Kalani fall sports

Momoca Spear, Writer

Alright Kalani Falcons- it’s that time when you should try out for a sport. At least take that step of considering doing a sport. Then, that big step after high school is college and if you want to impress some of the top colleges with your applications, extracurriculars are a must. Even if you don’t have the proficiency or ability to do a sport, be a risk taker. Develop your social skills such as teamwork, cooperation, and leadership. You can also learn personal skills such as self discipline, work ethic, and coping with disappointment. Sports teaches you dedication, persistence, and unlimited ambition. Becoming a part of one is truly a bonding experience that you don’t want to miss out on.  Exercise releases endorphins that boost your mood, relieves stress and depression.

Air Riflery

Air riflery is one of the most thriving sports and growing in high schools. Go to Dylan Funakoshi (11), and he’ll show you his guns, if you know what I mean.

He joined the air riflery team because he thought it would be fun playing his first sport. He hopes to go states with his team. His teammates describe him as, “energetic, funny, overall a good person.” Funakoshi intends to get a scholarship for air riflery. He believes communication and getting along with your teammates makes a team successful. Also just being able to have fun with your teammates, always trying your best with your team, and showing 100% effort with everything would make a team successful. Funakoshi has done other sports such as volleyball and airsoft. His position in volleyball was an opposite position, serving, and defensive specialist.

Bowling

If you’ve seen movies like “The Big Lebowski,” which does nothing more than make a mockery of the game, you’d be hard-pressed to call bowling a “sport.” These athletes must try hit a target less than two inches wide by throwing a 15-16 pound ball down a 60 foot alley, also known as the “pocket.”  Whether you bowl “just for fun” or are serious about the game, the great thing about this sport is that it is an affordable activity that can be enjoyed by anyone. Have a plate of nachos while chatting with groups of friends, while grabbing a house ball and renting funky shoes. The competitive side of bowling is indeed a sport because those that take it seriously truly do deserve to be called athletes. See you at the lanes.

Cheerleading

Cheerleaders can encourage, motivate, and excite audiences, like football fans, homecoming crowds, and competition audiences based on their thrilling routines. Timing is everything.  Are you willing to tumble, dance, jump, cheer, stunt, and yell? Just as Kanoe Iaea (11) says, she’ll give you the motivation to get you on the team.

Iaea said she wanted to cheer because it was fun last year and wanted to improve more of her tumbling skills by this October. She loves tumbling because it’s her specialty. However she is having trouble elevating her teammates for stunting because of their weight and timing. She believes that being selected on a team gives her the most memorable moments. It makes her really happy and relieved that not only did she get selected to be on the team, she gets to show her school spirit.  Iaea did not only try cheering, she tried basketball for a short period of time then dropped out because she felt that she wasn’t right for the sport.

“Teamwork. Team bonding, you have to be close with them. If not, then you’re not going to have good communication with your teammates,” she says.

Cross Country

Cross country is the one of the toughest sports. Most people already know that but let’s just point that out. This is the sport for people who can endure both the physical stress of running and the mental stress. There is no glory in cross country; no bubbly cheerleaders shaking pom poms, no fans waiting at the starting line. In short, cross country is the sport for people who are willing to work out, race outside of your comfort zone to make yourself look tougher. Run to your limit- just ask runner Ryuto Kitagawa.

Kitagawa likes running because it make him happy and it’s very addicting. His teammates think of him as, “crazy, loud, hungry, and slightly hype.” He has done other sports such as track, soccer, flag football, karate, and taekwondo. He intends to run 3 miles in less than 20 minutes.

Football

What’s your football celebration dance? Football is hard- it is entertaining to watch, but it’s a tough sport. Football combines what people like about other sports such as the hitting of boxing, precision passing of basketball, and the companionship of baseball all into one game that moves quickly. The excitement lead to football parties, where people watch the game with groups of friends and families.

Christopher Whitney (11), left offensive guard, said, “Passion. Passion of playing a sport, passion of training, passion of conditioning and stuff like that.” Whitney thinks, “teamwork and communication” will make a team successful because it would be a difficult season if you weren’t with your teammate(s), and you need to communicate. Whitney’s ambition is to graduate in high school and he sees himself, “helping people… I guess.”

Girls Softball

Softball is a variation of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Did you know that high schools only have softball teams with girls, not boys? To be truly successful in softball, players have to practice a lot, and constantly learn. You have to be fast, fierce, have strength and determination, and teamwork.

Soft Tennis

Everyone knows soft tennis is a game using a racket played on two halves of a court separated by a net. It is the same as regular tennis, it is either played by individuals or pairs. The objective is the same as well, by hitting the ball over the net with aim, preventing their opponent from being able to hit the ball back. However, the equipment is different than regular tennis. Soft tennis uses soft rubber balls instead of hard yellow balls. What’s really popular about soft tennis, you can see breathtaking, great rallies, and impressive net play between players. Don’t worry, this sport has teams for both girls and boys.

Girls Volleyball

The girls volleyball team is the only sport that has 3 individual teams; Junior Varsity (JV), White/Blue, and Varsity (V). We heard the catchphrase, “It all starts with a pass.” Volleyball is a combination of confidence and frustration. Volleyball can help you improve your coordination, balance, and reflexes. This sport makes the players strong not only physically but also mentally.

In volleyball, you have to sacrifice your body for every single point. Every second is a battle between your team and the other team. There is diving, receiving, passing, setting, hitting, tipping, and blocking, point after point. You always have to be ready at any moment and be focused. Volleyball doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger! Just find Kiana Coffin (12), and she’ll tell you the pressure from all the practices and games, all for their devoted coach.

“I joined the volleyball team because I thought it would be fun to play and actually interact with different people.” Coffin has done other sports such as basketball, baseball, and soccer. She said 3 years ago, her basketball team made it to states. However in the first round the team got knocked-out by Leilehua . This was an unforgettable moment for Coffin because the team has never gone into states for a very long time. Coffin plans to graduate with honors and make her way into states for basketball this year along with her team.

Watch out for the disciplinarian varsity coach, Janeen Waialae, aka Coach Nena. She is very influential and she’s always prepping her girls for upcoming tournaments and games. Her typical schedule looks busy and has long hours. Coach Nena’s way of coaching is very strict. She looks for players who are disciplined , committed, and have integrity. Every weekday after school, Coach Nena has study hall in her class C-15, for her volleyball players to have time to work on their studies. “Students are required to be responsible and manage their time. Academics are important to be able to participate in athletic teams which is why we have study hall.” The quote Coach Nena found appealing was so simple, clever, and motivating:  “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t, work hard.”