Siblings Keep Kalaheo Paddlers Afloat
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.us
|
The Kalaheo mixed paddling team’s cohesiveness doesn’t end with the brother-sister team of Barak and Ameet Argov, but perhaps it begins there.
If anything, the bond the pair shares goes a long way toward holding the talented crew together.
“They’re really close,” Kalaheo coach Julian Wicker said of the siblings. “It’s cool that they get to paddle together. Both are really, really strong. They help the crew move as fast as they do. They both sit in the back, in the No. 4 and No. 5 spots. They’re the engine that makes the boat move.”
Their closeness aside, the pair are nevertheless their own people.
“I let things build up,” Barak says.“She lets it all out.”
Added Ameet in a good-natured way:“I’m more angry, and I’m more vocal. I lost my voice last week.”
Another candidate to lose her voice on a weekly basis is their mother, Heide, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She and husband Shachar are permanent fixtures at Kalaheo’s races. “They come to all of our races and provide a lot of food,” Ameet said. “They cheer us on and I can usually hear them from the shoreline.”
The cheers are ready to be released again this week as the Argovs and their Kalaheo teammates prepare for Friday’s First Hawaiian Bank Canoe Paddling State Championships at Keehi Lagoon. The Mustangs, whose mixed crew also includes Kaoru Lovett, Torin Luis, Courtney Wemple and Jenna Cates, recently captured the OIA title by edging second-place Nanakuli. Their last goal is still in front of them. Indeed, their pursuit of a state title needs no further discussion among them, according to Ameet. “It’s too epic of a subject,” she said.
Work ethic has carried the entire team to date, in Ameet’s view. She noted that coach Wicker chooses his starters by the effort put forth by team members in practice.
Ameet and Barak were both recruited to the program, in a loose sense. Wicker also is Kalaheo’s cross country coach and prodded Barak to join the team when he was a freshman.Ameet was recruited by Barak, a senior, who is a year ahead of his sister.
“My brother inspired me to join the team,“she said.“I used to play volleyball, and I still play water polo.”
Asked what has enabled his sister to develop into a first-rate paddler, Barak responds without hesitation.
“It’s the genes,“he said.“She gets them from my mom,who was a state champion volleyball player (at Gering High School in Nebraska).”
Added Mom: “My husband and I are on top of the world. It’s a rare gift as a parent to see them compete together. I don’t know of another sport where you can see your son and daughter compete together and flourish. I think that (bond) will continue on for the rest of their lives.”
In her older brother,Ameet has found her greatest supporter. While the two were always tight,their closeness has multiplied by paddling together.
“It’s brother-sister bonding time,really,“she said.“We hang out a lot. He’s supportive and nice to be around. He’s funny and kind of charismatic.”
Said Barak: “I had no idea (she’d do so well). I told her she’d have a lot of fun because I was having fun.I realized this year how good she was. She’s a shining star among us.”
The pair didn’t compete together last season, as Barak was exclusively with the boys’ team and Ameet was with the junior varsity.Kalaheo’s mixed paddling team came up just short in their bid for a state title last February, losing to Punahou.They hope for a different result this time around.
“I think we’re at that fine-tuning point,” Barak said. “We just need a little more practice to level it off.”
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
