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The idea was planted about one year ago.
Sure, the Kaiser water polo team has always wanted to beat Kahuku in an important match, but a state-tournament consolation loss to the Red Raiders in 2018 turned the “want to” into “going to.”
“Last year, we beat Kahuku in the regular season, but lost to them at (the OIA championships),” said Erin Patterson, one of eight seniors playing for the Cougars. “We saw them in a state consolation game and we really wanted to give them a good run. We ended up losing. I remember getting out of the pool and all of us were bawling in the back of the handshake line. When we were sitting back on the benches, we promised we would beat them this year.”
The 8-3 victory over the Red Raiders on April 20 broke a string of nine straight league championships by the North Shore team.
“We wanted to get to the (league) championship so badly for four years,” senior Megan Kaneshiro said. “It’s such a great reward to be able to get there and an amazing feeling to be able to win.”
With a No. 2 seed in the Stanford Carr Development, LLC/HHSAA Girls Water Polo State Championships that began Monday and will resume Thursday through Saturday at Kamehameha, Kaiser’s season continues.
“At states, we would like to be in the top three — that’s our goal right now,” senior Moamina Hanada said. “We are going to work hard every single practice and do our best in every game and scrimmage that we go through until the states.”
Maybe with some good fortune, the song “We are the Champions” by Queen that they sang at karaoke after the OIA clinching match can hold up at states. It’s a tall task. An OIA team has never won it all since the tournament’s inception in 2004.
Coach Asa Tanaka, who has been at the helm since the Cougars’ water polo program started and has also been involved as an athlete or coach since the Kaiser swimming team started in the 1970s, is wary of teams using a feature article as bulletin-board incentive.
The girls are not worried about that.
“As long as we play our game and do what we do, we’ll be fine,” senior Sarah Lorenzo said.
Over the four years for these Cougars, there has been a lot of crying.
“Freshman year, we lost to Roosevelt,” senior Noelle Nakakura said. “It was a tough game. I didn’t play a lot. I might not have even played. After the game and team meeting we went to the back of the bleachers and all of us were crying and eating garlic chicken. I’ll always remember that.”
Senior Taylor Kuroiwa was expecting more shedding of tears after the win over Kahuku, but, she said, they didn’t come.
“Instead, we were like, ‘Oh, we won,’ ” she said.
Tanaka confirmed that he will remain as head coach for the water polo team next season. He is, however, stepping down as a swimming coach.
“Coach Asa is the best coach for sure,” Hanada said. “He’s more like a parental figure than a coach. He likes to get to know us and really talk to us. He’s always looking out for us. Sometimes, if we lack confidence in games, he likes to push. In that moment, you are thinking it’s a little too much, but after the game you realize how important those words were.”
Added Patterson: “We haven’t reached our full potential and he’s trying to pull that out of us.”
Senior Kanoko Niimura remembers learning the hard way, the very hard way, when an early experience as a freshman helped her become stronger for the competition ahead.
“The seniors were late and the rule was that if you come late you will not play, regardless of position,” she said. “All the seniors got really mad, maybe thought it was a joke. Then Coach said to us, ‘OK, you guys go in.’ We were confused, scared. That was funny, yeah. We got demolished. Yeah, it was kind of bad.”
If Kaiser finds its mental game slipping, senior Reina Kim knows the answer.
“When someone starts thinking that they’re not doing so well, we always punch them on the shoulder really hard and say, ‘No, get that thing our of your head.’ ” Kim said.
When the season is over, they will miss each other for sure, win or lose.
“We’re a family and we do everything together,” said Kuroiwa, who started to get a bit emotional herself, although it was probably pool water and not actual tears on her face. “It’s hard to think I have to live without them. After a while, I’m sure I’ll see them around and we’ll stay connected. But it’s sad that we’re going to separate.”
The final water polo chapter of their careers is approaching.
“Oh my God, it was so surreal when we won the OIA championship,” Kim said. “When it ended, not only had we beaten them, but we exceeded our expectations. We have no hard feelings against any other team. We were just so happy. States is a whole ’nother level. We’re still going to try our best. We usually go into states with the goal of having fun. This year, we’re going into it more competitively, I guess.”
MAOMINA HANADA
>> Plans for college: Will be going, but undecided as to where.
>> On playing water polo: “I enjoy it so much. It’s a team bonding sport and I think it brings the best out in me.”
MEGAN KANESHIRO
>> Plans for college: University of Hawaii
>> On her original decision to play water polo: “I wasn’t planning on doing it. The seniors asked me to come out because I like swimming. I’m really glad I came out.
REINA KIM
Plans for college: Thinking of Pacific Lutheran for biochemistry to become a dentist.
On difficulties at practice: “If someone gets hit with the head with the ball and it’s because of carelessness. We have to do 10 smokers — sprint to the other side of the pool, get out, sprint to the other side o the pool and get out.
TAYLOR KUROIWA
>> Plans for college: University of Hawaii for pre-nursing
>> On the team breaking up: “At karaoke, that was our last team outing. It was emotional. Hopefully, we plan another one.”
SARAH LORENZO
>> Plans for college: Universiy of Hawaii, travel industry management
>> On playing for Kaiser: “There are days I’m really sad or feeling like I’m not good ebough. But we’re all friends and we all love each other. They are always there for me and I tell them that they’re my best friends.”
NOELLE NAKAKURA
>> Plans for college: Business management major, film or acting minor; possible career in entertainment industry.
>> On Coach Asa Tanaka: He is awesome and so accommodating with our school schedule. If we have t study for a test, he will say it’s OK to miss practice because grades are more important.”
KANOKO NIIMURA
>> Plans for college: University of San Francisco or University of Washington for something in science, business or psychology.
>> On the state tournament: “We are usually relaxing before states. This year is tense because of our ranking. Coaches are telling us you can beat this team and we’re reluctant to believe it. If we lose, it’s OK. It’s just for fun. We want to end it on a good note.”
ERIN PATTERSON
>> Plans for college: Boston University for human physiology
>> On coach Tanaka: “He doesn’t show emotions. Even if you break a swimming record, he doesn’t get excited or cheer. You can tell when he’s satisfied because he looks really smug. You have to know that when he doesn’t look mad, he’s very, very happy.”
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