Sometimes, it's all about being at the right place in the right time, and being able to put yourself there.

Nanakuli, Anuenue and Kalaheo took advantage of their well-earned inside lane assignments yesterday in the boys, girls and mixed categories to gain top honors at the Oahu Interscholastic Association Championship Regatta at Keehi Lagoon.

Everyone battled the voggy haze and prevailing southeasterly winds, but when it came down to it, the inside lanes ran faster and it was easier to hear over those winds the closer one got to shore.

Nanakuli coach Ryan Van Gieson is a veteran of the site and used his team's high seeding to secure Lane 3. That strategy paid off; four of the six races were won in that lane.

“;Over here, there are different currents, depending on the tide and the winds,”; Van Gieson said. “;In conditions like we have today, the wind blows more up instead of down the channel when we have the usual tradewinds. Today, Lane 3 seemed the most favorable because it runs both ways—down to the quarter-mile turn and back up. The middle lanes were probably pushing just one direction, so they'd have to push a little harder.”;

His Nanakuli squad, led by son Dayne at steersman, included Shannon Palmero, Jared Ku, Nolen Kekawa, Daniel Rzonca and Darius Kawaauhau and crossed the finish line in 7:58:19, followed by Kapolei (8:14:66) and Castle (8:17:48.)

Lane assignments in paddling are similar to seeding in basketball, football or other sports. Teams accumulate points by placing high in OIA regattas, and with the budget cuts that have affected all sports the paddlers had only four OIA events instead of the usual five.

Van Gieson said it made every race that much more important.

“;We couldn't afford to make a mistake in any race because we had one less chance at trying different combinations,”; Van Gieson said. “;Everyone was trying to accumulate points for seeding and it paid off for us in getting a good lane.”;

The Anuenue girls also battled the windy conditions, but senior Kahoku Keola saw it as a benefit.

“;We regularly practice here, so I think it was an advantage,”; Keola said. “;We have a pretty good understanding of each place here in the lagoon and we liked Lane 4 for these conditions. We tried to stretch it out longer going up toward the wind so we had a better grab and pull. On the way back we just cut the water so we could keep moving.”;

Anuenue crossed the line in 9:20:01, followed by Kailua and Kalaheo.

Anuenue was the runner-up in last year's Hawaii High School Athletic Association State Championships.

“;We're pretty confident in what we can do this year, Keola said. “;We are really pushing harder, we have the hunger.”;

Kalaheo topped the mixed event in 8:26:35.

“;The kids put in 150 percent today and it showed out there today,”; Mustangs head coach Julian Wicker said. “;They worked together well and I'm really excited.

“;They really have good chemistry, they blend well together, that put them over the edge.”;

The top six finishers in the OIA Championships qualify for the HHSAA State Championships, to be held at Keehi Lagoon on Feb. 5.

Nanakuli, Kapolei, Castle, Waianae, Mililani and Waialua qualified for boys; Anuenue, Kailua, Kalaheo, Kapolei, Radford and Moanalua for girls; and Kalaheo, Nanakuli, Kapolei, Castle, Anuenue and Waianae in mixed (3 boys and 3 girls).