Kalani High’s Rising VB All-Star Is All About Hard Work

Wednesday - December 03, 2008
By Jack Danilewicz
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share Del.icio.us

Gymnasts (from left) Kiana Palin, Lauren Lauro and Sarah Barron, who is a third-grader at Honolulu Waldorf School, are pictured here with coach Lori Yee. All three earned spots on the National TOPS team at a recent competition designed to identify the nation’s best young gymnasts. The girls will attend a training camp run by Bela and Marta Karolyi and the Olympic team coaches this month. Photo from Terri Needels.

If work ethic has anything to do with it, Kalani High School senior Tina Pulu should be playing college volleyball somewhere next year, to hear her coach, Janeen Waialae, tell it. The only question is where.

While hardly a late bloomer, Pulu has nevertheless seen her game blossom over the past several months. Last week, she was selected as an Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East Second Team All-Star in a vote of league coaches - no small feat for a player coming from a team that won only one game and which competes in what is perhaps the most demanding league in the state.

“She’s one of those hard-working, coachable kids. You tell her something,and once is enough.The thing that really stands out is her work ethic.”

An outside hitter, Pulu has been sending out highlight tape to prospective college coaches. She was a First Team selection as a junior in 2007.

“She’s has some contacts - she’s looking to play at the next level,” Waialae said. “She had a late start because she didn’t play club over the summer, but she was still one of our strongest hitters. She did really well this year, and she works really, really hard.

“As a team, it was a growing and learning experience. We didn’t do as well as we had hoped.”

For Kalani, Pulu was something of a coach on the floor.“She’s a very competitive person,“Waialae added. “She’s one to push the other girls to get the job done when they’re down.”

The Falcons also had three players - Chelsie Vea, Chelsea Suzumoto, Nicole Stenstrom - make the Honorable Mention team for the recently completed season.

Elsewhere in East Oahu high school sports, Kaiser junior Sarah Epstein was named to the OIA White Conference’s First Team in a vote of league coaches, while senior Sunnie Wilson and junior Arianna Ordo were selected to the Second Team from the Cougars. Keely Bitanga, Cordray Vorderbruegge, Kari Noborikawa, Christina Coons and Chelsy Okuma all earned Honorable Mention from Kaiser.

Louise Fiamate made the Second Team from Kaimuki, while five Bulldogs - Malu Tautofi, Kuuipo-Meanui Pabro, Alyssa PanHalemanu, Athena Faitalia, and Violeti Mikaele - landed on the Honorable Mention team. Kawehi McShane earned Honorable Mention from Anuenue.

E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS

Most Recent Comment(s):

Posting a comment on MidWeek.com requires a free registration.

Username

Password

Auto Login

Forgot Password

Sign Up for MidWeek newsletter Times Supermarket
Foodland

 

 



Hawaii Luxury
Magazine


Tiare Asia and Alex Bing
were spotted at the Sugar Ray's Bar Lounge