From the ocean to the gym, there will be no shortage of sporting events this weekend on the west side of the Big Island.
Here are a few events to keep an eye on:
Stingrays Wahine Basketball Tournament
While many travel teams are gearing up for a summer circuit of tournaments on the mainland, some of the top high school, 14-and-under and 12-and-under girls teams from around the state will be in action in Kailua-Kona this weekend.
The Kona Stingrays will host the seventh edition of their wahine basketball tournament at Kekuaokalani Gym, with games starting at 3 p.m. on Friday and running through Sunday.
The tournament field has 25 teams from Maui, Oahu and the Big Island playing in three divisions. Teams are split into pool play for Friday and Saturday, with the outcomes deciding Sunday’s games.
While the younger divisions always provide a lot of fun, it is hard to ignore the highly competitive high school division at this year’s tournament.
The Stingrays highlight the list, with the majority of the players being members of the Konawaena squad that brought home the school’s sixth HHSAA Division I girls state basketball title in 2015.
Bobbie Awa, the winningest high school coach in state tournament history, is the vice president of the Stingrays program, which she runs with her husband Donny, as well as a host of other relatives and volunteers.
Awa will always credit her players first for the six banners now hanging in Kealakekua, but the Konawaena girls basketball dynasty was built on the Awa’s wildly successful Stingrays youth program. With an emphasis on fundamentals, teamwork and discipline, youth players get a chance to get in the gym nearly year-round and take their game to the next level.
That being said, the host team will be challenged this weekend in the high school division.
Lahainaluna, the team Konawaena knocked off 51-41 for the state title, and Honokaa, the Division II state champion, will also be gunning for the championship.
However, with Lahainaluna and Honokaa being in a different pool, the teams don’t have a chance to link up until Sunday.
Kai Opua Kamehameha Day regatta
After a two-week break, Big Island paddlers are itching to get back into the water. The Kai Opua hosted Kamehameha Day Regatta is just the remedy.
The third regatta of the season starts Saturday morning at 8 a.m. and will run until the late afternoon at Kailua Pier.
It will be the last chance for paddlers and spectators alike to see a regatta on the west side of the island. After this weekend, the Moku O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Racing Association season moves to Hilo for six straight regattas, including the Aunty Maile Moku O Hawaii Championships on July 18 and the HCRA state championships on Aug. 1.
Kai Opua has won the last eight A Division (21-42 events) championships and has yet to be truly tested this season through the first two regattas. Kai Opua has captured gold in 23 races so far and won the first two regattas by an average of 28 points.
However, the perennial champs have heard the slight footsteps of Puna, Keauhou and Kai Ehitu coming up the rear. The three clubs have been duking it out in the standings behind Kai Opua, steadily improving, while trying to find the right combinations to pull an upset.
Hapuna Rough Water Swim
As the second leg of the Big Island’s Triple Crown of open water swimming, the Hapuna Rough Water can be a make-or-break race for athletes vying for the prestigious title.
Last year, however, Minnesota athlete Kylie Burgess surprised the field, taking home top overall honors in the 1-mile race with a time of 20:45. Burgess — who now swims for Rice University — was also the top female finisher in the Kings Swim last year, but did not qualify for the Triple Crown because she missed the Cinco de Mayo Splash. The Triple Crown is awarded to the top male and female swimmers with the lowest cumulative time between the three races.
At this year’s Cinco de Mayo Splash — the first leg of the three-race series — it was the battle of the Daniels for first overall, with Daniel Kniseley edging young gun Daniel Manzo by a little over 30 seconds.
The festivities begin Saturday with a 400-meter keiki swim at 8:15 a.m. The 1-mile race will follow.
It will be the 38th edition of the event, which has a storied history that dates back to the 1970s.
The King’s Swim on July 4 concludes the Triple Crown.
Papa Pea’s Birthday Biathlon and Celebration of Summer
Since Bill Pagett passed on March 14 of this year, many heartwarming stories and memories have been shared of the man known as “Papa Pea” to the Kona community.
Papa Pea — who would have been 80 years old on June 6 — will be remembered again at the appropriately named Papa Pea’s Birthday Biathlon and Celebration of Summer at Kailua Pier on Sunday.
“It is going to be a great way to honor his memory,” Sean “Peaman” Pagett said. “We are doing something he loved and it’s the way he would want to be celebrated — with activity, people and friends.”
The start time is 8:08 a.m. for the 1/2-mile swim and 2-mile run/walk. It is event No. 347 for Frozen Pea Productions. And — as always — it is free to enter.
