---

A career comes
down to this

THE wrestler stood alone in the mob on the mat at the end of the arena. He hopped on one foot, then the other, his feet doing wrestling's version of the Ali Shuffle. He shook it out, flailing his arms -- elbows and wrists snapping like whips.

Nervous energy.

No one knew how he felt.

There is only a small fraternity of souls who have ever shared this moment, who have been standing here waiting to take the mat at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association state championship wrestling tournament.

There is nothing like it in the whole world.

The guys and girls there with him, waiting on that warm-up mat, they had some idea of what was spinning through his mind, as they were state wrestlers, too. But in truth, this moment was his own.

They were all in little atmospheres of their own, waiting.

They paced like tigers in a cage. Circled like sharks in a tank.

Everything had been done. All the work. All the sweat. All they could do was wait.

They couldn't wait.

It all came down to this, and they were ready to explode.

He tilted his head back, eyes shut, and let the buzz course through him, felt the nerves dancing through his arms, his legs, in his chest. He dipped a shoulder, shadowboxing, feinting the move he saw in his mind.

People would intrude, for a second or two, a handshake, a word.

Coaches were the worst. They were always saying one more thing, as if he'd forgotten everything. As if they'd never said it before. They were always sneaking over where they weren't supposed to be, just to get in your face one last time. Just one more word.

He gave them that much. But only that second, and then the focus closed in on him again. It was his.

He was surrounded again by his own thoughts. The moment was closing in.

And then he was in line, waiting for the next available mat. And then they motioned and he was walking and the rush washed over him, here it comes.

---

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Iolani's Kira Tamashiro, the top seed in the 98-pound division, tried to pin Kaiser's Rayna Hirata yesterday at the state wrestling meet. Tamashiro won 13-1.

---

The ref looked younger than he did. The ref pulled up his pants, and looked younger still.

And then the face-off, and then the handshake, and then the whistle. Let's get it on.

How to explain that moment?

And everything was happening so fast, then. They say things slow down in sports, when you're in a zone. That wasn't how it was happening now.

The ref was gesturing like a traffic cop, giving out points like he was throwing candy from a parade float.

"Suck 'em back!" one of his coaches yelled.

"Cross face!" the other yelled.

T2.

E1.

Everything was happening so fast.

He was running sideways, circling, running, running, running, a breakdancer on the mat, sprinting for that escape.

No.

"Tell 'em keep switching!" someone yelled from the stands.

"I know!" his coach yelled.

His lungs burned.

His bones ached.

His muscles tore.

T2.

"Head up!" somebody yelled.

"Lift it!" somebody yelled.

"Bridge!" his coach yelled.

N3.

E1.

His legs were failing him. His heart was pounding him. The clock was killing him.

He'd won so many times before. He'd won so many matches, but he was running out of time.

This was the state wrestling tournament.

"Eh! I no like see one nother takedown!" one of his coaches yelled.

"Gotta go now!" the other yelled.

And then, he surged forward, he attacked. He made one of those moves he'd dreamed about between shuffles, while he'd still worn a sweatsuit on the warm-up mat.

But too late. His strength failed him. Time ran away from him. And then the taped-up towel and then the whistle and it was over, just like that.

He lay there, heaving. It had happened so fast.

All of it had gone by so fast.

He kept his head down, rested the top of his head on the mat, just for an extra second. He had to brace himself. He had to gather. He could feel all of it about to overwhelm him, could feel it coming now, like a wave that crests just before it comes crashing down.

The pain was coming. The memories were coming. The emotion was coming.

The tears were coming.

This was the state wrestling tournament.

"That's all right. That's all right," one of his coaches said.

"Good career," the other said.