Get a grip folks. The sport is a game and should be all about the kids learning skills, having fun and staying healthy.

This weekend's main events back here in Kona will be the Hard Rock Criterium on Saturday, the Hawaii Cycling Club Road Race on Sunday and, of course, the traditional Peaman Dads Day Stroke and Stride Biathlon. The free Pea Event will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Father's Day. In addition to the 1/2 mile swim and 2 mile run, a 1.2 mile optional paddleboard segment has been added. The 250 yard and 1 mile Pea Wee course will also offer a 1/4
mile surf or body board paddle segment. Call 324-PEAS with queries, comments or ideas.

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