Her joy begins at home.
Amaris Ishikawa says her mother and father are outstanding cooks. Her favorite food is mom Chanteke’s Portuguese bean soup.
“I actually just learned how to make it on New Year’s Eve,” she said.
It’s her second-favorite food, dad’s smoked meat, that has been the center of their partnership — not as soccer lifers, but in William Ishikawa’s 706 Smoked Meat business.
“He has the original flavor, which is shoyu-based, and char siu. He usually makes me cut the garlic and stuff, help with the. customers,” Amaris Ishikawa said.
Learning how her dad runs a business has made a huge impact.
“The most difficult part is probably the hustle. Always rushing, stressing out. I think making the product is fun, and once you get your groove going with your routine, you get it all together and it’s done,” she said. “It’s like muscle memory.”
Her father’s penchant for goalkeeping goes way back, which is partly why, in the beginning, minding the details of goalkeeping came quite naturally to Amaris Ishikawa.
“I was playing AYSO for Coach Rudy (Romero). He helps out (now) at Campbell. I remember I wasn’t a keeper at the time. I was a field player,” said Ishikawa, who was 6 at the time. “I think they needed a keeper, so it was a tryout. Me and this other girl were the two best. Then they found out my dad was a keeper, so they figured they’d try me there.”
It can be a lonely island back in the box, but she embraced it.
“II enjoyed it. I thought it was unique. There’s only one on the field. I probably had the most important job. It was not pressure. I wasn’t pressured growing up,” she said.
William Ishikawa was a goalkeeper at Campbell, a 2002 graduate. He learned the science of goalkeeping from then-head coach Frank Marotti, who died recently, and position coach Bruce McGonagle. Helping his daughter learn the craft made an early impression.
“We went to the park, or in our yard, or use the wall. It was for technique and for fun,” she said.
Now a 5-foot-9 senior, Ishikawa had the match of her life recently in perhaps the biggest match of her life (so far), protecting the goal for 100 minutes, then clutching up with three of her 10 saves during penalty kicks as the Lady Sabers battled past perennial powerhouse Mililani 1-0 for the OIA Division I championship on Jan. 20.
The OIA championship win is the biggest so far in Campbell’s 11-0-2 season. For Ishikawa, the biggest save of all was a choice. The game she once walked away from during elementary school is now the one she loves. Her comeback was years in the making.
It was more than a decade ago when Ishikawa gave soccer a try. After starting in AYSO, Ishikawa played for a club team. An Ewa Beach dad named James Curran started a grassroots soccer club for his daughter and kids in the neighborhood, Ishikawa and her parents showed up with Amaris and her brothers, Ezekiel and Thaddeus.
“She was kind of quiet, shy and soft,” Curran recalled. “Because her dad was a keeper and we needed a keeper, he took it upon himself to give her personal training.”
Sabers FC began to thrive in a world that wasn’t exactly made for grassroots clubs. While Ishikawa and her new teammates became part of a burgeoning powerhouse club that grew to seven teams under Curran, the weight of the responsibilities, the paperwork, the coach meetings, practices and matches took a toll on the founder.
He became an assistant coach at Campbell in 2015, the last time the Sabers won an OIA girls soccer title and placed third at the state tournament.
A year later, Curran became head coach, and the complexity of coaching at a high school program and running a full-fledged youth club became unsustainable. Curran still gave it a try.
In 2017, Sabers FC became no more.
“Our parents told us. I didn’t know about it until it happened,” Ishikawa recalled. “I was probably around 10.”
Players migrated to other clubs, but some wound up losing their passion for the sport. One of them was Ishikawa, who was derailed at first by an injury.
“I went to go play for another coach who helped with Sabers. I stopped when I was 12. Sixth grade. I wanted to play some more, and my parents encouraged me to play, but I injured my foot,” she said. “When I went back a month later, I was slack. I was, oh my gosh, I can’t do this any more. So I took a break.”
That break lasted more than three years. COVID-19 restrictions added to the layoff. Learning was virtual. She wasn’t connected, however, the way most 14-year-olds were. She was, for the most part, disconnected. Detached. Virtual learning wasn’t very virtuous.
That 2020-21 season, coach Curran’s team was primed for a deep run, but. His oldest daughter, Jourdyn, was a senior on a stacked Sabers squad that was heartbroken when the season was canceled in Hawaii because of pandemic restrictions. Jourdyn Curran is now a senior center-midfielder at Seattle University.
