By Harlan Rose
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The boys and girls varsity tennis teams served up a dual success at the Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) team championships on April 11 at the Central Oahu Regional Park. Both teams took home first place, with the boys going up against the Kalani High School Falcons and the girls facing off with the Pearl City High School Chargers.
“I was really happy and proud of how far the team has come this season,” said Sophomore Haley Fujimori. “I was also thankful to God for allowing our team to be successful and bond well throughout the whole season.”
To prepare for the championships, the athletes participated in regular practices and received advice from their coaches. “I worked out with my coaches and teammates. My coaches helped me prepare for the match by giving me pointers on how to play against my opponent and her style of play,” said Fujimori. Head Coach Jason Agsalda added, “We practice at least three times a week, working on basic fundamentals as well as point and match play. We stress the importance of being match ready by having high intensity during our practices.”
Additionally, some athletes took the extra step to practice on their own time. “I usually practice on my own a lot. My aunty helps me, she’s a coach, so she helps me a lot,” explained Sophomore Jace Akagi-Okuma. “It helps a lot because high school practice is very limited, because there’s only so (many) courts and there’s a lot of players on the team so it’s kind of hard to help everyone, so yeah it really helps.”
While the matches themselves were nerve-wracking, each athlete had their own methods to keep themselves focused and calm. “(I was) a little bit (nervous), but I think the nervous energy helped me to play better,” said Akagi-Okuma. Fujimori added, “I was nervous right before going on to play. I calmed my nerves by just focusing on what my game plan is and trusting my strokes.”
The teams’ hard work and dedication paid off, as both reigned victorious at the OIA championships. “I was pretty excited, I mean, it was like a mix of emotions and I was really proud of everyone,” expressed Akagi-Okuma. Agsalda added, “What I was impressed about was their mental toughness. The players did a great job managing their emotions so that it wouldn’t be too high or too low.”
Throughout the season, the athletes were able to bond together, which allowed them to work cohesively as a team. “This year’s tennis team (has) bonded so well. We are like one big family now. Everyone is an important member of the team, and each member of the team contributed to the championship by supporting each other,” said Fujimori.
Several athletes on the team also competed in the OIA individual championships from April 13 to 15. The Hawaii High School Athletic Association state tournament will take place from May 7 to 9.