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Wednesday, January 10, 2001
Triple play Tahra is the artist, Sarah likes the ocean and Rachael enjoys cooking.
The Kaimuki High School girls'
softball team is tied for first in OIA,
thanks in part to tripletsBy Dave Reardon
Star-BulletinIt's easy to tell the Hussey triplets apart on the softball field, too.
Sarah patrols center field, Tahra plays catcher and Rachael handles right field for the Kaimuki High School varsity.
Through their leadership and defense, they've helped the Bulldogs to the top of the Oahu Interscholastic Association standings.
Kaimuki goes into its final game of the regular season today against visiting Kalani with an 8-1 OIA record (12-3 overall).
The Bulldogs suffered their only league loss Saturday, 4-3, to perennial power Kailua.
It was the most runs Kaimuki has given up in a game this season. Pitchers Jamie Reyes and Chrissy Moefu have been dominant at times and have also received lots of help from their teammates.
"Defense has been our strong point this season, and the triplets are very good defensive players," coach Lene Tausaga said.
Their batting averages are lower than their superb grade point averages. But Tahra, Sarah and Rachael are veteran team leaders.
"They pick everybody up when we're down," said Tyleen Tausaga, Lene's daughter and Kaimuki's starting shortstop and leading hitter at .350. "We all grew up together, so we're tight."
But the real story about the Hussey girls is not that they play varsity softball and basketball, or that they are among less than 100 sets of triplets in Hawaii. It is their contributions off the field.
Kina'u Gardner taught all three when they attended Jarrett Intermediate, and remembers the triplets as good students who made time to help others.
"They have a heart for service," Gardner said. "Most teen-agers want to do other things with their time. But they were always excited about doing volunteer work, helping the severely disabled students at school, things like that."
Tahra returned to Jarrett last summer to paint a community pride mural at the school, Gardner said.
"They are people who give to the valley," she said. "They're a very important part of Palolo."
The triplets also help the community by coaching younger girls in softball and basketball. They say it's no big deal, and that they learn as much as the 10-and-under girls they mentor.
"It's fun. When you teach someone else, you get more knowledge of the game yourself," Tahra said.
According to Rachael, "The kids teach you new stuff. It brings a whole new game to you."
Said Sarah: "Working with the kids helps you think the way a coach thinks. You try to make things simple things for them to understand. It helps you understand how your own coaches feel."
The triplets get a lot of their community spirit and giving from their father, Kellett, who is also the junior varsity softball coach at Kaimuki.
Kellett Hussey works for the YMCA and directs the Palolo Project, aimed at guiding youth in positive directions.
"They started coming up and coaching basketball and had a lot of good fun," Kellett Hussey said. "But their pride and joy is coaching the 10-and-under softball."
Youth softball has only been around in Palolo for six or seven years, Hussey said. Prior, girls from the area played in the Manoa league. That's where the triplets started.
"The Palolo girls lost every game (the first season in Manoa) but had so much fun. A couple coaches and I decided to start a league in Palolo, and now it's one of the better ones around," Hussey said.
Kaimuki's emergence as an OIA contender is a direct result of the youth league. Most of the Bulldogs have played together from small-kid time.
"Our team has come together as one," Rachael said. "We're doing good and hope to go to states."
It's got to help that three starters have been together, well, from the womb.
"Raising triplets was exhausting in the beginning for me and my wife (Marvis)," Kellett Hussey said. "But it's a real blessing now that they can take care of themselves."
And others.