NAC’s Chinn wins five gold medals at nationals

Barry Faulkner

Junior division competitors Greg Chinn and Pat Sharma, as well as

four-time Olympian Jim Terrell and James vonHarz, won a combined 15 races

to lead a strong contingent from the Newport Aquatic Center at the recent

Canoe-Kayak National Championships at Lake Placid, N.Y.

Despite the individual heroics, however, NAC finished second in the

overall team standings to Georgia-based Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club,

ending the Back Bay facility’s string of six consecutive overall national

titles.

NAC did win the Washington Canoe Club Trophy for topping all rival clubs

in the combined senior, masters and intermediate division and also placed

second in the combined bantam, juvenile and junior division.

In addition to his strong showing at the nationals, Chinn, a Newport

Harbor High senior, previously posted the top finish among Americans at

the Junior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.

Chinn was fourth in the single canoe (C-1) 1,000 meters at the junior

worlds and added a sixth-place finish in the C-1 500.

On Lake Placid, Chinn won junior division (ages 16-17) individual canoe

titles at 200 and 500 meters, teamed with fellow Newport Harbor senior

Pat Sharma to win the C-2 junior 200 and 500, and also paddled on the

victorious C-4 junior 500 boat. The five first-place finishes at

nationals by Chinn, who qualified for both the junior world and senior

world teams in Croatia, topped all NAC paddlers. He also was a part of

the second-place boat in the C-4 junior 1,000.

Sharma, who paired with vonHarz to advance to the semifinals of the C-2

1,000 and 500 races in Croatia, also won C-4 junior national titles at

1,000 and 500 meters. He was second in the C-1 junior 100 and the C-1

junior 200 and was third in the C-1 junior 500. He contributed to a

fifth-place quartet in the C-4 senior 500.

Terrell, working toward extending his steak to five straight Olympiads

with a berth in the 2000 Games in Sidney, Australia, collected senior

division (18-and-older) C-1 national titles in the 200 and 500 and was

second in the C-1 1,000. He earned another national crown in the C-4

senior 200 and was second in the C-2 senior 200, 500 and 1,000, as well

as the C-4 senior 500.

vonHarz pocketed three national championships, besting the competition in

the C-1 junior 1000, the C-2 junior 1,000 and the C-4 junior 1,000. He

was second in the C-1 junior 500 and also contributed to second-place

junior finishes in the C-2 500 and the C-4 500. He was fourth in the C-1

junior 200.

Danny Ching also had three national titles, two in a kayak (the K-1

juvenile 1,000 and the K-2 juvenile 500) and one in a canoe (C-4 junior

500). The juvenile division is for paddlers ages 14-15.

Kayakers Christina Turney and Mahea Lum (K-4 senior women’s 1,000 and

500) and Laura Thurmond (K-4 womens junior 200 and 500), as well as

canoeists Ozzie Clark (C-4 junior 500 and 1,000) and Ociel Leyva (C-2

junior 1,000 and C-4 junior 1,000) won a pair of national titles

representing NAC.

NAC representatives who claimed single national championships included:

Josh Banfield (C-2 junior 1,000); Monica Maiorana (K-1 intermediate

1,000); Chris Ball (K-4 senior 500); Vaclav Batlik (C-4 senior 200);

Devlin Murphy (C-4 senior 200); Brandon Krovoza (C-4 senior 200); and

Frank Normandin (C-4 junior 500).

Terrell, Meidl, Lum and Turney will all compete in the Senior World

Championships, scheduled later this month in Milan, Italy.

NAC coaches singled out several other paddlers, who thanks to consistent

work ethic, posted quality showings in New York.

Ching competed in eight juvenile events and claimed seven medals.

Normandin also came home with six medals, while Heather McKibbin,

Valkyrie Yuill, Annie Porteous and Andrew Belden provide the NAC with a

strong basis for optimism as it attempts to start a new winning streak

next summer.

Junior World Championships

(at Lake Placid)

(NAC finishers)

C-1 boys junior 1,000 - 1. James vonHarz; 2. Pat Sharma; 3. Josh

Banfield.

C-2 boys junior 1,000 - 1. vonHarz-Banfield; 3. Omar Leyva-Oriel Leyva.

C-1 boys junior 500 - 1. Greg Chinn; 2. vonHarz; 3. Sharma; 5. Banfield.

K-4 men’s senior 500 - 1. Chris Ball-Cliff Meidl-(two nonlocals)

K-4 women’s senior 1,000 - 1. Christina Turney-Mahea Lum-(two nonlocals);

3. Laura Thurmond-Pya Scott-Monica Maiorana-Paula Obrda.

K-4 women’s senior 500 - 1. Turney-Lum (two nonlocals); 2. Sheila

Conover-Monica Bridle-Maiorana-Obrda.

K-2 boys junvenile 500 - 1. Danny Ching-Jason Burrows (San Diego).

