BIIF Judo Championship Results

Jenna Aina wins 4th BIIF judo championship - photo by CSUAINAJR

Results of the BIIF Individual Tournament

                           Boys Division                                           Girls Division

Wt. Class	Place		Wt. Class	Place
108	1st-Justin Raymond (Konawaena)		98	1st-Megan Aina (Kamehameha)
	2nd-Dyllan Raiano (Konawaena)
			103	1st-Kiana Machado (Waiakea)
114	1st-Teagan Nakamoto (Konawaena)
	2nd-Gared Taira (Hilo)		109	1st-Kanoe Padaken (Kamehameha)
	3rd-Talmage Nakamoto (Konawaena)			2nd-Mindy Lorance (Kealakehe)
				3rd-Kaylyn Otsubo (Waiakea)
121	1st-Sky Souza (Kamehameha)
	2nd-Charles Aina (Kamehameha)		115	1st-Jenna Aina (Kamehameha)
	3rd-Sheldon Graham (Hilo)			2nd-Haley Delos Santos (Konawaena)
				3rd-Micah Ramos (Keaau)
132	1st-Steven Ogi (Waiakea)
	2nd-Jordan Enos (Hilo)		122	1st-Puulena Luuwai-Augustin            (Kamehameha)
	3rd-Ikaika Villanueva (Kamehameha)
			129	1st-Tanalei Louis (Konawaena)
145	1st-Tyler Yonemori (Waiakea)			2nd-Lisa Ann Nakagawa (Waiakea)
	2nd-Jens Beets (Hilo)
	3rd-Pat Enos (Waiakea)		139	1st-Kalena Shiroma
161	1st-Isaiah Kanakanui (Hilo)		154	1st-Nissi Flores-Jumalon (Waiakea)
	2nd-Tyler Vaughn (Hilo)			2nd-Kailey Lapenia (Kamehameha)
	3rd-Quinn Kunitomo (Konawaena)			3rd-Marina Dally (Keaau)
178	1st-Eric Young (Kamehameha)		172	1st-Sharon Manarpaac (Hilo)
	2nd-Sean Arakaki (Hilo)
	3rd-Kacy Jennings (Kealakehe)		220	1st-Lia Nakamura (Hilo)
				2nd-Paulina John (Kealakehe)
198	1st-Kawika Scott (Konawaena)
220	1st-Mark Dumaguin (Konawaena)
	2nd-Kekai Obrey (Kealakehe)
	3rd-Esaiah (Kealakehe)

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Waiakea’s Tyler Yonemori bumps up to higher weight class in BIIF Judo

Judoka practice prior to competition

   Hear the terms Ippon, Wazari or Yuko and you know you are in a judo tournament as such was the case this past Saturday as prep judoka from around the Big Island Interscholastic Federation spent the day competing at the Waiakea High School gym.

Yonemori

Waiakea’s own, Tyler Yonemori, had two big wins as he battled in the 178 pound weight class. Yonemori, who normally competes in the 145 division, weighed in at 153 and was bumped up another weight class in order to compete against larger opponents.

   “I guess I’ve been eating too much ice cream,” Yonemori said with a grin of being eight pounds over his normal competing weight.

   Yonemori is in his 10^th year of judo carries a first degree black belt, had little opposition going against heavier judoka.

   During his first match against Kamehameha senior, Eric Young, Yonemori used a high seoinage throw to secure the Ippon victory.

   In his second match Yonemori went against Hilo’s Isaiah Kanakanui and began with his usual strategy of keeping his right arm close to his chest while grabbing his opponents Judo Gi with his left arm in order to catch Kanakanui off balance.

   Yonemori beat the taller and heavier Kanakanui by using a sodetsurikomi goshi throw and won by Ippon.  The flip was picture perfect with Kanakanui flying over Yonemori’s shoulder and the Viking falling properly without injury.

   “I get a thrill from competing, it’s like being on drugs, without the drugs,” Yonemori said. 

Ogi

   Waiakea’s Steven Ogi faced Kamehameha’s Ikaika Villanueva in the 132 weight class with Ogi taking the mat with a calm focus.

   “My sensei has been telling me to relax and not be so excited coming into my matches,” Ogi said.  “Last year I would come out to hyper and this year I’m trying hard to stay focused and relaxed.”

