News

by Duane Shimogawa Jr. - The Garden Island 7/11/06

There’s never a dull moment in the Alo household.

The three girls from the Westside Wrestling Club captured medals last week at the AAU Grand Nationals in Omaha, Neb.

Although the Nebraska tournaments drew over 600 wrestlers fighting for national titles, the Kaua‘i girls were the only females in the tournaments.

Latisha, or “Tisha,” brought home two bronze medals. Teniya took two silver and one gold and Teshya swept all three tournaments and brought home three golds.

The three sisters traveled with their parents and Westside Wrestling Club Coach Mac Pigott, connecting on three flights through three cities for 10 hours to get to the oldest tournament in the nation.

“Tisha, Teshya and Teniya qualified for the Grand Nationals at the AAU Regional Hawai‘i State Championships held last May 20 on Maui,” Pigott said. “Tisha finished second place, Teshya and Teniya both took first place at the regionals. The AAU Grand Nationals in Nebraska is without a doubt one of the toughest tournaments in the nation and is the undisputed AAU National Championships.”

The girls competed in three tournaments in three days. A Greco Roman-style tournament started the festivities off on June 28.

The International Freestyle event followed and the contests ended with the American Folkstyle competition.

Latisha earned bronze medals in both Greco and Freestyle, finishing eighth in both styles. In the Folkstyle tournament, Tisha finished 10th.

“Tisha’s highlight of the three days was when she hit two consecutive 3-point throws against the Iowa state champion in the Freestyle competition,” Pigott said. “The Iowa boy and his coaches were stunned by the two moves, in the first of three rounds. Teniya dominated the competition in Greco Roman, with spectacular throws, and earned first place.”

In both Freestyle and Folkstyle, Teniya finished a close second to the three-time Oklahoma state champion nicknamed “P-Diddy.”

“Teniya and the blonde-haired, blue-eyed P-Diddy had great back-and-forth competition in the finals,” Pigott said. “The Oklahoma club had a large team with several coaches and many parents who had made the trip to Nebraska; when P-Diddy beat Teniya it was like the whole state of Oklahoma was cheering.”

The three girls from Kaua‘i were well-known by the end of the first day.

“Teshya hit all her best throws in the Greco Roman tournament and won first place with style,” Pigott said. “In the Freestyle tournament she nearly met her match against Duncan Stoebner, the two-time South Dakota state champion. Teshya and Duncan had a tough back-and-forth match right until the end, when there was some confusion about the score.”

The South Dakota coaches argued with the mat official and scorekeepers, but the decision went for Teshya.

“The Folkstyle tournament had the most wrestlers in Teshya’s division; however, by the end of the day it was once again Teshya and Duncan in the championship round,” Pigott said. “Teshya dominated Duncan in the first round, in the second round she got the pin ending the match and settling the earlier scoring controversy.”

The Alo girls were the only girls in the AAU Grand Nationals tournaments and they created quite a stir with their performance. Nebraska, Oklahoma and Iowa is the heart of American wrestling.

The Midwest states are known throughout the world for producing dominant wrestlers, but girls wrestling is slow to catch on in the heartland.

“Hawai‘i is one of a few states that has a separate girls league in high school and is producing some of the best female prospects for college recruiters,” Pigott said. “Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation and really picking up worldwide. The 2004 Olympics featured women’s wrestling as an exhibition sport; in 2008 women’s wrestling will be an official Olympic sport.”

Pigott said the three girls from Hawai‘i were ambassadors of aloha in Nebraska.

“After each match the Westside Wrestling Club girls would give their opponent a shell lei,” Pigott said. “It is very important to me that wrestlers who wear our club uniform demonstrate good sportsmanship at all times and are humble in victory or defeat and the tradition of giving leis with a smile, even after a very tough match, demonstrated our clubs attitude. I hope to have more wrestlers qualify for the Nebraska tournaments next year.”

The AAU Grand Nationals is the last tournament competition for the Westside Wrestling Club this season. But Coach Mac will travel to one more tournament.

He’ll be one of four coaches traveling with the Hawai‘i USA Wrestling Middle and High School All-Star Team to the USAW Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D., July 19-30.

“We don’t have any of our wrestlers on the all-star team this year; however, I am hopeful at least one will qualify next year,” Pigott said. “I will be earning my USAW Bronze level coaches certificate and gaining valuable experience on the trip to Fargo. We spend a few days training with the University of South Dakota wrestling team before the tournament competition.”

