After 4 hours of intense competition, and a spirited performance by our team, our efforts garnered a second place finish to Kamehameha in the team race, finishing with 6 individual champions on the day.  We were grateful for the opportunity to compete and for everyone who helped make the day possible.  Champions included: Cameron Kato, Ryne Sato, Bun Straton, Giovanni Borja, Chieko Imai, and Kiana Lau.

It has been the pleasure of this coaching staff to have worked with such a fine group of young men and women.   From day one on the stairs to the last few days on the mat, this team has been focused, disciplined, and committed to and for each other.  In the face of challenges great and small this team has shown resiliency, flexibility, and an unwillingness to accept anything less than their very best.  We are proud of the work the wrestlers have put in this season, and prouder yet of the people they are becoming.  We would like to congratulate all of the wrestlers on their successes thus far in life, and all those waiting for them in the future.

“It was a privilege, it was an honor”.

Coach Mike, Matt, Colin, Dee, Erin, Matt

Chieko Running the Mills

Wrestling for Position

Classic Old School Rivalries

Victory does not come easily

Running the head to the knee

Captain Bradford

Kiana Lau and Katja Berthold wrestling for the top spot

Aloha to all the JV and Varsity for coming to support us!

On Tuesday, December 13th the Punahou Intermediate wrestling team held a joint practice with the Washington Intermediate Eagle Wrestling club. Coached by Brett Kumabe c/o ’95 the Washington Eagles and Punahou Buff n Blue have collaborated on a number of successful projects in the past, and continued that success with a spirited and eventful afternoon.

Getting to Know Each Other

The day started off with warm-ups, stretching and getting to know each other. We learned all sorts of information about each other like where we are from and our favorite ice cream flavors, school subjects, and video games. We practiced our neutral position and spin drills with the help of varsity wrestlers Nicole Taniguchi c/o ’12, Brian Peralta c/o ’12, and L.J. Remillard c/o ’13. We had fun learning different moves and seeing different styles of wrestling.

Working on Basing Up

After a short water break and reviewing how to base up from the bottom position we moved on to every wrestlers favorite part of practice…..WRESTLING! We broke up into groups of three and banged heads (both figuratively and literally). This was the most enjoyable part of practice and the wrestlers got a lot out of it. We ended the day learning to walk like an elephant, crawl like a bear, and learning to play chess… Like a Wrestler!

Much Aloha to Coach Brett, Joey, Andrew and the entire Washington Intermediate Eagles Wrestling club for visiting Punahou and providing us a tremendous opportunity to share and advance the sport we love. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Washington Intermediate and wish everyone a happy holiday season!

Coach Mike

Under Overs

Double Leg Takedown!

Showing the boys how its done!

Battling for Position!

Collar Tie!

Lower your stances!

Wrestling is hard but fun. =)

Putting away mats at the end of the day

The formal announcement from the HHSAA:

Due to the tsunami warning, the HHSAA State Wrestling Championships will be rescheduled to Sunday, February 28, 2010.  Weigh-ins will begin at 7 a.m. (scratch weight plus 4 pounds).  Wrestling will begin immediately after weigh-ins and wrestling will continue, without break, until completion.  Further information will be provided as it becomes available.

To our Punahou Ohana:
The HHSAA is concerned that many of the neighbor island competitors and their families may not be able to get flights out tomorrow after the tournament. Punahou and McKinley have offered their gyms for families to stay at and we have been asked to provide additional kokua. Depending upon the number of stranded families, we may need to help with extra blankets, pillows, etc. for the families staying at the gyms, as well as possibly coordinating a potluck Sunday evening. If there are a smaller number of families stuck overnight, we may ask for families willing to be hosts for an overnight stay.

The situation is obviously very much in flux, so I will provide updates as needs become clearer. I just wanted to give the ohana a heads-up. THANK YOU in advance for your support!

Friday, February 26, 2010
Preliminary Round 10:00 a.m.

Saturday, February 27, 2010
Semifinals & Consolation Rounds 3 & 4 10:00 a.m.
Introductions 3:00 p.m.
Championship & Consolation Finals to follow Introductions