Hawaiian Swimming_||_More Articles on Molokai Swimming

At the halfway point of the 1999 Long Course Age Group Swimming season,
five swimmers have already qualified for the state championships to be
held in Hilo in mid-June. Four of the swimmers are in a transition year
as they have aged up into older groups demanding faster times to qualify
for the championships.

Leading the group is Mahinameli Reyes who just moved to the 11-12
division. She has seven qualifying times and is approaching four more as
the season progresses. Mahina is also nearing one of her season goals
which is to repeat her qualification for the Hawaii All-Stars and swim in
the Western Zones Championships slated for Grand Junction, Colorado in
mid-August. She needs to cut about a second and a half from her time in
the 50 M Breaststroke.

Also making an impressive debut in the 10 & Under division is Ilia Reyes.
Ilia has five qualifying times and two AA times already and should make
more times as he completes the regular season.

Lenn and Loni Yonemura and Leoho`onani Reyes also have several qualifying
times through the first three meets of the year. Lenn and Leo have just
moved up to the next age groups. Leo is now competing in the 13-14
division and Lenn is in the 17-18 division.

All five swimmers were headed for Manoa to participate in the first
invitational meet of the long course season at press time. The Manoa
Invitational was held over the April 23-25 weekend. Results of that will
be reported in a future article.

The Molokai Swim Team has filled its quota in the learn-to-swim classes
and nearly quadrupled its registration for the 1999 year. Thirty three
swimmers are registered with United States Swimming with 20 of the
swimmers being first-timers. The Cooke Pool is filled each afternoon as
the swimmers go through their daily practices. Last year, nine swimmers
were registered with US Swimming.

Pending the completion of the long course season in June, another class
may be scheduled at that time. Several things must fall into place before
the class is scheduled and announcements will be published to keep
interested families informed. An annual registration fee is required to
enroll the swimmer with US Swimming and Hawaiian Swimming, the statewide
local swim club. The Molokai Swim Team is a branch of the Hawaii Swimming
Club, a club registered under Hawaiian Swimming.

The Molokai Swim Team is tentatively scheduled to host the third Molokai
Fun Meet in late July. More details will be shared as plans are
finalized.