FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Members of the Sacred Hearts Academy air riflery team (clockwise from the bottom) Deana Sin, Yoo Song Kang, Shannon Li, Krystle Sze and Sherolyn Chang. In an individual sport, they have bonded as a team.
Walking on air
Shannon Li leads the Sacred
Hearts air riflery team to the
ILH championship
Her natural gift for concentration has undoubtedly helped Shannon Li develop into one of the state's top air riflery performers.
But every sportswoman has her own ritual for acquiring the right mindset when it's time to do battle, and hers, she admits, is truly unique.
"It might sound a little weird, but I sing to myself," Li said with a smile. "I sit in the car and listen to the radio, and the last song I hear plays in my head. Sometimes it's rap. Sometimes it's Britney Spears or hip hop or Hawaiian music -- anything. It sounds a little odd, but it works."
Few can argue with her results. And with Li as one of its leaders, the Sacred Hearts air riflery team has been singing a happy tune throughout the season. Last Saturday, it captured the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship. The Lancers boasted the top four individual finishers, led by champion Deana Sin (554). Li finished second, with an aggregate score of 539, followed by teammates Krystle Sze (530) and Sherolyn Chang (528).
Although winning the ILH was a notable accomplishment, all celebrations have been put on hold, as a larger goal -- winning a state championship -- still awaits.
"I'm waiting for the states -- we always talk about winning the states," Sze said. "My sophomore year was the last time we won, so (the ILH championship on) Saturday was kind of like a warm-up."
Next Tuesday, Sacred Hearts will be among the favorites when the state finals take place at the Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall. The Lancers finished second to Punahou in both the ILH and the state last year, so they regard next week's competition as an opportunity to finish some unfinished business.
"Last year, our goal was to get to states, but this year I'd say our goal is to win," said Li, who won an individual state championship in 2001 as a sophomore. "We've trained so hard, and we really want it. Our mindset is there."
Sin, a junior, has a 265 average through five matches this year and figures to challenge for the individual championship on Tuesday. Her point total on Saturday set an ILH record (Li's score of 188 from the kneeling position also set an ILH mark). The stakes may be getting higher with the impending state championships, but Sin wouldn't have it any other way.
"There's a lot of pressure, but that's when we do our best, and that's when you find out who can handle pressure," Sin said. "I tend to do better under pressure. It gets my heart going, and it gets the adrenaline rushing. That's the rush, I guess.
"I try to be mentally prepared as well as physically prepared," she continued. "A lot of people can do it physically -- you can build up your position -- but you have to be mentally there and focused."
Camaraderie among the Sacred Hearts team is highly visible and goes a long way in explaining their success. On a Sunday afternoon, while taking turns talking to a reporter, they play cards, which is part of their daily routine, and kid each other. A relaxed atmosphere prevails.
In addition to winning state championships in 1999 and 2000, Sacred Hearts has taken its air riflery team to the mainland on occasion to compete in national tournaments. This year's team got a boost when Chang returned to the program over the summer to compete in her senior year. She competed as a freshman and a sophomore before taking her junior year off.
"I really missed being here with my teammates -- we're like one big family," said Chang, whose season average is at 259. "And I missed shooting, too."
Said Sacred Hearts coach Zig Look: "Sherolyn is good people -- we've enjoyed having her.
"Even though they shoot individually, we treat this as a team sport. We spend a lot of time on team building. They work hard -- we set goals and we have a plan to get there -- and citizenship means as much on this team as performance. They go together a lot. The team won't work unless it's made up of good citizens. We train to perform -- this is a competitive sport -- but at the same time, it's not (win) at all costs."
Given the intense concentration required to excel in air riflery, it's not surprising that the Lancers should share a special bond.
Junior Yoo Song Kang took up air riflery only last year and says that the sport challenges her on a daily basis.
"In my first year, I cried a lot," she said.
"You have to be relaxed. If you get really nervous during a match, you won't do as good as you do in practice. It can be disappointing. It takes more concentration than anything I've done.
"It's a fun sport, but what keeps me here is our team," she added. "We're really tight. Everything we do, we do together. And that's important to me."
