There’s always a silver lining somewhere, even on really cloudy days — something that Kelee Shimizu can take comfort in.
There’s always a silver lining somewhere, even on really cloudy days — something that Kelee Shimizu can take comfort in.
The Waiakea junior could emulate the motivational fire of Tom Brady and carry a Mauna Kea-sized chip on her shoulder.
It could prove beneficial for Shimizu, who’ll compete in the 100-yard butterfly at the HHSAA state swimming and diving championships.
As far as her time in the pool, it hasn’t been a wonderful life for Shimizu lately, and never mind that there’s really no other sport like swimming in terms of preparation.
Swimmers jump in the pool early in the morning, no matter how cold the water. In any other sport, if there’s early practice or training, someone can throw on a jacket to combat frostbite.
After swimmers finish early morning practice, they go to school and practice after that. Then they do homework and find time to wolf down a meal.
Wait, their day is not done. There’s night practice. On weekends, a time of joy for couch potatoes, swimmers are working out with their club teams.
Shimizu is one of those serious swimmers and competes for Waiakea coach Bill Sakovich and Hilo coach Jon Hayashida’s Hilo Aquatic Club.
When swimmers are sleeping, they’re dreaming about their technique, often an edge sharped with repetition — a reason for the countless practice sessions.
Shimizu knows that feeling well. She’s lived it all her life, just like her sister Rachel Shimizu, a 2012 Waiakea graduate, who’s at Cal State East Bay.
At the BIIF swimming championships last Saturday at Kamehameha’s Naeole Pool, Shimizu drew a disqualification for a false start in the 100 fly.
She finished the BIIF regular season as the top-ranked swimmer in that event, No. 11 in the lineup.
As a freshman in 2014, Shimizu won the 200 and 500 freestyle at the BIIF championships. That was her best of times, followed by back-to-back bummers.
Last year, she picked up a wicked flu bug and couldn’t do her daily grinding at practice. Somehow, Shimizu got second in the 200 and 500 free at BIIFs.
Then she switched strokes this year and got tagged with a DQ call, a gut punch that left her feeling blue for a brief moment.
“I was disappointed in myself,” Shimizu said. “I want to come back harder at everything. Anytime you can’t win or at least get a top 3 finish, you’re trying to do it for your team. I know I want to work hard and win for the team.”
Of course, the legend of Brady, the New England Patriots quarterback, is how he took the disappointment of being a sixth-round pick in the NFL draft in 2000 and used it as a motivational chip on his shoulder.
In the ESPN 30 for 30 episode titled, “The Brady Six,” so named after the six QBs drafted ahead of Gisele Bundchen’s husband, he cried talking about his draft day.
Somehow, he turned out just fine and won four Super Bowl titles, two more than archrival Peyton Manning, who beats Brady in TV commercials.
For Shimizu, she can relate and ease her mind when she thinks about the advice from her pragmatic sister Rachel.
“She thinks I’m better at water polo,” Shimizu said. “She tells me that she wants me to do my best. That’s all that really matters.
“I’ll keep working hard. I’ve worked hard this year. I’ve got something to prove to myself and to my team.”
For a brief and feel-good moment, she turned into Tom Brady, a champion of determination, just like Kelee Shimizu.
Teddy’s bear
At the BIIF championships, Waiakea senior Teddy Uekawa captured his first gold medal in the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.74.
He’s the younger brother of 2013 Waiakea graduate Madi Uekawa, who’s now swimming at UH-Manoa.
She has four BIIF golds in the 100 breast and finished her career 8 for 8 in individual events.
It’s not easy following in the footsteps of Madi, one of the best swimmers in league history, a fierce competitor, and champion of hard work.
At least, his 100 breast time is better; her best was 106.03 in 2011.
Uekawa remembers clearly the advice his sister provided.
“She told me to go as hard as I can,” he said. “And don’t even think about the pain until after.”
To those who know Madi, that sounds exactly like her.
It also helped Teddy add to the family’s gold collection.
Hoyt’s reward
At the BIIF championships, Kealakehe senior Hoyt Thomas won gold in the 200 individual medley in 2:08.27 and was second in the 100 backstroke in 58.47.
Thomas, whose first name Hoyt is his grandmother’s maiden name, remembers that he won double BIIF gold in both events last year, and at states he was sixth in the 200 IM and eighth in the 100 back.
He doesn’t recall what he did as a freshman and sophomore. That matters little to him. It’s the lessons Thomas has learned from Kealakehe coach Steve Borowski that matter much more.
“It’s my 12th year swimming with his Kona Aquatics Club,” Thomas said. “He’s taught me more than just swimming, like how to have a perspective on life. It’s been fun, and it’s been good for me every year.”
Sometimes, a life lesson is the best reward — even better than state gold.