Fun with fundraising

Hey all! So it's been busy around here lately, we're raising money to help sent the Dolan boys to Europe to race K2 this summer at the World Cup tour... grand total of 10,000$. We've been lucky enough to get donations from Kai Wa'a canoes, Kialoa paddles, Luke's Fiberglass repairs, and Aquastream water packs; we'll be raffling all these off at the Kanaka Ikaika races from March 15 to May 3. Good Luck to those boys in their training!!
I've been out of commission most of February - My horse threw me then kicked me, then I got an open sore during a race, then I got sick - poo! But I'm feeling good now and am back on the water, yay! Now I need to get the rear in gear because Giulia and I are going to train up at Gig Harbor for spring break. Not Cancun, but I'll take it ;-)
A month after that, we've got National team trials at the Chula Vista OTC, I'm really excited to go back! Our camp at the OTC in November was awesome, it was great to be in such amazing facilities, paddling with such great athletes.
That's all for now, folks, I'll add more news and pictures as they come in.

BTW

by the way... Le Jardin Bulldogs kayaking kicks butt. I guess Giulia did ok in ILH kayaking too, you know, undefeated and all that. All of our HCKT gang did great, actually. No big suprise there. Champs this weekend was fun, looking forward to next year!
Kati

check the vitals

OK. So, stoked about this week coming up - I got invited to a training camp up at Chula Vista, yes, the same place Giulia has gotten to train at twice, not that I'm counting or anything. We're having a week-long spill-your-guts and eat-like-a-pig camp, and I GET TO GO. FINALLY. yay :-D !! I'm not sure what exactly we're going to do, but I have a feeling it'll involve gym and running... maybe even some paddling! I'll let you know when I get there, and I'll try to coerce Giulia into giving the dirt on what her camp (a few weeks ago) was like. Here we go!
Kati

Estrogen

As a follow-up to Giulia's post...
We do indeed have enough girls now to fill a K4 - more than enough, actually, it's fantastic! Two of the new girls, Leilani and Christina (both from Punahou School, where I went, where Barack Obama went, and which, incidentally, is WAY cooler than Iolani (where Giulia goes, hehe)) paddled with us on Thursday. If Rachel Fujita (Giulia's usual K2 partner) had been there, it would have been a real live Jr K4. Crazy, but true!
Regarding Lanikai's men, I have to make something of an exception to my usual prejudice and must say that I am behind them all the way. I'm so excited for these guys, I've been training with them on Mondays, and there is some SERIOUS testosterone on the water...! Their Molokai crossing is in exactly one week, I'll be cheering :-).
More Estrogen info: we've been so fortunate the past couple weeks to be triple teamed by Aussies - not only our own coach Robyn Singh, but Shelly Oats-Wilder and Guy Wilder too! Shelly has gone out with us K2, and has such a nice stroke to follow. She's helped me with great technique advice, given me some really useful things to think about, and we're all really thankful for the time she's put in with us. Congratulations to Shelley for WINNING the women's channel crossing, Na Wahine O Ke Kai, last week with Team Bradley; good luck to Guy in the men's crossing, Molokai Hoe, next week!!
Giulia and I are going to work with the C1 today, wish us luck, and thanks for checking in!
-Kati

School Division Takes Over

We're two weeks in to the ILH races and the HCKT team (yes, that's redundant, but it sounds better) has momentarily split into our various school teams. Kati has sucked Pat AND Brandon in to the Le Jardin coaching staff and left little old me cold and alone over at Iolani. Besides one or two unfaithfuls, everyone in high school from HCKT is rocking the various ILH divisions. Ryan's in the last stages of prep for the Molokai crossing with Pat and the kick-ass Lanikai men (you can't deny it, Kati) before heading off to the Olympic Training Center, Chula Vista. The guy just doesn't stop!

Oh! Oh! Incredible news! We have GIRLS coming to morning practice. As in plural! We have enough to have an all-junior K4 now, versus the motley crew juvie-junior-senior-master mix from nationals. Hooray for estrogen balancing out testosterone!
-Giulia

Moscow wow

OK, so sorry about the silly name, but this is a real "WOW." For those of you who know our little Ryan Dolan (hehe), and even those of you who don't, I have just heard the results of his races in the Pre-World (yes...World) Junior Championships in Moscow, Russia. With less than a year's experience in a K1, Ryan came away with 2nd in his 500m and 4th in his 1000m races!!!!! A Kailua boy on Lanikai's Sr men's team, this was his first kayak regatta outside of North America - it seems like he handled it pretty well... ;-) If you want to look for results online, best of luck, cause I haven't been able to sniff out much of anything yet, but I'll post more info on his race when I hear it!
YAY RYAN!!!!
Kati

A New Focus

So, I am not neglecting this blog; I just got the password. Now, Kati's already told most of the stories of the summer (except we got a vanfull of boys to sing 'I kissed a girl' on our way home from dinner at nationals--almost as good as the whole busload of them at Placid), leaving me with little to do. Instead, let's look ahead.

Besides last weekend when Kati got sucked into the Duke Race (distance six-man), we have been transitioning over to the ILH surfski season starting as soon as everyone's back in school. Senior boys Pat and Brandon offered Kati to go for an afternoon stretch in the ski (which I later learned meant she had invited herself), who then invited me. We cruised out to Mokulea Rock (known better as Bird Shit) and surfed back, left behind promptly by the uncontainably fast boys. Besides getting lost in failing light since neither Kati nor I had landmarked the right-of-way we took to the beach, it wasn't a bad first ocean run (for me).

We've also gone out on a ski surf session just off of Kati's house and done our own, separate outings (mine mostly consist of hikes and beach romps with the dog--no boat involved). It's good to be on vacation!
-Giulia