For
18-year old Rachel Ogasawara, signing her National Letter of Intent Wednesday
morning was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
Ogasawara,
a catcher on the Kamehameha softball team, was one of 59 student-athletes from
Hawaii that put pen to paper at the signing day event that was put on by the
Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the
Waikiki Elks Club. There were also signees for volleyball, soccer, football,
track and field, swimming, basketball and baseball.
After
signing with the University of Washington, Ogasawara was all smiles as she
posed for pictures with friends and family in her purple Huskies hoodie that
she wore for the occasion. She will be studying sports medicine and hopes to be
a physician some day.
“It
was a huge relief because now I know where I’m finally going,” said Ogasawara,
who was a first team All-Hawaii selection last season. “I’m just really happy
because it’s my dream to go to the University of Washington.”
One
thing she likes about the Washington softball team is the family atmosphere
that they give off.
“I
really connected to the coaches and the team,” she said. “I also have family up
there and it’s close to home so it’s the best of both worlds.”
Even
though Ogasawara is in the final months of her high school carrer, she can’t
help but feel nervous about the next chapter in her life.
“Honestly
I’m kind of scared — but they say if your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not
big enough,” said Ogaswara. “Hopefully everything follows through and I’ll be
set.”
Another
standout softball player that signed her letter of intent was Punahou’s Krystin
Wong. The 17-year old shortstop will be studying biochemistry at Columbia
University in New York.
“I
never thought that I would be here signing to play at an Ivy League college,
but I guess things have a funny way of working out,” she said. “I worked really
hard for this so it feels good that it’s all paying off and I’m really proud to
go to Columbia.”
While
most athletes that go on to the next level have played their respective sports
from a very young age, Wong only started to play softball in seventh grade. She
credits former Punahou coach Mike Okimoto’s help in developing her skills.
“No
one really worked with me and put in the time because I started in seventh
grade compared to other people that started when they were toddlers,” said
Wong. “Coach (Okimoto) worked with me, saw something in me and never gave up on
me. He’s here today and a lot of thanks goes to him.”
Wong
hopes to follow the pre-med track to become a cardiac surgeon one day.
Also
signing her letter of intent Wednesday morning was 17-year old Kanoe Morihara
of Mililani. As a defensive stalwart, she helped the Trojans win their first
state title since 2002. She will play for Whittier College in the fall.
“I
think it just gave me a lot of confidence and made me feel like I can actually
play at the next level,” Morihara said on her final season as a Trojan. “It
just made me appreciate the game more and I felt like I couldn’t leave it
behind in high school. I think just through my senior year I just grew more
passionate (about the sport).”
One
of the hurdles that Morihara has had to overcome in her preps career was an
anterior cruciate ligament injury. Her experience bouncing back from it played
a hand in her decision to study kinesiology.
“I
hurt my knee a few years ago and I went to physical therapy and I really liked
how my physical therapist knew what to do for me to get better,” she said. “I
just like helping people and the body really interests me.”
Former Kealakehe and University
of California-Berkley track and field sprinter Francesca Weems was the keynote
speaker at the ceremony. She graduated from Kealakehe in 2011 and is now a
sports anchor and reporter for Hawaii News Now.
No comments:
Post a Comment