Ah Mow-Santos starts work with Rainbow Wahine

Football has “Pride Rock.”

Volleyball now has “The Circle of Life.”

Hawaii continued with “The Lion King” theme on Monday when Robyn Ah Mow-Santos ran her first practice as the third head coach in the history of Rainbow Wahine volleyball. And, as only Disney could script it, it was held in Klum Gym, where Ah Mow-Santos had her first practice as a Wahine back in 1993.

While the 41-year-old acknowledged there were plenty of memories, the three-time U.S. Olympic team setter was focused on the here and now … and later. As her players quickly learned, Ah Mow-Santos comes ready to practice from the time the ball carts are rolled out.

“I had mixed emotions,” said setter Norene Iosia, who started as a freshman under now-retired Hall of Fame coach Dave Shoji last season. “I was excited but also nervous. It was very intimidating … but it’s a good intimidation.

“She’s here to get stuff done — you can tell it in her face, how she carries herself. She is here for a purpose, and that’s to make us better, to make us win. The first practice was kind of a wake-up call for me.”

As it was — literally — for the nine Wahine who knew Ah Mow-Santos as Shoji’s assistant through last spring and the other six players who arrived at the Manoa campus after Ah Mow-Santos moved to Las Vegas, following her husband Niobel’s latest military orders.

The team was in Klum Gym before the roosters began crowing outside.

Ah Mow-Santos, who arrived from Las Vegas on Sunday night, was ready for the early-morning practice. But ready to replace her former coach, a legend in the sport who established Hawaii as a premier program during his 42 seasons?

“I’m ready for the gym stuff, but I’m nervous … as well as excited,” she said. “I love being in the gym, I love trying to make kids better, not only in the gym but in life itself.

“Today was what I thought it was going to be. It’s about finding a gym culture and discipline. The first think I told them was all I wanted from them was to give me 100 percent. If you give me that, then I’ll give you whatever I got. But if you come in and you give less than that, then you’ll get less or you sit on the side or you get cut.”

Ah Mow-Santos emphasized the words that were printed on the front of everyone’s shirts: “Wahine Volleyball.” The McKinley High graduate pointed to them while speaking to the players, saying “It’s different here. You’re not just playing for yourself, so don’t be selfish. You’re playing for the state, the school, your family and all the people who watch you. There’s nothing bigger in the United States (for women’s collegiate volleyball) than this.”

It hit home for Iosia, who aspires to have the same type of career as Ah Mow-Santos, from collegiate All-American to the U.S. Olympic team.

“I was excited when we were told she was coming back,” Iosia said. “She’s big everywhere. All the coaches I knew told me that if you were to be coached by any setter coach, you needed to be coached by Robyn.

“Of course, I want to be one of the best, so having her as my coach now is just amazing.”

Her coach had praise for Iosia as well.

“She’s got talent,” Ah Mow-Santos said. “She just needs to bring it out. That’s where the discipline comes in

“Once they all figure it out, get the discipline in gym and school, the sky’s the limit.”

Ah Mow-Santos is here through Thursday’s practice, then returns to Las Vegas, where she’ll deal with moving half her family back to Honolulu, next month at the earliest. While her husband, 14-year-old son Jordan and father Talmage will remain in Nevada in the house they just moved into last week, Ah Mow-Santos will return with her 6-year-old daughter Jream and 5-month-old son Makanamaikalani, the latter a special needs baby.

“We’ve made it work through four (military) tours,” Ah Mow-Santos said. “It’s going to be hard, but I love challenges.”