Westside Wrestling is a USAW Charter Club. They practice year round in Hanapepe and Waimea, and teach wrestlers of all ages and both genders. Contact Coach Mac for current practice schedules at westsidewrestling@hawaii.rr.com.

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Women’s Division

Team Standings

1. China 57 pts.

2. Canada 47

3. U.S.A. 26

48 Kg.

1. Li Xiaomei China

2. Carol Huynh Canada

3. Angela Mott UCWC

4. Lindsay Rushton Guelph

5. Nicole Woody U.S.A.

6. Alana King Canada

51 Kg.

1. Patricia Miranda U.S.A.

2. Li Hui China

3. Liao Rong China

4. Erica Sharp Canada

5. Juliette Okot NYAC

6. Terri McNutt LWWC

55 Kg.

1. Tonya Verbeek Canada

2. Johanna Mattson Sweden

3. Jessica Bechtel Germany

4. Xu Li China

5. Brittanee Lavardure Canada

6. Ancrea Ross UCWC

59 Kg.

1. Su Lihus China

2. Ida-Teresse Karrison Sweden

3. Breanne Graham Canada

4. Deanna Rix U.S.A.

5. Leigh Jaynes U.S.A.

6. Mabel Fonseca Puerto Rico

63 Kg.

1. Xu Haiyan China

2. Martine DuGrenier Canada

3. Megan Dolan Canada

4. Helena Alladi Sweden

5. Helen Hennick UCWC

6. Elena Pirozhov USA

67 Kg.

1. Jing Ruxiue China

2. Katie Downing U.S.A.

3. Meghan Buydens Canada
4. Heather Martin U.S.A.

5. Megan Wilton Guelph W.C.

6. Vanessa Wilson U.C.W.C.

72 Kg.

1. Ohenewa Akuffo Canada

2. Xu Wang China

3. Jian Wang China

4. Ali Bernard U.S.A.

5. Kristie Marano U.S.A.

6. Pam Wilson UCWC

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Sisters continue family's fighting tradition

Bill Knight / El Paso Times 7/11/06

They are sometimes mistaken for friends; best friends.
They are seldom mistaken for fighters. In fairness, Stephanie and Heather Han do not even look much like sisters, certainly not like twins. Stephanie is taller, heavier. Heather is shorter, lighter. They look more like cheerleaders (which Heather would like to be) than fighters.

But, oh, are looks deceiving.

Following in the footsteps of older sister Jennifer, the 15-year-old twins are accomplished boxers, kickboxers, martial artists and even wrestlers. It is a part of them, growing up with father Master Bae Han in his Northeast El Paso martial arts studio. This week they are in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., fighting in the National Golden Gloves Junior division -- Stephanie at 132 pounds, Heather at 110.

Laughing, Heather said, "I like it when I see the expression on my opponent's face when they find out they are fighting me. It's like they are thinking 'I get to fight her? OK. Great.' I know I don't look like a fighter."

Stephanie said, "I just remember playing around on the bags when I was three. I like boxing, then kickboxing, then wrestling. I'm really excited about theNational Golden Gloves, and I'm really determined to win state in wrestling this year."

Stephanie and Heather Han each have won the World Ringside Junior Boxing Tournament twice. Last year, as freshmen at Irvin High School, Stephanie finished fourth in the state in wrestling and Heather was the District 1-4A champion.

"They are both really, really talented," said older sister Jennifer, 23. "Stephanie was fighting this girl in a tournament once, and the girl just destroyed her opponent in the first fight. She looked across the ring at Stephanie and

made the sign like she was slashing her throat and pointed at Stephanie. Stephanie gave that girl the worst beat down I have ever seen. And that girl was good. And I think Heather is going to be the best. The best of the best."

Master Bae Han said proudly, "All of my girls are ready; all the time ready. I am so lucky that all my family follows me, trains under me. One goal. Nobody does that. My children are very special."

Stephanie and Heather laugh and recall a similar introduction into their rough-and-tumble lifestyle.

"I grew to love all this," Stephanie said. "My dad made us come at first and I didn't want to come. He forced us into it. And now I'm glad he did because I love it."

And Heather said, "I didn't start until the sixth grade. I felt left out. But I didn't want to do it at first because my dad made us. I felt left out until I started practicing. Then I didn't want to do it. But now I love it."

And now they are going to another national tournament, another huge competition.

"They are both very talented," trainer Jerry Wright said. "Stephanie hits hard. She hits like a man. Heather is also really, really talented. They are good athletes and both are really good girls."

Sisters. Twins. Best friends. And fighters. Very good fighters.