Page 4 - MidWeek West - June 1, 2022

4 JUNE 1, 2022
Waipahu High School Seniors, Judoka Bring Back The Gold
BY KYLE GALDEIRA
a first for Waipahu High,” Alcantara says. “Then to fol- low up with placing fourth for our girls’ team in the state tournament (is) a bless- ing indeed!”
From the time he took up judo as a senior at Waipahu High School, Joshua Alcan- tara began to dream of help- ing the program contend for state championship success.
Kuikahi is a four-year ju- doka at Waipahu who started the sport as part of Pearl City Hongwanji Judo Club and eventually qualified for the state tournament as a fresh- man. Inis is also a four-year player, who also qualified as a freshman for the state tour- ney and ended up placing sixth that year before culmi- nating her career with gold.
He started participating in 2003 as a senior and, after graduating, Alcantara asked his coach if he could con- tinue helping the program as a volunteer or coach be- cause he enjoyed the sport so much.
Waipahu High School seniors Zylee Kuikahi (left) and Dallas Inis (right) won first place for their respective weight classes at the 2022 Judo State Championships. PHOTOS COURTESY JOSHUA ALCANTARA
injury on the final throw.” Kuikahi and Inis are cur- rently training to further their judo careers, practic- ing for first-degree black belts. They both plan on volunteering as coaches
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“My drive to coach came not just for the love of the sport, but as a way to mentor students on and off the mat,” Alcantara says. “In 2006, I became the assistant coach to my oldest friend, Tappy Andrews, who has mentored me in judo. And in 2014, I became the head coach.”
at Waipahu while attend- ing college and working, choosing to give back to their former teammates and school.
still have a lot of younger talent developing. Draw- ing more and more interest from students every year, there’s a brighter future for this program still to come,”
Alcantara, who serves in the Hawai‘i Army National Guard, recalls his early days of coaching in the mid-2000s when the goal was build- ing up the program to have someone represent Waipahu at the state tournament and place in a respectable slot, which became a regular oc- currence since 2006.
Kuikahi’s match was described by Alcantara as “pretty quick, and with Zylee being a calm and col- lected individual, we were very excited about her win, but her expression showed her humble side. She started out in control of her oppo- nent, where she executed her back throw and quickly transitioned to her ground- work to finish the match with a pin.”
The Waipahu girls dou- bled down on that dream at the 2022 Judo State Champi- onships, held May 7 at Stan Sheriff Center, as seniors Dallas Inis and Zylee Kui- kahi claimed state champi- onship gold in the 122- and 154-pound weight class- es, respectively. They also helped the Waipahu girls se- cure fourth place overall.
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“Having to deal with the whole COVID-19 situation, missing out on two seasons of their high school careers, I believe that sparked a drive that motivated them like never before (when) enter- ing their final year in high school judo. And it showed every day as they led their team through practices and competitions,” Alcantara says.
“I see great things com- ing for Waipahu judo. For
a program that rarely got
recognition tracing back
to my high school days, to
seeing the team grow from
10 judoka to 50. Although
the team will be losing key judoka(oLnicboetnhssequ#aCdsT,-t3he7y710A)lcantara says.
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Adds Alcantara: “Dal- las’ match lasted the entire length. In the final seconds, Dallas executed a back throw and scored as time ran out. Although I was so proud and filled with joy, we want- ed to celebrate her win but were more concerned for her opponent who suffered an
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