Kapolei Emerges From ‘Hell Week’ Ready For Soccer Season
Should Eden Ines and her Kapolei soccer team-mates make another post-season run this winter, they will likely look back on the first week of practice as having set the tone for their 2014-15 season.
Known throughout the program as “Hell Week,” the Hurricanes’ first week of the season involves early-morning conditioning sessions in addition to their usual practice in late afternoon.
“I’m not sure what time it was. I only know it was really early,” said Ines, a midfielder. “I think we had to be at the school by 5:30 and it was all conditioning.
“They had to turn on the stadium lights.”
If anyone was up to the task for the Hurricanes, it was Ines, who came into Kapolei’s preseason camp “in the best shape of anybody on the team,” according to head coach Brian Beck.
“Hell Week” has become a tradition for the Kapolei Hurricanes, who have qualified for the State Tournament in seven of the last eight years.
“We all died together,” Ines said of Hell Week, “but that contributed to our closeness, looking back at it. Coach really pushes us, but he really cares for us, too. He wanted us to go into our tryouts doing the best we could.
“The running is hard, but when we were done, he always provided us with breakfast.”
Ines and her Hurricane teammates are hoping their hard work again translates into victories for next season.
Kapolei is coming off a 13-4 season in 2013-14, which included a berth in Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Division I Soccer Championships last February.
In addition to Ines, Kapolei also returns key players from last season in seniors Kelli Fryxell (midfielder), Shandy Hopeau (defender) and Bianca Gonzales (forward).
Elsewhere throughout the lineup, underclassmen will take on key roles.
For her part, Ines is coming off of a solid junior season at midfield. She had spent her first two years on the Kapolei Junior Varsity before making the Varsity’s starting lineup last year.
“Last year was a big turning point for me,” said Ines, who also competes in soft tennis and track and field for Kapolei. “JV was fun, too, but it wasn’t as competitive. Varsity is a much different level. When I got to Varsity, my teammates were really supportive, and it made me want to contribute.
“I look forward to going to practice and being with my teammates,” she added. “I become energized.”
The Hurricanes’ cohesiveness as a group was helped along by team-bonding activities, which include a weekly pasta night, where they load up on carbohydrates.
“We have a lot of different types of personalities, but we all come together to form a team,” Ines said. “The vibe between us is pretty good.
Our team-bonding activities have been great, and we’ve all gotten close.
“This will help us stay together if we’re down. Of course, we want to live up to our reputation. That’s what we aim to do.”
Kapolei is in the midst of a three-game home stand, which began with last Friday night’s Oahu Interscholastic Association Western Division opener against Nanakuli.
The Hurricanes return to action Friday when they host Radford at 7 p.m. A home date with Waialua will follow Tuesday, Dec. 16.
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