   The advice paid off as Ogi succeeded with a hara goshi throw in the first 20 seconds of the match to secure an Ippon victory. 

  “He came in with a back leg reap and I shifted my weight and countered him backwards,” Ogi said of his win.

   Ogi, who is in his third year of judo and carries a brown belt, believes that mental attitude is what wins judo matches.

   “Our sensei, (Gregg Yonemori) is always telling us to go in to each match with the mindset that we’re going to win and that is what I always try to do,” Ogi said.

   While the Waiakea duo was displaying their talents on the mat a pair of Kamehameha girls were leaving their mark for the day.

Padaken

Kanoe Padaken, a sophomore, and Kalena Shiroma, a senior, looked unstoppable in their matches.

   Padaken began the day with a match against Waiakea senior Kiana Machado in the 109 weight division.

   Machado became the early aggressor in the match and tried for several quick throws, which were unsuccessful.  At the one minute mark of the four minute match Padaken took the inside position and did a seoinage to win by Ippon.

   Later Padaken was at it again this time going against Kealakehe’s Kandy Mento.  Padaken got Mento on the mat and then held her down in the pin position for the required 25 seconds for the win.

  “I used a seoinage to get her on the ground then held her down,” Padaken said of her victory against Mento.

   “I like judo and wrestling equally well,” she said.  “Judo is calmer and has less pressure than wrestling and both are very different from each other.”

Shiroma

Warrior teammate and the BIIF’s highest finisher last year at the state judo championships, Kalena Shiroma had one match in the 139 weight class before heading out to get ready for her senior prom.

   Shiroma went against Kealakehe’s Anna Kroger and wasted no time in ending the match which last few than 10 seconds.

   “I got inside of her and set her up by waiting until she was off balance then pulling her over my leg, using a taiotoshi,” Shiroma said of her Ippon victory.

   “Tonight is our senior prom and I’m excited about getting ready,” Shiroma said.  “We have a few girls on the team that are going, but we’ll all stay and support the other members of our team.”

   Waiakea’s judo coach, Gregg Yonemori, had double duty over the weekend hosting the tournament and coaching his judoka.

   “It’s difficult to do both, host and coach,” Yonemori said.  “But we’re lucky to have very supportive parents help out.”

   Yonemori was also optimistic about his team’s performance over the weekend.  “Waiakea has a very young team and we did as expected today,” he said.  “By the end of the season we should be competitive.”

   A total of six schools compete during the BIIF season which includes host Waiakea, Hilo, Keaau, Kealakehe, Konawaena and Kamehameha.

   Schools were pitted against each other in head to head competition as team scoring were decided as each school tried to field a ten person team with one competitor in each weight division.

   The Kamehameha girls, Hilo and Konawaena boys are considered by many judo enthusiasts to be the teams to beat this season with each school having their own individual favorites to cheer for.

      Team Results Girls:
Kealakehe (50) – Keaau (20)
Kamehameha (60) – Kealakehe (30)
Hilo (20) – Konawaena (20)
Hilo (20) – Keaau (30)
Waiakea (20) – Konawaena (20)
Kamehameha (60) – Waiakea (10)
Waiakea (20) – Hilo (20)
        Team Results Boys:
Kealakehe (40) – Keaau (30)
Kamehameha (30) – Kealakehe (30)
Konawaena (60) – Hilo (30)
Hilo (57) – Keaau (10)
Konawaena (60) – Waiakea (20)
Waiakea (40) – Kamehameha (20)
Hilo (40) – Waiakea (20)

Shiroma Ready to take Mat at start of BIIF Judo Season

Kamehameha's Kalena Shiroma

   The Big Island Interscholastic Federation Judo season is about to get under way and Kamehameha’s Kalena Shiroma can’t wait.

   Shiroma recently returned from a nine day trip to Tokyo where she practiced with judo players from Shukutoku University while staying in the dorms on campus.

   “I went with four people from the Hilo Hongwanji,” Shiroma said.  “While in Japan we practiced daily and even got to visit the Kodakan Judo Institute in Tokyo.  I believe that the trip helped me to develop my judo technique.”

