ByKathrynBender, Star-Bulletin
Jason Ring is sky-high as he connects on this spike
during a game last season.

Bungee jumping. Hang-gliding. Skydiving.

The poster child for the X-Treme Games went surfing out on the North Shore a year after taking out his first longboard. He skateboarded down a hill in Manoa at a speed faster than his moped can go.

And the 6-foot-4 senior has learned to fly from behind the 10-foot line only four years after learning to playing volleyball. Air Ring returns to the Special Events Arena tonight to try and help the University of Hawaii men's volleyball team end its three-match losing skid against UC Santa Barbara.

"There are three things I really like about Jason," said Hawaii coach Mike Wilton. "His athletic ability, his work ethic and his personality. I first saw him on tape and saw that he was raw but could do some nice things. He was quick, could jump and was explosive. Last year, he contributed more and earlier than we expected. He was way ahead of schedule."

"Jason is a big part of what we want to do this year."

Ring has gone from a ballboy at Los Angeles Pierce College four years ago to a viable all-conference and all-America candidate this season. His rise as the Rainbows' kill leader is phenomenal considering he lettered in golf, soccer and skiing at Redmond (Ore.) High.

"My parents played in outdoor volleyball tournaments and we played around," said Ring. "But I never played indoor. I didn't even know how to rotate.

"I went to Pierce, tried out for the team and the coach said I was horrible but wanted me to stick around and shag balls. I had nothing better to do. The next year, I was first team all-conference. The next year, I was the conference player of the year."

Ring nearly quit his first season at Pierce, saying he was very discouraged.

"But someone once told me that if you have a passion for something, it will always reveal its secret to you," the 22-year-old said. "Volleyball is my passion. I haven't uncovered what it feels like to win a national championship, or ever a state championship.

"At Pierce, I lost one regular-season game in two years and lost twice in the state championship. Last year, we didn't lose a conference game and lost in the championship. This year, the national champion will be the team that finishes the strongest. I still believe that will be us."

Hawaii (4-3, 3-2) has now lost as many matches as it did all of last season. The Rainbows face the Gauchos (3-2, 3-1), a team they lost to in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation semifinals but beat out in the voting for the at-large berth in the final four.

"Santa Barbara comes in with a lot of motivation," said Ring. "They're going to be really good and it will be a tough match. They beat UCLA at UCLA (Friday).

"We had a long, tough road trip but we're back in our gym. This is where all the great moments have happened. As long as we control the ball, pass well and play smart, we'll win."

As important as winning is, Ring's objective his senior year is to enjoy the matches.

"Of course, the best scenario would be for us to win it all," he said. "Everyone keeps telling me I could be all-American this year. But the night against Pepperdine I had 41 kills and the loss nullified that. Yeah, 41 was great but we lost. I'm not going to say this is the year we win everything - of course, I still think we will - but for me this is the year to have fun.

"When you have fun, you play better. You play better, you win. You win, you have even more fun."

It's a not-so-vicious circle Ring hopes the Rainbows will get caught in. And quickly.

But Ring knows all he has to do is start talking about his childhood to get his teammates loose and laughing. Tales of his life on a 10-acre farm in Bend, Ore., include tips on raising cattle, hog-

tying and birthing a breached calf.

"I want to end up back on a farm in Oregon," said Ring, a 4-H product. "But first I want to graduate and try playing pro beach. I'll never know unless I try."

Ring's ambition is to be a chiropractor. It's no surprise he's been seeing chiropractors since his junior year in high school.

"With four boys in the family you get banged up," said Ring. "It's all part of growing up."

Ring had hoped his brother Gabriel would join him on the team this season, but the left-handed outside hitter got engaged. The youngest Ring brother - 16-year-old Seth - is a junior in high school and may end up in a Rainbow uniform.

"I hope he comes and see how it is to play here," said Jason Ring. "The aloha spirit is so much like being in a small town like Bend. The people here are so genuine.

"Sometimes you meet a person and you don't think they're 100 percent Grade A. There's some Spam mixed in. I hope that people will say I'm 100 percent Grade A, not because of volleyball but because they say me as a genuine person."

Genuine. And maybe a little crazy.

Junior blocker Rick Tune was fitted with a removeable cast on his left hand and is expected to play tonight. Tune refractured his thumb on a block against Pepperdine last Thursday. . .Freshman hitter Clayton Stanley is not expected to play tonight. He has strained his right (hitting) shoulder.