“That was supposed to be our year,” coach Curran said. “We went to the state championship against Kamehameha (the year before).”
The day came when restrictions were eased at local parks, Curran sent out a text. He set up goals at a local park and urged his players to have fun. No coaching. No referees. No drills. No conditioning. No screaming parents. Just go and play for fun. So they did. It was the beginning of a new era, but it didn’t include Ishikawa, who stayed home.
A year later, sophomore year was brighter for Ishikawa, who played on the junior varsity team.
“I was thinking about soccer. I kind of forced myself to play for college. Coach James asked me to play, but I was scared to go back. I was so out of shape. I had no relationships with any of my old teammates,” Ishikawa said.
Because she was unvaccinated, Ishikawa attended school on a religious exemption.
“At that time, you had to be vaccinated. Whenever someone on the team or at school found out they had (the virus) and were within 6 feet of me, I had to quarantine for two weeks,” she said. “So I almost never played.”
The frustration was immense.
“It was so dumb. I didn’t even want to play anymore. When you’re not at practice, you can’t play in the game,” Ishikawa said. “I only played half the games.”
Curran sensed that she was going through a lot. By junior year, Ishikawa was more prepared. More committed. And best of all, no restrictions.
“I was the second-string keeper. I still needed some work at that time to get that starting goalkeeper mentality, to be a leader,” said Ishikawa, who isn’t quite a bold type of player.
“I am not loud. My coach always gets on me about that. I talk mostly to my back line,” she said. “They can hear me, hopefully.”
Coming into this season, Curran wanted Ishikawa to get the most out of her final experience in high school soccer. Perhaps, unconsciously, he couldn’t stand the idea of a senior missing out on a potentially great experience.
Curran’s chat with Ishikawa worked. Ishikawa responded by earning the starter’s job. She got better with each week. During the regular season, Campbell and Mililani went to the max before settling with a 3-all tie. The relatively high-scoring match gave Ishikawa and her teammates a boost.
“I think we were really confident we could score on them,” Ishikawa said.
A potent offense can be a relief for a goalkeeper. Ishikawa was already gearing up for top-line performance by her teammates and herself.
“My mentality changed the most. Being scared to just go out there and be part of the team, I was going through it last year and sophomore year. This year, it’s OK,” she said. “I don’t have a group, but I think I’m friends with my teammates. I hang out with everyone.”
By keeping the door of opportunity open, Curran never gave up hope. He had to shut the door when his home life finally took priority over Sabers FC.
“I had to focus on my household. It was falling apart,” Curran said. “That was tough. People were shocked, but I had to do it.”
All he could do was hope and pray that Ishikawa and all the keiki who ran up and down the pitch as first- and second-graders would still find joy in the beautiful game. Years later, many of them became Lady Sabers. The group includes Jaylee, Curran’s younger daughter. Like Ishikawa, she stopped playing not long after Sabers FC folded. They returned to the sport and came full circle to become champions.
“My daughter Jaylee, Leia Tupper, Miyah Suster, Shayliah Bansay, Amaris,” Curran said. “There’s a few that graduated last year, Jessica Ancheta and Rae (Sharey) Romero.”
Watching Ishikawa mature and become an elite playmaker is beyond words, perhaps. It is certainly priceless. Connecting off the pitch was crucial.
“Last year was a little bit better. She came to the team bondings. She wasn’t totally bought in. This year, I told her, ‘You need to be committed. We have attendance policies on this team.’ We would have to move on to the next one who’s committed. We have four keepers, the most I ever had,” Curran said.
Ishikawa came through. The void that affected so many young people during the pandemic left lingering effects. Some became resilient.
“I think it mostly had to do with other people. I didn’t really have friends at the time, so it was weird trying to come out and have friendships with people. On top of that, coming to practice and stuff like that. I wasn’t excited about that. Now, I’m excited to come to practice,” Ishikawa said.
Introversion and isolation are one side of the coin. They can also develop the fortitude of great keeper.
“Keepers don’t really get recognition. When I was little, I used to get defeated when I got scored on. I’m pretty sure I dropped a couple of tears. But now, I shake it off. There’s time. We can fix it. Me being super shy and super quiet, I think it helps me to be overexcited. Staying calm and collected,” Ishikawa said.
Benjamin Padilla became a close friend of Amaris’ in fourth grade at Ewa Beach Elementary School.
