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Past, future on full display at state meet

By Robert Collias 5 min read

KIHEI -- The future and the past were on display all over the place as the Hawaii Age Group Long-Course Swimming Championships wrapped up its four-day run Monday afternoon at Kihei Aquatic Center.

One prime example of the past catapulting into the future was the pair of Kalla Pellettieri and Helena Colletta, who have been good friends for most of their lives.

The pair of 17-year-old recent Seabury Hall graduates have been swimming together for Hawaii Swim Club since they were both 10.

Their immediate futures both include swimming in college -- Pellettieri at Chapman University, an NCAA Division III school in Orange County, Calif., and Colletta at Monmouth University, an NCAA D-I school in West Long Branch. N.J.

Each were swimming competitively for the final time on Maui prior to reporting to school.

"It hasn't really hit yet because I'm just so used to meets like this, but it's a little sad that I don't get to train with the same people anymore," Pellettieri said. "But I think (in) practice lately we've all been working hard and I think it's a good way to go out."

Pellettieri said she is excited for the next step in and out of the pool. Her sister Kamille Pellettieri swims for Occidental College in Los Angeles.

"I'm really excited to meet new people and swim at new pools," she said. "And I'm also excited I'm in the same conference as my sister."

Pellettieri glanced at her friend and became reminiscent as the two waited for their final Maui pre-college race, the 200-meter freestyle relay that they finished third in. They also finished third in the girls 15-18 400 and 800 free relays.

Individually in the tough girls 15-18 age group, Colletta finished third in the 1,500 free and fourth in both the 400 and 800 frees; Pellettieri was seventh in the 100 free, 10th in the 200 free and 11th in the 50 free.

Both Pellettieri and Colletta glanced at HSC standout Aika Swanson sitting near them and smiled -- the rising sophomore at Maui High School is their training partner and is already a qualifier for the USA Swimming Futures Championships later this month.

"I still definitely want to come back and practice during my offseason and visit Aika," Pellettieri said. "And I think I will always come back -- probably not train as hard as I do now, but always to visit."

Pellettieri, who plans to major in health sciences, is happy to leave a little bit of a legacy at HSC with Swanson.

"These past few weeks Aika has been training for Futures, so we've been trying to, like, keep up with her workouts, stay in shape," Pellettieri said. "Aika is very good."

Colletta was on the same reminiscent plane with Pellettieri when they relaxed in the shade of the HSC canopy tent in a corner of the KAC.

"I'm really excited, I feel like going to college and swimming, it's going to be something new, something probably harder than swimming for club," Colletta said. "So, I'm really excited to try a new version of swimming. I'm a little bit nervous, but I'm really excited. I think it's going to be great, but I'm definitely a little bit nervous because I don't know what to expect really."

Colletta said that following in the footsteps of several college swimmers from Maui over the years adds to her excitement.

"I'm really excited to be able to go on to the next level of swimming and get to swim in college because I love doing it and I've had such a great time getting to swim here," Colletta said. "To get to keep doing it is exciting and a great opportunity."

The state meet was back on Maui for the first time since 2019 with 20 teams from across the state and a total of 345 swimmers. Maui's delegation was 87 swimmers.

"It's pretty awesome, kids not having to travel, sleeping in their own beds, eating home meals, it's really good," HSC coach Reid Yamamoto said. "It's also kind of cool to have the outer island people travel to Maui and experience our hospitality and Maui itself."

Yamamoto will miss his pair of college-bound swimmers. Lahaina Swim Club's Mason Alexander is another member of the Maui Interscholastic League class of 2023 who plans to swim in college, though he did not compete at the state meet.

"It's just pretty awesome to have kids like that on our club," Yamamoto said of his pair. "Every year we graduate 'em and it's always kind of sad to see them go, but they leave a legacy for our kids for the future."

One of the young swimmers at the meet with a bright future is Connor Ventura, a 10-year-old for Maui Swim Club who is a rising fifth grader at Pomaikai Elementary School in Kahului.

He was sporting a seven-inch scar from surgery to remove his ruptured appendix in April. The wound required 42 staples to heal.

"I was riding my bike and I fell down and the handlebar just hit me, then I ruptured my appendix," Ventura said of the mishap that happened on Good Friday.

Ventura was the high-point scorer in his boys 10-under age division.

"That's pretty cool," Ventura said.

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com

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