WRESTLING
Hedin shooting
for BeijingThe wrestler heads to the
Pan-Am Games with her sights
set on the 2008 Olympics
Kailua wrestler Danyelle Hedin is heading to Guatemala to compete in next week's Pan American Games.
But she doesn't want to stop there. The three-time Hawaii state champion grappler is striving for a spot on the U.S. national team at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
Danyelle Hedin: The Kailua senior is trying to make the U.S. national team
The world traveling starts Monday.
"It's the first time I'm going out of the country, except for Canada," Hedin said. "I'm not too worried, even though I hear things are a lot different in Central America. It should be fun."
Fun, however, isn't the main thing on her mind.
"My main goal is to place in the top five," the Kailua senior added. "I want to see where I'm at against top competition."
Hedin qualified for the Pan-American Games by winning a junior national championship in Minnesota last month. Earlier this month, she also competed in the senior (17-and-over) national championship in Las Vegas and finished with a 2-2 record.
Hedin said she is also close to accepting an offer of a full ride to compete for Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich.
"I haven't signed the paperwork yet, but I expect to within the next few months," she said.
Training at the U.S. Olympic Education Center, which is affiliated with NMU, is part of the package.
"Women's national team coach Terry Steiner said he'd like to see Danyelle train in Michigan for a year or two and then train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., for a shot at making the 2008 Olympic team," said Billy Wood, Hedin's coach.
During the high school season, when Hedin was wrestling for the Surfriders and coach Charles Kaulukukui, Wood took Hedin to other schools' gyms to make sure she had strong practice partners daily.
"Her goal is to be an Olympian and she'll do pretty much whatever it takes," Wood said. "She's a shy person until you get to know her and then she'll talk your ear off. She's bubbly and fun to be around. And she's extremely competitive. Even with little things, she's extremely competitive."
Hedin won the newly created 125-pound class in the state high school tournament earlier this spring after winning at 121 two years in a row. She'll wrestle freestyle at 51 kg. (121 pounds) in Guatemala City.
She leaves Monday and returns Saturday.
