Ka'u manages to clear hurdles
By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer
Ka'u's four-lane grass track is worn into ditches from overuse. Sometimes, runners slip out of their starting blocks because the pins holding them in place form holes in the ground.
But it is still a source of pride for members of the Trojans' track and field team, who have won individual state titles in the past few years, including two-time state champion Sarah Nicolaisen.
"I'm proud to attend Ka'u," said Nicolaisen, a junior who will try to defend her titles in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles at the Island Movers/HHSAA State Track and Field Championships this weekend at Kamehameha.
"You have to be strong to last through the Ka'u high school track program."
The small school — with about 500 students from kindergarten to 12th grade — is 52 miles from Hilo and 74 miles from Kailua, Kona.
"When the (Western Association of Schools & Colleges) review was going on, after touring the campus, one of the educators from California asked where the track was because they had heard about the success of our program," Ka'u coach Robert Kovach said in an e-mail.
"The vice principal's answer made us all crack up: 'What track?' "
Kovach described the Ka'u training area as "a slanted lava area that has a fair amount of grass cover."
He added: "Athletes love going to meets where it is so much easier. Under the guidance of Kimo Weaver's wide variety of alternative training programs, we could be one of the most fit track teams in the state. They handle six events well."
The first time Nicolaisen stepped on a rubber track was in her first meet as a freshman at a Big Island Interscholastic Federation meet at Kea'au.
"I was like, 'Whoa, this is weird,' " she said. "It takes a lot to really adjust to different surfaces. We run hurdles on grass, but the second we get to rubber, we feel like we run faster. In a way it's good, because it trains us harder. I don't know if we are faster, because we don't have enough hurdles to do the full 10, so we don't know if our times are faster."
Nicolaisen is one of many track and field athletes who found success at Ka'u.
Ku'ulei Karratti, a sophomore on the University of Hawai'i track and field team, won the 100-meter dash at the state championship in 2003, and Casey McGuire-Turcotte, a former UH cross country runner, won the state cross country title in 1994.
"We're all just a little family, we all look after each other," Nicolaisen said. "We help each other to be the best we can in everything."
OTHERS TO WATCH
TODAY'S TRIALS
ALL TIMES TENTATIVE
FIELD EVENTS
Discus (Boys) 12 noon
Discus (Girls) (to follow boys discus)
Shot Put (Girls) 2:15 p.m.
Shot Put (Boys) (to follow girls shot put)
Long Jump (Boys) 2:15 p.m.
Long Jump (Girls) (to follow boys long jump)
High Jump (Girls) 2:15 p.m.
High Jump (Boys) (to follow girls high jump)
Pole Vault (Girls) 2:15 p.m.
Pole Vault (Boys) (to follow girls pole vault)
Triple Jump (Boys) 3:45 p.m. (approx.)
Triple Jump (Girls) (to follow boys triple jump)
RUNNING EVENTS
100 Meter High Hurdles (Girls) 3:15 p.m.
110 Meter High Hurdles (Boys) 3:35 p.m.
100 Meter Dash (Girls) 3:55 p.m.
100 Meter Dash (Boys) 4:15 p.m.
1500 Meter Run (Girls) 4:30 p.m.
1500 Meter Run (Boys) 4:45 p.m.
400 Meter (4 x 100) Relay (Girls) 5:00 p.m.
400 Meter (4 x 100) Relay (Boys) 5:15 p.m.
400 Meter Dash (Girls) 5:30 p.m.
400 Meter Dash (Boys) 5:45 p.m.
300 Meter Hurdles (Girls) 6:00 p.m.
300 Meter Inter. Hurdles (Boys) 6:15 p.m.
800 Meter Run (Girls) 6:45 p.m.
800 Meter Run (Boys) 7:00 p.m.
200 Meter Dash (Girls) 7:20 p.m.
200 Meter Dash (Boys) 7:40 p.m.
3000 Meter Run (Girls) 8:00 p.m.
3000 Meter Run (Boys) 8:25 p.m.
1600 Meter (4 x 400) Relay (Girls) 8:50 p.m.
1600 Meter (4 x 400) Relay (Boys) 9:10 p.m.
TOMORROW'S FINALS
All times tentative
FIELD EVENTS
Discus (Boys) 3:30 p.m.
Discus (Girls) (to follow boys discus)
Pole Vault (Girls) 3:30 p.m.
Pole Vault (Boys) (to follow girls pole vault)
High Jump (Girls) 4:30 p.m.
High Jump (Boys) (to follow girls high jump)
OPENING CEREMONIES 5:15 P.M.
Shot Put (Girls) 5:30 p.m.
Shot Put (Boys) (to follow girls shot put)
Long Jump (Boys) 4:30 p.m.
Long Jump (Girls) (to follow boys long jump)
Triple Jump (Boys) 6:00 p.m.
Triple Jump (Girls) (to follow boys triple jump)
RUNNING EVENTS
100 Meter High Hurdles (Girls) 5:40 p.m.
110 Meter High Hurdles (Boys) 5:50 p.m.
100 Meter Dash (Girls) 6:00 p.m.
100 Meter Dash (Boys) 6:05 p.m.
1500 Meter Run (Girls) 6:10 p.m.
1500 Meter Run (Boys) 6:20 p.m.
400 Meter (4 x 100) Relay (Girls) 6:30 p.m.
400 Meter (4 x 100) Relay (Boys) 6:40 p.m.
400 Meter Dash (Girls) 6:50 p.m.
400 Meter Dash (Boys) 7:00 p.m.
300 Meter Hurdles (Girls) 7:10 p.m.
300 Meter Inter. Hurdles (Boys) 7:15 p.m.
800 Meter Run (Girls) 7:20 p.m.
800 Meter Run (Boys) 7:25 p.m.
200 Meter Dash (Girls) 7:35 p.m.
200 Meter Dash (Boys) 7:40 p.m.
3000 Meter Run (Girls) 7:50 p.m.
3000 Meter Run (Boys) 8:05 p.m.
1600 Meter (4 x 400) Relay (Girls) 8:20 p.m.
1600 Meter (4 x 400) Relay (Boys) 8:30 p.m.
PRESENTATION OF AWARDS 8:45 P.M.
Advertiser Staff Writer Wes Nakama contributed to this report.Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.
