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Surfriders’ Secret Weapon: Yoga To Relax, Rejuvenate

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When Ka’u Kohatsu joined the Kailua girls basketball team, she didn’t envision taking a weekly yoga lesson as part of the package.

“I thought it was only for old people,“she said.“It’s actually really fun. We’ve learned a lot about how to make our bodies better, and we just have fun mostly. I didn’t know our bodies were so flexible.”

Coach Ramona Takahashi has always taken the holistic approach to running the Surfrider program, but this winter is the first of her 21 seasons at the school that she’s introduced her team to yoga. Last year, they did a fire walk as one of many team-bonding activities.

“I’d started to take yoga myself as a way to help me with my teaching in general,” she said,“and after noticing a difference, I began to incorporate some of those things into our conditioning phase. I found that it complements how we train our kids as athletes.”

Each Saturday morning the girls travel together for a 9 a.m. yoga session at a private residence on the Windward side, where instructor “Val” awaits them. “She’s so good that she’s able to specialize (the session) for us,” Takahashi said. “She’ll ask me whether we have a game that night or practice so that she knows what’s happening with us and how to work with the body.

“It was different for them at first, but the kids love it,” she added. “The first week we were supposed to go it was canceled, and they were bummed. They were yelling, ‘We want yoga!’ It relaxes the mind, makes them calmer, yet we’re still intense (when back on the basketball court). Last year, watching the teams in the playoffs, you could see that the body begins to feel the wear and tear of the season. I think this helps to rejuvenate us.”

Added leading scorer Ashley Jacobs,“I think it helps my game, and it prevents injuries. We’ve all been healthy. It teaches us to calm ourselves and loosens up the muscles, so I think it benefits us.”

On the court, the Surfriders are enjoying a stellar season, having taken an 11-2 mark into the weekend. A likely No. 2 seed for this week’s Oahu Interscholastic Association tournament when the pairings are finalized, Kailua is hoping for a second straight appearance in the upcoming Division II State Tournament. The top three finishers in the OIA tour-ney earn the league’s berths for the state tournament.

Kailua finished fifth in the state a year ago, and its returnees vowed to return to Stan Sheriff Center this season to play another game.

“It (the beginning of the post-season) has helped to give us a little more focus,” Takahashi said of its long-awaited arrival.“Now we need to refine our focus a little bit more.”

She estimates that the Surfriders spend about “17 to 20 hours a week” together. In addition to practices and games, players and coaches review film together of both their past encounter and upcoming opponents and perform community service. Takahashi is among those who believe that peak performance begins in the mind. Off the court, they have also done their part in the classroom with nine of 11 team members currently holding a grade-point average of 3.4 or better.

“It’s big-time for us,” she said of the mental approach. “We watch movies, and I give them readings about it. It (the mental preparation) is an overlooked aspect of the game.”

This week, another “team activity” awaits. “I have another surprise for them,” she said.

The Surfriders attribute much of their cohesiveness to their team activities. Except for White Conference Player of the Year candidate Kristen Corrales, the girls are largely a team without “a superstar,” in their coach’s view.

“We have our consistent players that we look to, but a lot of people are contributing. They’re kind of interchangeable. We can rotate according to the team that we’re playing.”

In addition to Corrales, Kohatsu and Jacobs, the rotation also features Tawny Kiko, Tianna McKeague, Zsalei Kamaka, Tia Navarro, Kahea Chang and sisters Sola and Aui Williams.

The Surfriders were to learn of their first-round opponent for this week’s OIA Tournament on Sunday. It will run Friday, Saturday and Sunday at various sites. The Hawaiian Airlines State Tournament will take place Feb. 20-23.