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MANY of Guam’s high school paddlers took it to the waters of Tumon last Saturday for some competition in the 2012 IIAAG/GCKF High School Paddling League.
On any other given weekend, student-athletes would compete in the regular 500m and 1,000m races. However, this past weekend was all about testing each team’s mental and physical strength as they raced a 2-mile course for the Sotteru/Sottera division and a mile for the Manhoben division.
In the Sotteru Boys division, less than two minutes separated the top spot from the third-place finisher. Cruising through the 2-mile course were the John F. Kennedy Islanders who paddled their way to the finish line in 18 minutes, 40 seconds.
Trailing not too far behind and finishing 20 seconds later was the George Washington Geckos. The Geckos were able to get by the Southern High Dolphins who eventually claimed the third spot in the distance race. Southern crossed the finish flags with a time of 20:09.
The Sottera Girls division was just as competitive as their male counterparts and provided fans in attendance with an exciting finish.
Clinching the overall honors were the ladies from Simon Sanchez as they finished the course in 21:33. The real race was for second place as the GW Geckos and JFK Islanders were neck-to-neck on the homestretch. With only one team able to take second, the Geckos put on a display of pure strength and beat out the Islanders by a mere five seconds. GW finished with a time of 22:05, while JFK clocked in at 22:10.
Manhoben Division
The boys and girls in the Manhoben Division took their talents to the waters as well. Despite having a shorter distance to compete, each athlete put on a display of nothing but pure heart and teamwork.
In the boys division, JFK cruised through the 1-mile course in 9:54 to take first place. Finishing in second and third place, respectively, were the Sharks and Geckos. Simon Sanchez finished in 10:16, while the Geckos raced an official time of 10:30.
The ladies division witnessed the Okkodo Bulldogs beating out the Geckos by eight seconds to take the top spot. Rounding out the top three slots were the Notre Dame Royals who finished in 13:05.
Other division finishers/results
- Sottera: 4th – Bulldogs, 24:39; 5th – Dolphins, 25:42; 6th – Royals, 27:14.
- Sotteru: 4th – Sharks, 20:26; 5th – Panthers, 20:26; 6th – Friars, 20:26; 7th – Bulldogs, 20:42; 8th – Royals, 22:31.
- Manhoben Girls: 4th – Sharks, 13:09.
- Manhoben Boys: 4th – Bulldogs, 10:37; 6th – Friars, 11:08; 7th – Panthers, 11:22.
