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Sidelines Kalani Simpson |
Wahine want to have
fun winning a titleI worry about the Wahine.
I feel for them, I really do. All the pressure. The weight of expectations. The single-minded sense of purpose and all-or-nothing attitude.
Now Lily and Kim are seniors and now even the volleyball final four isn't good enough.
Only a national championship will do.
"That's our ultimate goal," Hawaii senior Melissa Villaroman said the other day. "Not to make it to the final four, but we're going to win it. That's what we say when we lift. And in the locker room. That's what we say during practice. That's what we say during meetings. So that's it.
"And I'm not going to settle for anything less."
And I worry that the fun might be slipping away.
Think about it. They're sure to swat away overmatched opponents again and again to little satisfaction, like giants among flies. The final four, volleyball's crowning glory, a banner achievement, wouldn't even be cause for celebration. They're expected to get there. They'd better win it all.
And if they don't?
Does that cheapen the journey, dampen the joy?
How much does a national championship hang over this bunch?
"It's funny you ask that question," Kim Willoughby said, intense as ever. "If you put it in perspective, it's just everyday life.
"How many people want to make partner in their law firm?"
It's obvious Willoughby has thought a lot about this, about winning and ambition and goals. And drive.
"You can't ever settle for just being ..." she began.
You can't ever settle for just being everybody else.
But there should be joy, too, in volleyball.
And there still is, they insisted.
"Small stuff," Villaroman said. "The fun stuff in the locker room, or at practice.
"We do," she said. "We do have fun. We have fun on the court, even if we're playing a team that's not up to our level. We do have fun on the court. Funny stuff. Like one time Lily (Kahumoku) played with her hair down."
Oh, now that's just getting crazy.
But hey, you need a little of that along the way. Especially with expectations like these. That's why Willoughby is excited about having one of the biggest teams in Wahine history. More players, all working toward the same goal. More camaraderie.
More fun.
Seniors were excused from living in the locker room during camp, but Villaroman still moved in.
"I'm staying with the freshmen," she said. "I sleep on the floor."
"The teams that have fun," Willoughby said, "are normally the teams that win."
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com
