By Jesika Henson
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On April 25, the MHS judo team exited the Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) competition with not only the championship title but placings for multiple individuals as well.
“The thing I like most about competing is being able to stand next to my teammates and fight with them,” said Senior Haylie Shinsato, who placed first. “Whether we win or not, we always have each other’s back and learn from our mistakes.”
For the senior athletes, placing in the championship was especially rewarding after competing for so many years. “Being this was my first OIA championship title it was very rewarding because every year I always came up short. It was definitely something I needed to work for because nothing is guaranteed,” said Shinsato. Senior Brent Ikei added, “It feels amazing to place in OIAs, especially because I have never placed second before.”
Winning is not the only objective of competing, but what you can get out of the competition and apply to life. “Through my years on the Mililani judo team (in high school) I learned life lessons from my coaches and teammates in addition to becoming a competitor. It’s enjoyable to carry on that tradition to the students today and coach them during their time at Mililani,” explained Head Coach Alex Kikuyama. “The main goal in judo is to learn respect and discipline; winning will follow. Winning matches is something that is easier to teach than carrying yourself with respect and developing a strong work ethic.”
Their success was not a product of luck, but rather of extensive preparation. “I prepare myself mentally by visualizing what I will do on Saturday, the day of the tournament. This way, I would not have any surprises when I actually competed,” explained Ikei. “I prepared physically by training hard in the practice room every weekday for two hours.” Kikuyama added, “We try to stress hard work Monday through Friday and practicing with the intensity you want to have on game day. Along with the help of our team captains, our goal is to consistently improve each day and do so as a team.”
Despite judo being mostly individual, team dynamics play a large role during tournaments. “My team helps push me and motivate me to perform to the best of my abilities and are always there for me to pick me up when I fall. I wouldn’t be able to be where I am today without them,” explained Shinsato. Ikei added, “Sometimes during my matches, I look at my team and it gives me more motivation to keep on going because it reminds me what I am fighting for.”
Additionally, the Mililani judo program practices a policy of a united team. “Mililani judo has always preached ‘one team’ and doesn’t separate boys from girls or freshmen from seniors. Throughout the season the goal is to make each other better each and every day,” explained Kikuyama, “Team success usually leads to individual success, but most of the time it doesn’t work the other way around. The regular season competitions reinforce this idea. We’re putting our best players against another school’s best. An individual win doesn’t single-handedly get us the ‘W,’ but if we put it all together and each player fights for one another we can come out on top.”
In preparation for next year, Kikuyama and the other coaches are planning to implement an off-season training program to keep the team strong and prepared.
