Instead of attending his junior prom this weekend, Puni Freitas will be trying to make another priceless memory.

He'll be paddling across the Kaiwi Channel.

Freitas, who is 16 and a junior at Kealakehe High, will be the youngest competitor in Sunday's Rhino Kaiwi Channel Relay World Championship race.

"I love paddling more than anything," Freitas said. "I train six days a week, and I try to do as many races as I can."

His partner will be Simeon Ke-Paloma, who is 19 and a freshman at the University of Hawai'i. They will be the youngest team in the field.

The Kaiwi Channel Relay is a 40.2-mile race from Kaluako'i Beach, Moloka'i, to Magic Island, O'ahu.

It features one-person canoes, but each "team" is allowed to use two paddlers. When one partner is paddling, the other follows in an escort boat. They switch positions every 10 to 20 minutes.

Race director Walter Guild said "around 250" paddlers are expected to participate, and Freitas will be the only minor in the field.

"We don't encourage guys that young to do this race — it's not an easy race to do," Guild said. "But there certainly are some exceptional ones who are capable."

Freitas has already proved his worth.

He did the Kaiwi Channel Relay for the first time last year when he was 15. His partner was his paddling coach, Lyle Palakiko. They placed 48th out of 123 teams.

"That was my first race across the channel, so I was kind of scared at first," Freitas said. "But once I got out there and started paddling, I felt fine."

Freitas and Ke-Paloma met at a race in Kaua'i last year, and decided to become paddling partners in 2008, even though they live on different islands. Ke-Paloma is a 2007 graduate of Maryknoll.

"I actually raced against (Freitas) on Kaua'i and I thought 'Who is this kid? He's pretty good.' " Ke-Paloma said. "So we talked after the race, and we became friends. Now, we try to train together when we can."

Last Sunday, Ke-Paloma and Freitas both competed in the Kaiwi Channel Solo OC1 World Championship race. It was the first solo crossing of the Kaiwi Channel for both paddlers.

Ke-Paloma placed 32nd; Freitas placed 48th. There were 89 entries.

"I was hoping to do a little better," Freitas said. "But I figure that was my first time doing it solo, so it was a learning experience."

Freitas was 14 when he started training with the men's program at Tui Tonga Canoe Club in Kailua, Kona. Now, he is considered one of the top paddlers on the men's team.

"There wasn't that much competition with guys my age, so I just started hanging out with the older guys," Freitas said. "Paddling with them every day made me better."

Delbert Freitas, Puni's father, said he is comfortable with his son paddling with and against adults.

"I know he's at that level already, so I don't worry too much," Delbert said. "And I know he trains for it."

Delbert said he tried to convince Puni to attend the Kealakehe junior prom tomorrow.

"He said, 'That's OK, dad. It's just dancing. I don't want to miss the race,' " Delbert said. "I guess that's how much he loves it."

Freitas and Ke-Paloma said their goal is to finish in the top 20 this Sunday.

"It's kind of unreal sometimes, because a lot of the guys we race against are my role models," Ke-Paloma said. "But when you're in the race, you don't think about that. You just go."

Regardless of how he does on Sunday, Freitas has a busy paddling schedule coming up. He will spend two months this summer training in Tahiti with the Teva Canoe Club.

He will then compete in the IVF World Sprint Championships at Sacramento, Calif., in August. After that, he will train with the Tui Tonga men's long-distance program.

"His goal is to catch all the top guys one day, so we're supporting what ever he wants to do in the sport," Delbert said.

NOTES

Another young team to watch on Sunday will be Ryan Dolan and Jack Roney. They are both 18. They placed 10th among all men's teams last year, when they were both 17.

There will be a new overall champion this year. Karel Tresnak Jr. won last year's race with Andrew Penny. Tresnak will race with Alfred Van Gieson this year, and Penny is not expected to enter.

There will also be a division for two-person canoes (OC2). In that division, four paddlers are allowed per team, with two in the canoe at a time.