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Sports Notebook



Higashi-Izumi sets
her sights on nationals


By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.com

After bouncing back from knee surgery to reclaim her place among the state's elite gymnasts, Ina Higashi-Izumi has her sights set on national competition.

The Kalani junior won the Level 10 title at the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic State Championships held March 17 at Kokokahi Gym in Kaneohe.

She will also lead the Hawaii contingent competing in the Junior Olympic Regional Championship April 4-7 in Snoqualmie, Wash.

She can secure a spot in the Junior Olympic National Championships by finishing among the top seven in her division at the regionals. The national championships are set for May 3-5 in Landover, Md.

"I'm really excited about going to regionals," Higashi-Izumi said. "It was frustrating to watch everybody getting ready to go last year."

Higashi-Izumi, who trains in the Hawaiian Island Twisters program, finished ninth in her division at the Junior Olympic National Championships and finished second in the floor exercise in 2000.

She had battled through the pain of an achy knee during the season. But when doctors examined it they discovered an extra layer of cartilage which was causing the pain.

She had surgery to shave away the extra cartilage in February 2001 and sat out the rest of the season.

"It was really rough for her, especially considering she was an All-American the year before at nationals," HIT coach Joe Rapp said.

Upon her return to competition this year, Higashi-Izumi turned in strong performances in the Maui Gymnastics Invitational, the Lady Luck Invitational in Las Vegas, the Hawaiian Island Twisters Invitational in February at Klum Gym and the state championships.

Higashi-Izumi rates the floor exercise and vault as her strongest events and has already been contacted by Iowa State, Washington and Oregon State. She hopes to add to her college options by qualifying for the national championships.

"She's learned a lot of new stuff," Rapp said.

"She's a lot better than she was a year ago, she's stronger, has better expression and more confidence."

50 and counting: The Kalaheo girls basketball team's Oahu Interscholastic Association winning streak reached 50 games last week and the Mustangs will put it on the line again tomorrow against the last team to beat them in league play.

Kalaheo hosts McKinley in an OIA Eastern Division game tomorrow night.

The junior varsity game starts at 5 p.m. with the varsity game to follow.

McKinley defeated Kalaheo in the 1997 OIA East season opener and again in the OIA championship game that year. Since then, the Mustangs have won their last 50 OIA games (including league playoffs) and 46 OIA East games, the latest coming last Friday against Kaimuki.

Kalaheo's loss to Aiea in last year's state tournament title game isn't considered an OIA game.

Corrections: Jared Pate was the winning pitcher in Punahou's 10-0 win over Damien on Saturday. Another pitcher was credited with the win in Sunday's edition.

Also, national champion weightlifter Kyle Yamauchi is a freshman at the University of Hawaii. He was listed as a Punahou junior in last week's notebook. His brother Bryce attends Punahou.



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