covering hawai'i's state team sport since 1996 - Pacific Paddler

RIO VA’A
Paddlers from Tahiti, Rapa
Nui, Hawaii, Italy, Argentina,
Australia and Brazil bring
Polynesian Mana to Rio de
Janeiro.
Rio Va'a 2007, the South American
venue of the world va’a circuit was
held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the 6th
straight year last December.
Rio Va’a is organized since 2002
by Rio Va'a Club with support from the
City of Rio de Janeiro, the Rio de Janeiro
Yacht Club and the International Va’a
Federation.
With the presence of crews and
paddlers from Tahiti (a 35 strong delegation),
Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Hawaii,
Italy, Argentina, Australia and Brazil,
and with 25 V6 crews and close to 180
competitors in the V1 and V6 events, Rio
Va’a 2007 was the largest ever.
The blessing ceremony, with a prayer
in Tahitian, had a special signification
for organizer Nicolas Bourlon. “For me,
Rio Va'a 2007 closed up a year marked
by the passing away of my mother in
August. It was thanks to her that I had
a chance to paddle again in Hawaii in
2001 (20 years after my initiation with
the Kawaihae Canoe Club at the time my
family lived on the Big Island). She also
was strong supporter for the Canoa Rio
kids paddling project and as a tribute, the
canoe called “ia orana” (hello in tahitian)
was re-blessed as "ia orana Claude" and
donated to the Canoa Rio social project.”
V6 Women and Novices – 19 km
race along Copacabana and Ipanema
beaches – On Saturday, women and
photos by: Dominique berthon (air & beach),
Kadu Freitas (sea & awards), Fabia Schnoor (Rapa Nui show)
novices raced at the same time on
the 19 km V6 course, from Praia
Vermelha Beach to Ipanema Beach
passing by the Copacabana shoreline
and back.
The vahines from Tahiti’s Te Ta'i
U'o Va'a Club confirmed favoritism
taking the gold and setting a new
course record of 1:40:18 in front
of runners-up Praia Vermelha Va’a
Club (1:41:18) and Rio Va’a Hine
(1:42:13).
The mixed crew formed by Rio
Va’a paddlers and Emily Cottrin and
Mary Pixler from Kauai (Niumalu and
Pu’uwai Canoe Clubs) won the Mixed
category in 1:52:26.
A combination of paddlers from
São Paulo won the novice V6 race
in 1:27:39, with Niterói-Carioca
Va’a (1:29:30) and Rio Va’a Tane
(1:32:26) taking silver and bronze
respectively.
Men’s V1 races at Praia Vermelha
– Rio Va’a returned to its traditional
2000 m V1 race with a format
change: a quadrangular course
enabled the public to see race action
during the whole course and made the
event even more competitive.
Paddlers from Tahiti, Rapa Nui
(Easter Island), Hawaii, Italy and Brazil
raced in the Open, Master and Senior
Masters divisions. Sebastian Cuattrin,
of Santos (State of São Paulo Brazil),
2006 South American V1 10 km champion
won the Open event in a field of
21 paddlers, with a time of 8:56:36
setting a new Rio Va’a record. Felipe
Newman also from Santos (8:59:00)
and Christian Borgo from the Cabo
Frio, Rio de Janeiro (9:09:50) finished
2nd and 3rd in a highly disputed final
counted with the 7 best paddlers from
by Nicolas Bourlon
the eliminatory heats. Hugo Tuki from
Rapa Nui (9:18:80) and Cadu Zeidan
from Santos (9:30:18) took 4th and 5th
places.
The Master V1 race was won by
2006 South American V1 500 m
champion Celso Filetti from Santos
in 9:18:72, with Bill Barf from Tahiti
taking second place (9:42:93),
Alexandre Levorin from Santos 3rd
(9:57:13). Jack Dyson from Hawaiian
Canoe Club took the Senior Master
event confirming his Master’s V1 medal
in Rio Va’a 2003 - the first one-person
canoe race held in South America.
Women’s V1 races – Tahitian
Miriama Auraa won the event in
11:59:80 with a comfortable lead
ahead of Sylvia Guimarães from São
Paulo (12:35:10) and Sara dos Santos
from Bertioga (12:56:01). Sara also
won the Women Masters gold medal.
Illustrious visitors stole the attention
of competitors during the women and
novice race with dolphins and a whale
showing up close to Arpoador point,
between Copacabana and Ipanema.
Junior V6 and V2 kids races –
Besides the promotion of the sport, Rio
Va'a Club intents to make of the sport
a form of social inclusion. Canoa Rio
project was started in 2004 in a partnership
with the City of Rio de Janeiro
and has been supported by individual
equipment donations by special friends
like Alma Santoso from Washington
D.C.
Seventeen students aged 13 to 17
from 7th and 8th grade of the Minas
Gerais Municipal (public) School participated
actively in the event, competing
and receiving the visiting teams. They
trained since May and showed what
they had learned in a 2 km dispute
between teams Paradiso and Iorana
Claude which was won by Paradiso,
crossing the finish line with a 3 second
lead.
www.pacificpaddler.com Pacific Paddler, February ‘08 35