Managing a tricky head wind paid off at yesterday morning's Interscholastic League of Hono-lulu kayaking championships on the Ala Wai Canal.

'Iolani senior Giulia Anderson and Pac-Five senior James Casken won the girls and boys distance races. Junior Rachel Fujita and senior Andrew Anderson, both of Punahou, won the girls and boys sprint races.

"The wind's a factor, it's been whipping the channel all day," said Andrew Anderson, who wrapped up an undefeated sprint season. "Times are slower."

The ILH is the only league in the state to sponsor kayaking, and there is no state championship.

Sprinters had to race into the wind for their 250-meter race, held on a straightaway. Paddlers in the 2,000-meter race faced the wind twice, heading into the halfway mark and into the finish.

"For sprints, you just have to power through," said Andrew Anderson, who won in 58.42 seconds. Kayne McCarthy of Punahou was second in 59.47 and 'Iolani's Logan Nowack was third in 59.96.

Fujita won the girls sprint race in 1 minute, 10.95 seconds, followed by teammate Christina Lighter in 1:12.65 and Mid-Pacific's Katherine Kennedy in 1:16.76.

"We practice in Hawai'i Kai and it's windy there," Fujita said. "It's nice to have some wind."

'Iolani's Anderson edged Kamehameha's Nahoku Keala in an exciting girls distance race. Anderson finished in 9:36.07, followed by Keala in 9:41.40 and Punahou's Leilani Doctor in 10:00.19.

"(Keala) had a great race," said Anderson, who finished the season undefeated. "It's fun having someone there."

Keala, a senior, said it was her best race of the season. "It was a close race, we both were fighting to the end," she said.

Casken took the lead in the boys distance race at the halfway turn when the two leaders turned around the wrong buoy and had to redo the turn. In third place, Casken heard officials and spectators yelling about the buoy, and made the right turn just in time. Pac-Five teammate Ben Beck, one of the league's top kayakers, was ahead at the point.

"It's very (unfortunate) for what happened," said Casken, who attends Maryknoll. "It's a whole part of racing; anything can happen."

'Iolani's Anderson won the girls distance series title while Punahou's Anderson and Fujita won the boys and girls sprint series titles, which are awarded based on points accumulated from races held over the season. Kamehameha senior Tucker Troy won the boys distance series title. Punahou won the boys and girls team titles.

"Everybody pushing throughout the season, we all did a great job, being out here doing what we do," Tucker said.