Aloha Power Surge Ohana,
In case you haven't heard, this past weekend our 15 Black team participated in the Pacific Northwest Qualifier (PNQ) in Spokane, a 3-day event and one of 10 national qualifiers in the USA, and came home with the Gold Championship in the 15 Club Division! They did it with so much style, confidence, and relentless courage. It was magnificent to see, it was inspiring, it was beautiful.
Parents, friends, and spectators in the stands were on their feet at championship point, and the team needed only one championship point to seal this glorious moment in history before continuing their quest on to the national championships in Columbus OH at the end of the season. When the final point ended in our favor, the team emptied the bench and took to the floor, screaming, jumping for joy, hugging each other in a collapsing circle of pure ecstasy. Tears flowed freely in the aftermath of such a brilliant performance. The officials smiled and decided that at least this time, they would make allowances and not require the champions to follow normal end-of-match protocol.
It wasn't smooth sailing all the way as there were many close matches, many rallies to rival the very best matches in the tournament. On Day 1, the team started uncharacteristically flat, and had to make some serious and drastic adjustments to their line up. But this team has faced adversity before and like many champions, they found a way to win, like they did in Corvallis earlier this year in the Wilson Invite and at a very recent U18 tourney where they made it to the championship match.
They have been through the fire before and at this point in their journey, adversity only makes them stronger, less fearful. And drawing from their profound and recent victories, they kept their feet under them, their wits about them, and calmed their fears.
There was one tiny flaw in their Cinderella story, which later became a moot point, as you will see. On Day 1, as the 3rd seed in pool and the overall 28th seed in the tourney, they lost their first match to the #4 overall seed in the deciding game 13-15. But as fate would have it, this tiny flaw would be redeemed in a dramatic way later in the tournament. Because from that moment on, with unshakeable confidence, they watched one opponent after another fall before them, the #21 and #45 seeds on day 1, the #9, #3, and #15 seeds on Day 2, and finally the #11, #2, and #4 seeds on Day 3.
Remember that tiny flaw I mentioned earlier, well that was the #4 seed on Day 3. The entire 3-day tournament, every opponent fell in 2 straight sets, except for this tiny little flaw. Yes, they met again in the championship match and in both matches, it was decided in three. But this time when it mattered most, a very different outcome awaited our team as they pulled off one of the greatest underdog victories in PNQ history, 25-20, 26-28, 15-8. Game 2 should have been ours but kudos to the #4 seed, they wanted that 2nd set and fought very hard to hold on to win it. But judging by the demeanors and performances of both teams, it was evident that we wanted it more. Hollywood couldn't have written a better script or a better Cinderella ending.
In the Club division at national qualifiers, to earn a bid to nationals, you must finish first. If you finish any lower than that, you don't get an invitation to the "big dance." It's all or nothing baby, "go for broke" as we say in the islands.
To say our 15 Black finished with a lot of style and grace would not be exactly accurate. There were lots of fist pumping, "unladylike" growls, some creative "haka-like" chanting/clapping island style, lots of fire and emotion. In the championship match it was all about desire, wanting it, tasting it, and owning it. Losing was not an option, and never ever on the radar, not even remotely!
Congratulations 15 Black. You came and you conquered. As the starting 28th seed, you shocked many on your inevitable climb to the top. As one coach succinctly and appropriately stated after a power surge took them out on Day 2, "what the hell just happened here, who the hell are they?"
Remain humble, don't let all this go to your heads. Savor this glorious moment, but know that the past is always in the past, and that we must remain vigilant, always pressing toward the future and never resting on our laurels.
Above all, remember that our gifts and our talents all come from our heavenly Father. We can do nothing without his grace, but by his grace, through faith we can do all things.
Well done ladies, keep up the good work!
Coach Kama