“Amaris is a good friend because she is always there when I need someone to talk to. She brings me out of my awkward shell by forcing me to do stuff I would’ve never wanted to do if I was by myself,” he said.
Through her journey, home is where her heart always was and always is. Amaris translated from Hebrew means “promised by God.” She was 4 when she began to understand what her mother had told her many times.
“She had a dream that I was super heavy and long,” said Ishikawa, who was 9 pounds, 8 ounces on the scale at birth and 22 inches long on the measuring tape. “She dreamt I had super-duper fair skin, like white, and colored eyes. I had blueish-gray eyes when I was little. Now it’s hazel.”
Mom isn’t ready to let go just yet. Amaris Ishikawa hopes to play soccer in college while pursuing a career in sports medicine.
“We’re best friends. God knew what He was doing when He blessed us with her,” Chantele Ishikawa said.
William Ishikawa will miss his daughter, a keeper of goals.
“We’ll miss everything about her when she goes off to college — from being most helpful around the house and keeping her two brothers in check,” he said. “She will be greatly missed.”
The Motiv8 Foundation/HHSAA Girls Soccer State Championships kicks off this week. Second-seeded Campbell will battle the Waiakea-Kapolei winner in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 3 p.m. at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex. Ishikawa is hungry for more, still grateful for what she has.
“I would like to thank all my coaches that have molded me into the athlete I am today, but most importantly, coach James Curran,” she said. “He has always supported me. And I would like to thank my teammates for all their hard work and dedication, especially this team, for their friendship and memories we have together.”
Amaris Ishikawa
Campbell soccer
Top 3 movies/shows
1. “Gilmore Girls”
2. “10 Things I Hate About You”
3. “Ponyo”
“ ‘Ponyo’ is by Studio Ghibli. I’ve seen the ‘Gilmore Girls’ series twice. I’ve seen ’10 Things I Hate About You’ five times. I like the plot. It’s a romance movie. It’s hopeful.”
Top 3 foods/drinks
1. Arizona Iced Tea
2. Sushi (Genki Sushi)
3. Ahi poke (Foodland)
Top 3 homemade foods
1. Mom’s Portuguese bean soup
2. Dad’s smoked meat
3. Mom’s beef pot roast
“My mom (Chantele) and dad can both cook really good.”
Top 3 music artists/favorite song
1. DJ Khaled ft. SZA – “Just Us”
2. Tauren Wells ft. Elevation Worship – “Joy in the Morning”
3. Ekolu – “It’s the Way I feel About You”
Favorite athlete
Guillermo Ochoa, Mexico GK
Favorite team
Pittsburgh Steelers
“My dad is a Steelers fan. Most of my family on both sides are Steelers fans.”
Funniest teammate
Jade Gulisao
“She just is a character. She’s really loud when she talks, super duper loud. Her humor is something else. She makes me laugh, but I don’t tell her. She thinks that I don’t like her humor, but she’s funny.”
Smartest teammate
Brandee Agualo
“I know she’s in AVID. People in AVID are super smart. She’s already accepted to a lot of colleges. I think she has college credits already.”
Favorite teacher
Mrs. (Kanoe) Clarin
“She was my first grade teacher at Ewa Beach Elementary. She’s really sweet, nice, kind. She has a personal connection with her students. I know that her husband teaches at Campbell. He was my chemistry teacher. He was nice, too.”
Favorite class
Algebra II
“I really like math. I think it’s my best subject. This class was easy, but fun at the same time. I took it as a sophomore, I think.”
Personal motto
If it is His will, then it is the way.
Favorite scripture
Psalms 28:7
“The Lord is my strength and my shield.”
Hidden talent
Drums
“I always liked music, anything about music. I played clarinet in middle school band. I was scared about what to pick, so I went with what my friend picked, but I regret it. Clarinet was fun to play, but I wish I picked drums. Oh my gosh, I could do that. I have an electronic drum kit at home in my closet. I got it two years ago. I had a drum kit my mom’s friend gave me in middle school.”
Shoutouts
“First of all I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for everything that he has blessed me with and for being my firm foundation. I would like to thank my parents for always pushing me to be the best version of myself. I would like to thank all my coaches that have molded me into the athlete I am today, but most importantly coach James Curran, who has been my coach since I was a little girl and who has always supported me, and lastly my teammates for all their hard work and dedication, especially this team, and for their friendship and memories we have together.”
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Paul Honda, Star-Advertiser
