Running Is A Frame Of Mind For Pearl City’s Domingo
By Jack Danilewicz
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Dayna Domingo admits she may have arrived ahead of schedule when she managed a 10th-place finish at the Honolulu Marathon 2007 state cross country championships, her first full season of competing in the sport for Pearl City High.
“I didn’t really expect it, actually,” said Domingo, who finished second overall in the OIA to Mililani’s Kristin Ali Keith. “It was a shocker.”
When she began her senior season a few weeks back, expectations were understandably high for Domingo, who also competes in track and field and soccer at Pearl City. As in those sports, she traces her quick rise in cross country to her will to prepare to win.
“Training is hard, but to get better, you have to train and practice hard and give your best, which is what is most important,” she said. “I think it’s a mental thing. You have to be strong in your mind and keep up at the same pace you’re going at.”
This Saturday, Domingo and her teammates will be in the Nanakuli preseason meet, where they will compete with runners from Campbell, Kahuku, Kapolei, L e i l e h u a , M o a n a l u a , Waianae and Waipahu, in addition to the host Hawks. It will mark the fourth preseason event of the year for the Chargers, who have also competed in races at Aiea, Campbell and as the host school in previous weeks.
The OIA’s Western Division championships are set for Oct. 11. As was the case last year, Domingo will find top-echelon competition on the West side alone, with Ali Keith back in the fold for Mililani, while Leilehua’s Savannah Lowrie also returns to the scene after taking sixth in the state last November. Statewide, only four of the top 20 finishers at last year’s state meet have completed their eligibility, making this fall’s cross-country season one of the most contested in recent memory.
Domingo’s focus is not on the competition, however, but rather on herself. She attributes her strong work ethic to her competitive mind-set. The youngest of three children born to Arthur and Norma Domingo, she’s followed in the steps of older brothers, Alan and Michael.
“They both played soccer, and they also ran cross country, so they influenced me in being athletic,” said Domingo, who is coached by Todd Nishida and Donaldo Hopper at Pearl City.
Heading into last weekend’s preseason race at Aiea, Domingo had finished seventh and 10th, respectively, in the events at Pearl City, Aiea and Campbell. She was under the weather at the Pearl City meet, so she considered her performance at Campbell, which drew more OIA schools in addition to a number of Mainland competitors, the better of the two.
Domingo is undecided on where she will attend college next fall, but Oregon is one possibility. Whether or not she will have a chance to continue running is also to be determined, but Domingo could likely find her way back to an athletic environment as a coach someday.
“I would coach,” she said. “I kind of want to be a teacher and stay around sports.”
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