High School Report
Sophomore Erika Noel and senior Vicky Pang are the team leaders for the Kaiser girls tennis team.
Cougars causing a racket
Noel and Pang are two reasons
OIA champion Kaiser has its sights
set on the state girls tennis title
When it comes to athletics, one doesn't have to walk very far on the Kaiser campus to come across a spring success story. With one game remaining in the regular season, the Cougars' baseball team already has clinched the Oahu Interscholastic Association's East Division title outright.
Step into the Kaiser gymnasium, and the girls basketball team is hard at work, having established itself as the East's surprise team this season.
And then there's the girls tennis team, recently crowned OIA team champion for the first time since 1988.
But as individual stories go, it's hard to top Erika Noel's. The girls tennis team's No. 9 player a year ago, she now ranks as the Cougars' No. 1 performer after an intense offseason. Actually, to hear Noel tell it, tennis is never out of season for her.
"I love tennis," said Noel, a sophomore. "I've sacrificed so much for tennis. Right after last season ended, I became more serious about it. I'm so fortunate that Coach (Kristie Yamamoto) dedicated her time to helping me this past summer. I didn't see my progress this season until the rankings came out and I was first."
Noel's all-consuming interest in the sport makes her unique on a Kaiser team where most of its members take much of the year off from the sport.
"Erika is one of few girls on the team who hits year-round," Yamamoto said. "Most of the time, she hits seven days a week. She's come a long way in just one year."
The same could be said of Cougars senior Vicky Pang, who had played very little tennis when she tried out for the Kaiser team in the spring of 2001. Pang still remembers the day she found out she had made the team.
"I remember Kristie telling me, 'I'm keeping you because you work hard, and I think you have potential," recalled Pang. "That's what motivated me to work harder."
Added Yamamoto: "I try never to cut anyone. A lot of our kids are beginners when they come out for the team here, and the only reason I'd ever cut anyone is if they had an attitude problem."
That's certainly not the case with Noel and Pang, both of whom are model student-athletes.
ERIKA NOEL
Full name: Erika Rie Noel
Favorite food: Japanese
Favorite movie: "Pay It Forward"
Hobbies: Tennis. "When I have time, I like to sleep and hang out with my friends."
Favorite quote: "Anything worth having is worth working hard for."
VICKY PANG
Full name: Vicky Wai Kee Pang
Favorite foods: Pizza and chicken
Favorite movie: "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days." ("I'm a chick flick kind of girl.")
Hobbies: "Going to the beach, watching movies and eating. My friends and I like to eat."
Favorite quote: "Hard work and determination will lead you to success."
Together, the pair represents the Cougars' team leaders. Rounding out the Kaiser girls team are Kara Akiyama, Crystal Cheng, Richelle Hirata, Leyli Khosroshahi, Asami Nagata, Sayaka Ono, Emmellin Tung and Jaime Yoshino.Last season, the Cougars finished second in the East and qualified for the OIA playoffs, something they've done routinely in recent years. The program's greater obstacle has been advancing to the second round.
"Since my freshman year, we'd always make it (to the four-team OIA playoffs), but we'd lose in the first round," Pang said. "This was the first time we'd gotten past the first round. After last season, we knew we'd have a good team this year and a good chance to go farther. We just had to work hard."
A strong work ethic has been the central theme for this group. Even so, a relaxed air prevails at Kaiser's practices as they prepare for the Carlsmith Ball state tennis championships, which will be held at the Mauna Lani Racquet Club and Tennis Garden on May 13-15 on the Big Island.
"We have 10 (girls) on our roster, and all 10 have contributed greatly to our team's success this season," said Yamamoto, who is aided on a daily basis by student-assistant coach Bryne Nagata. "Vicky works very hard. She's improved rapidly. Last year, she and Jessica Pyun won the East Division title (in doubles). I don't think it was Erika's goal to be No 1. She just wanted to get better."
Pang only took up the sport to be around Pyun, who is one of her best friends.
"We chose tennis mainly because her mom used to play it a lot," Pang said. "I don't really come from a sports family -- it was something to add to my resume. It takes a lot of hard work. The more you practice, the better you get. I like that it's competitive in its own way. It's not a contact sport. It's more a mental game. You have to really be focused, and it involves a lot of skill, too."
Pang, who would like to someday be an engineer, isn't likely to pursue competitive tennis at a university. She doesn't think she's "at that level," but she likes the idea of continuing to play on her own.
"It's a sport where you can carry on throughout life," she said. "I'll probably continue to stay in shape."
For Noel, tennis could play an even larger role in her future with two more years of eligibility remaining.
"I like tennis so much, I'm willing to do what it takes to be the best that I can," she said. "If I get better in the next two years, it (a college scholarship) is something I'd like to consider."