   Shiroma, a senior, is the two time defending BIIF judo champion winning the title her sophomore year at the 129 weight class and last year at 139.  It was during the 2009 season that Shiroma made it to the finals of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association state championship and finished in the runner-up position, the highest finish of any BIIF competitor last season.

   “I will compete again this year at 139,” she said.  “My goal this year is to once again make it to the finals and hopefully win it.”

   Shiroma, a three sport athlete, started the fall season with cross-country, then moved to soccer during the winter and finds herself at the top of the spring judo season.

  “I like soccer and judo equally,” she said.  “I’ve been playing soccer since I was five and enjoy the team aspect of it, and I’ve been doing judo since I was 10 and like that it is an individual sport.”

   Shiroma, at 5’ 7” tall, is currently a brown belt in judo and has used her height to her advantage.

   “I’m pretty tall for a girl and I like using my long legs during competition,” Shiroma said.  “Judo is very exciting and when you win you feel really good.”

  The Kamehameha girls team returns to the mat as the BIIF two time defending champions and head Coach Calvin Enoki is all smiles as the Warriors are loaded with experienced judoka.

  “We have a very strong girl’s team as three of our girls return as BIIF champions in Megan and Jenna (Aina), along with Kalena (Shiroma),” Enoki said.

   “Our girls should be the team to beat as we have the numbers to fill all but the two heaviest weight divisions and the quality that we do have is very good,” he said. 

   Kamehameha girls return BIIF individual defending champions Megan Aina at 103, Jenna Aina at 122 and Shiroma at 139.  Added to the experienced firepower are Kanoe Padaken and a host of up and coming freshmen.

  The Aina sisters have made a name for themselves in judo as Jenna is a three time BIIF champion and Megan returns as the defending champion.

   Megan Aina is also the HHSAA state wrestling champion at 98 pounds and she finished third at the Judo championships last season. 

   Sister Jenna finished second at the Junior Judo National Championships held in Chicago in 2008 and also finished second at the High School Junior National Championships held at Bingham Young University College Auditorium on Oahu that same year.

   “I’m really excited about starting the (high school) judo season,” Jenna Aina said.  “We were worried that the public schools might cancel the season due to budget cuts and since we are the only private school competing on the island it is a relief that we’ll have a season.”

   Aina has captured all three BIIF titles and placed at the HHSAA state championships all three years at the 122 weight division and will fill that same division in her senior season. 

   “I’ve been doing it (judo) since the fourth grade and I just enjoy the experience of meeting new people and being physically fit,” she said.  “My goal going into my final season is to make the finals at states and to medal.”

   Aina is a first degree black belt and belongs to Hilo’s Shudokan Judo Club where she continues to practice regularly following her prep practices at Kamehameha.

  Coach Enoki sees his solid core of experienced judoka as the strength behind a powerful Warrior squad, but also believes that Kamehameha is working on a judo dynasty by creating a building block into high school.

    “We just started a judo middle school program and are now starting to see the results in some very talented incoming freshmen,” Enoki said.

  The Warrior boys will see BIIF runner up Sky Kekona-Souza return at 121 and will be complimented by seniors Eric Young at 161 and Isaac DeRego at 198.

   Enoki believes that defending BIIF boys champions, Hilo, is again the team to beat.  “I think our boys will be at least third in the team race,” Enoki said.  “Any finish higher than that would be a real surprise.”

  Hilo veteran coach, Jack De Lima, will see a talented boy’s team take to the mat on Saturday.  Tyler Vaughn,12; Sean Arakaki,11;  Jens Beets, 11; Jordon Enos, 11; Isaiah Kanakanui, 11; and Sheldon Graham, 10; will head line a strong Viking squad.

   “We have some talented new players that will give us a lot of help,” De Lima said.  “This should be a very exciting season for us.”

   Waiakea returns BIIF boys individual champions Harlan Wilbur, 108; and Tyler Yonemori, 145; along with girl champions Kaylyn Otsubo, 115; and Lisa Nakagawa, 129.

   “I think the Kamehameha girls and the Konawaena boys may be the teams to beat this season,” Waiakea coach Greg Yonemori said.  “But don’t count out the Hilo boys as they always find a way to field a good team.”

   The BIIF judo season gets under way this Saturday with a Novice/Open meet starting at 10:30 at Hilo High.