Wednesday, May 30, 2001
Wright stuff IT sounds like a Baywatch Hawaii script. A team of tan, attractive, muscular lifeguards compete in an international contest on the beaches of Hawaii.
The coach and lifeguard
had a small part in Baywatch
Hawaii, and she takes her real-life
roles seriously too
By Grace Wen
Star-BulletinFor Katie Wright, it's not a television show fantasy. It's a reality.
The 24-year-old former Florida State swimmer is the only woman on Team Hawaii in this week's international lifeguard competition, part of the 12th annual Hawaiian Airlines World Ocean Games.
The two-day event begins Friday at Makapuu Beach with a 3.4-mile paddleboard race, 4.3-mile surf ski race, surf rescue swim and a swim relay.
On Saturday, the event moves to Kailua Beach for the outrigger canoe race, paddleboard relay, beach flags and ocean medley relay.
Nine teams -- Australia, California, Canada West and East, Florida, Hawaii, Japan, New Jersey and New Zealand -- will compete for a cash prize totaling $20,500. Each team consists of eight members, one of which has to be female.
While sipping a cup of tea and eating a low-fat oatcake, Wright spoke candidly about being a waterwoman and a female in a male-dominated competition.
"It's really fun," Wright said. "It's been great getting to meet all the people on the team, because they're some of the top athletes on the island.
"They treat me like one of the guys. There's no sexism. Each team has one woman, but you're competing against everyone. In the swim relay, I could dive in and be competing against all men. The women could be staggered throughout on each team.
"I don't think there will be a time where it's me against the rest of the women. That's the challenge of being the woman on the team because you are competing against the world's top men as well, so you have to be really aggressive."
Team Hawaii, which has been training for two months, features Mark Cunningham, Dolan Eversole, Guy Pere, Brendan Shea, Glenn Wachtel, brothers John and Kevin Flanagan and Wright.
Wright is in her first year in this competition, which she seems to have been training for her entire life.
The 5-foot-10 Atlanta native began swimming competitively at age 5 and comes from a long line of swimmers. Her grandfather swam for the University of Hawaii and was a world-record holder. Her father was an All-American at the University of Alabama.
She lettered four years for the Seminoles and was an Atlantic Coast Conference champion and an all-conference performer.
Three years ago, Wright had her first encounter with the World Ocean Games when she was visiting Hawaii for the summer.
"They did individual events in Waikiki," Wright said. "Surf, swim, a rescue run, paddleboard -- all different kinds of individual events -- so I just walked up and entered them.
"I was from the Atlantic. I didn't know the waves of Hawaii. I was just planning on doing the swimming events, and this guy came up to me and said, 'You can swim, you should paddleboard. Here, use this paddleboard and go. It's coming up next.' I was like, 'What?'. But I got fifth place.
"It was really fun, so I was like 'Hey, maybe I should look into doing these things more.' "
Wright graduated in 1999 and moved to Hawaii after she found a job as co-head coach of the Kamehameha swim club. She also started lifeguarding, and it was there that she met people involved in the competition.
She was discovered by Baywatch executive producer Greg Bonann and cast as trainee Angela when he learned about her athleticism. It was on the set that she met lifeguard, stunt coordinator and surfer Brian Keaulana whom she says has been one of the most influential people in her life.
"He's helped teach me to think about more than just swimming and surfing," Wright said. "He's helped to teach me to be a waterwoman all around ... to be completely comfortable, be able to live and survive in the ocean and to be able to handle anything that comes your way as far as water goes."
Last year, she watched the Ocean Games from the sidelines and said she was jealous of the participants.
This week, she'll compete in the surf rescue, paddleboard relay, swim and medley relays. She had been in training for those events even before she was asked to be a member of Team Hawaii.
Her background in swimming (she swam 5,000-8,000 meter workouts twice a day when she was swimming competitively) helps, but this competition will be a new experience.
"It's so much different," Wright said. "It's so much longer because I was a sprinter. There's fish. There's not a black line you're following (in the bottom of the pool) and there's a lot to do with the currents and where you're going to go. The quickest route is not necessarily the straightest."
Opening ceremony World Ocean Games
>> Tonight, 4:45-7 p.m., Waikiki Beach fronting the Duke Kahanamoku statue.Kite surfing
>> Tomorrow, 10 a.m., Mokuleia Beach Park.Lifeguard Ocean Challenge
>> Friday, noon-4 p.m., Makapuu Beach
>> Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Kailua Beach.Surf Air Invitational
>> Saturday, 10 a.m., Kuhio BeachGrom Surf Contest
>> Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Kuhio BeachWaikiki King's Race
>> Sunday, 8:30-10:30 a.m., Waikiki BeachTug of War
>> Sunday, 10:30 a.m., Waikiki BeachInformation
>> 521-4322
>> www.worldoceangames.com