‘The Little Girl’ Grows Up Into Lady Trojans’ Junior Captain

Del.icio.us

Mililani tennis coach May Ann Beamer still refers to Adrienne Hamada as “The Little Girl,” but it’s only out of habit. If anyone has had an up-close view of the junior captain’s growth through the years it is Beamer, the longtime Mililani coach and Hamada’s private coach since she was 7.

“She’s just that kind of gal that can do almost everything,” said Beamer. “She’s just so dependable. She keeps me organized.”

Hamada, who finished third in the state tournament last spring in doubles along with then-teammate Alyssa Shimizu, has responsibilities that go beyond that of the typical captain. She also processes grade checks for her teammates and serves as a liaison between athletic director Glen Nitta and Beamer, among other duties. During the JV season, she helps her coach at practice, teaching the underclassmen.

It is on the court, of course, where Hamada is at her best. She and teammate Kim Takara recently captured the OIA doubles championship, and the pair are among the favorites at this week’s state tennis championships at Central Oahu Regional Park.

While she enters the state tournament still undefeated in both doubles and in the singles matches she played, Hamada has been preparing lately as if winless.

“It’s more about working hard than anything else and doing the best you can,” said Hamada, who maintains a 3.9 grade-point average. “We’ve been watching some of the ILH teams play a little bit and practicing really hard to get into the groove.”

Hamada played singles at times this season to help Mililani better compete in their “team” competitions, but was moved exclusively to doubles for the state to have another opportunity after coming so close in that format last year, according to Beamer.

“When we would have a difficult singles matchup, like against Kapolei, Radford and Aiea, I put ‘The Little Girl’ in there (at first singles),” Beamer said. “I know she’ll win in that spot, and she always does. She’s a very versatile player. Next year, we’ll work with her in singles.”

In doubles, Hamada’s dominating play at the net has earned her another nickname during her career at Mililani - that of the “vacuum cleaner,” as labeled by an Aiea follower.

“Most girls are afraid of the net, but she’s awesome there,” Beamer said.“She can go toe-to-toe with any guy on the team.”

As was the case last year, Hamada and Takara could face their stiffest competition this week from Kelsey Daguio and Kelly Domingo of Sacred Hearts. The pair edged Hamada and Shimizu in the semifinals before losing to Ashley Ohira and Ashley Nakaoka of Punahou in the finals. Ohira has completed her eligibility, but Nakaoka teamed with Jennifer Laws to win the ILH championship recently and should also be a big factor in the doubles division.

Hamada and Takara earned the No. 4 seed when the pairings were announced late last week, so they’ll have a bye on Wednesday. They will play at 11:30 a.m. Thursday against the winner of a first-round matchup between April Hatada and Han Ha Youn of Waiakea, and Mairi Koike and Nicole Paiva of Kalani.

Hamada grew up envisioning the day when she could compete for the Trojans. “After I started taking lessons from Coach Beamer, I wanted to play high school tennis there and have her as my coach in high school. She’s a great coach. She pushes you a lot, and it’s all worth it in the end. She’s motivated me. My parents also have motivated me to do my best.”

Although tennis has become an all-consuming venture for Hamada, she wouldn’t have it any other way. She said her strength is “my love and passion for the game.”

Next season, another Hamada is projected to play for Mililani - younger sister Terri Anne. “She can’t wait. She’s seen me, and now she wants to do the same thing.”