C-4 boys junior 1,000 - 1. Sharma-Ozzie Clark-vonHarz-Ociel Leyva; 2.

Banfield-Danny Ching-Chinn-Tom Downey.

C-4 boys junior 500 - 1. Sharma-Chinn-Frank Normandin-Ching; 2.

Banfield-vonHarz-Ociel Leyva-Wil Downey.

K-1 boys juvenile 1,000 - 1. Ching.

K-4 girls junior 500 - 1. Laura Thurmond-(three nonlocals).

K-4 girls junior 200 - 1. Thurmond-(three nonlocals).

C-2 boys junior 500 - 1. Chinn-Sharma; 2. vonHarz-Banfield; 3. Omar

Leyba-Ociel Leyva.

C-1 boys junior 200 - 1. Chinn; 2. Sharma; 3. Banfield; 4. vonHarz.

C-1 men’s senior 500 - 1. Jim Terrell.

K-1 women’s intermediate 1,000 - 1. Maiorana.

C-1 men’s senior 200 - 1. Terrell. 3. Jim Werland.

C-2 boys junior 200 - 1. Chinn-Sharma; 2. Andrew Belden-Ociel Leyva.

C-4 men’s senior 200 - 1. Terrell-Vaclav Batlik-Devlin Murphy-Brandon

Kroivoza.

C-4 boys juvenile 500 - 2. Normandin-Michael Porteous-Wil Downey, Omar

Leyva.

K-2 girls junior 200 - 2. Thurmond-Kelly Cameron (Lincoln Park Boat

Club).

K-2 girls bantam 500 - 2. Valkyrie Yuill-Heather McKibbin.

K-1 men’s senior 1,000 - 2. Meidl; 3. Chris Ball.

C-1 men’s senior 1,000 - 2. Terrell.

K-4 men’s senior 1,000 - 2 Chris Ball-Meidl-(two nonlocals).

C-4 men’s senior 1,000 - 2. Sam Couch-Batlik-Murphy-Krovoza.

C-4 boys bantam 500 - 2. Normandin-Mike Porteous-Belden-Wil Downey.

C-2 men’s senior 1,000 - 2. Terrell-Werland.

C-2 boys juvenile 1,000 - 2. Mike Porteous-Omar Leyva.

C-2 men’s senior 200 - 2. Terrell-Werland; 3. Batlik-Murphy.

C-5 men’s senior 500 - 2. Terrell-Batlik-Murphy-Krovoza; 5. Werland-Ociel

Leyva-Sam Couch-Sharma.

K-1 boys juvenile 500 - 2. Ching.

C-2 men’s senior 200 - 2. Werland-Terrell; 5. Murphy-Batlik.

K-1 men’s senior 500 -2. Mike Beyers.

K-2 women’s senior 500 - 3. Turney-Lum; 5. Bridle-Conover.

C-1 boys juvenile 1,000 - 3. Omar Leyva.

K-2 men’s senior 1,000 - 3. Meidl-Edmund Mitchell (HCKT).

K-1 women’s senior 1,000 - 3. Turney.

K-4 boys junior 200 - 3. Peter Flemming-Clark-Tom Downey-Steve Blass.

K-4 boys juvenile 500 - 3. Flemming-Peter Boyer-Ching-R. Lopez (San

Diego).

C-2 boys juvenile 500 - 3. Omar Leyva-Normandin.

K-4 girls bantam 500 - 3. Yuill-McKibbin-Annie Porteous-Weissinger.

K-2 men’s senior 200 - 3. Chris Ball-Curt Bader; 4. Mike Beyer-Jim Farnum

(HCKT).

C-1 boys juvenile 500 - 3. Normandin; 4. Omar Leyva.

C-1 boys bantam 500 - 3. (tie) Normandin, Wil Downey.

K-1 men’s senior 500 - 3. Chris Ball.

K-2 women’s bantam 500 - 4. Annie Porteous-Amanda Donahue.

K-2 women’s senior 200 - 4. Turney-Lum; 5. Bridle-Conover.

K-2 boys junior 200 - 4. Flemming-Clark.

C-1 men’s intermediate 500 - 4. Steve Ball.

C-2 boys bantam 500 - 4. Normandin-Wil Downey; 5. Belden-Mike Porteous.

K-2 girls junior 500 - 4. Thurmond-Cameron Kelly.

C-1 boys bantam 1,000 - 4. Mike Porteous.

K-2 girls junior 1,000 - 4. Thurmond-Kelley.

K-4 girls juvenile 500 - 4. Jean Geddes-McKibbin-Annie Porteous-Yuill.

K-2 men’s junior 1,000 - 5. Clark-Tom Downey.

K-2 women’s senior 1,000 - 5. Bridle-Conover.

K-1 women’s senior 500 - 5. Lum.

K-4 boys junior 1,000 - 5. Flemming-Blass-Tom Downey-Clark.

K-1 girls bantam 1,000 - 5. McKibbin.