Gig Harbor canoe and kayak team takes third at nationals

Coach Anderson says he wants to win it all next year

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

The Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Racing Team had its best performance in its history last month at the USA Canoe/Kayak National Championships on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Ga.

The team of 19 athletes finished third overall. Seattle placed second and Georgia won its eighth national championship.

Gig Harbor had an impressive finish in each of its divisions, except for seniors. It finished second in the bantam division and third in both the juvenile and junior classes.

Georgia featured about 70 paddlers, and Seattle put about 30 in the water.

Although Gig Harbor’s team is smaller, coach Alan Anderson said they showed their determination by earning a bronze medal at the biggest canoe and kayak regatta in the country.

Gig Harbor’s bantam team won a gold medal in 2005, but the team hasn’t captured an overall national championship.

That’s a milestone Anderson hopes to reach.

“We’re going to try and win the whole thing next year,” he said. “Nationals will be in Seattle next year. It gives me an opportunity to put a big team on the water.”

Anderson said he hopes to bring back some program graduates for the senior division, like Katarina Batina, who competed in last year’s Olympic trials in kayaking.

“Gig Harbor often wins their races, but the reason Georgia or Seattle may take (nationals) is because they have the volume of paddlers,” Anderson said. “To go for a title, I’m looking to put 50 kids in the water.”

Nationals gives points to paddlers who place in the top six per race. Anderson said it shouldn’t be too difficult getting past Gig Harbor paddlers back in the water.

“These kids are very much attached to the program,” he said. “I think the kids would be real excited to do well again.”

Kayaking

Gig Harbor juvenile kayaker Zoe Kuhn, who participated at nationals for the third time, raced in a number of events above her division.

“It was my first year in the juvenile category,” Kuhn said. “To see where I was against the whole country, I did well against those competitors.”

In the four-man kayak 500-meter junior race, Kuhn, Molly Timmons, Katie Hill and Katie McKeever placed third in 2 minutes.

Kuhn won five total medals.

“It got to see how other people perform and what I have to work on for my own team boats,” Kuhn said.

Cedric Bond, the No. 1-ranked junior paddler in the country, won a national championship in the K-1 junior 1,000 race in 3:55.137. With his teammate Boris Markin, Bond also won a national championship in the K-2 1,000.

Bond will race as a senior next season and is pushing for an Olympic trials qualification for the 2012 London Games.

Canoeing

Gig Harbor canoe coach Jonathan Sousely said he was pleased with the national championship results.

Of the five Gig Harbor paddlers who competed, two had never been to nationals. But each came away with more than one medal in single or team canoes.

“They were out there to compete to the best of their ability,” Sousely said.

Gig Harbor juvenile paddler Sarah Rucci recently switched from kayaking to canoeing because she said she was burned out. She came away with five silver medals and two bronzes.

“There was just a lot of teams we don’t see often,” Rucci said. “That was cool to compete against them.”

Rucci had previously participated in a national regatta but not in a canoe, so she said it was like doing it all over again.

She hoped to win the C-4 500 junior race with Makenzie Sousley, Quinn Fredrickson and Abbie Barber, but they placed second in 2:45.855.

“I’m pretty excited to train again to get some golds,” Rucci said.

The top 15 juniors who competed at nationals were invited to the Chula Vista camp. Gig Harbor placed seven girls, including bantam kayaker Alison Morse, who won a national championship in the K-2 bantam 1,000 with Natalie Griffin in 5:01.447.

GH canoe and kayak national championship highlights

Cedric Bond (Senior paddler next year)

First place — Two-man kayak 1,000 meters, senior division, three minutes, 31.390 seconds

First place — K-1 1,000, junior, 3:55.137

Second place — K-1 500, junior, 1:56.853

Natalie Griffen

First place — K-4 1,000, bantam, 4:35.416

First place — K-2 1,000, bantam, 5:01.447

First place — K-1 1,000, bantam, 5:13.139

Alyson Morse

First place — K-4 1,000, bantam, 4:35.416

First place — K-2 1,000, bantam, 5:01.447

Second place — K-2 3,000, bantam, 14:44.650

Hannah McKeever

First place — K-4 1,000 bantam, 4:35.416

Third place — K-2 1,000, bantam, 5:31.138

Third place — K-4 500, junior, 2:00.113

Brynn Munday

First place — C-2 1,000, juvenile, 5:09.330

Third place — K-2 3,000, bantam, 15:02.499

First place — C-4 1,000, juvenile, 4:54.056

Sam Oatridge

Sixth place — K-2 1,000, bantam, 4:49.495

Ninth place — K-1 1,000, bantam, 5:43.284

Mackenzie Sousely

First place — C-1 1,000, bantam, 6:29.886

Second place — C-4 500, junior, 2:45.855

Second place — C-2 500, junior, 3:26.149

Zoe Kuhn

First place — K-2 5,000, juvenile, 23:41.745

Third place — K-4 1,000, juvenile, 4:06.888

Third place — K-4 500, junior, 2:00.113

Molly Timmons

First place — K-2 5,000, juvenile, 23:41.745

Third place — K-4 1,000, juvenile, 4:06.888

Third place — K-4 500, junior, 2:00.113

Quinn Fredrickson

Second place — C-4 500, junior, 2:45.855

Third place — C-2 200, senior, 1:12.201

Fourth place — C-1 200, senior, 1:33.467

Sarah Rucci

Second place — C-2 5,000, juvenile, 37:07.616

Third place — C-1 200, senior, 1:23.072

Third place — C-2 200, senior, 1:12.201

Dustin Sousely

First place — C-2 1,000, juvenile, 5:09.330

First place — C-4 1,000, juvenile, 4:54.056

Second place — C-1 1,000, juvenile, 5:29.284

Bryse Paffile

First place — C-2 1,000, juvenile, 5:09.330

First place — C-4 1,000, juvenile, 4:54.056

Third place — C-2 1,000, junior, 5:19.342

Katy Hill

Second place — K-1 5,000, junior, 25:29

Third place — K-2 1,000, junior, 4:28.826

Third place — K-4 500, junior, 2:00.113

Abbie Barber

Second place — C-4 500, junior, 2:45.855

Reach sports reporter Marques Hunter at 253-853-9246 or by e-mail at marques.hunter@gateline.com.