By ALEX HATAYAMA ADVERTISING By ALEX HATAYAMA Special to the Tribune-Herald Like her family, Tamari Miyashiro has been around volleyball all her life. Her mother Joey, sister Tehani and cousin Aven Lee all played for the Rainbow Wahine. But unlike
By ALEX HATAYAMA
Special to the Tribune-Herald
Like her family, Tamari Miyashiro has been around volleyball all her life. Her mother Joey, sister Tehani and cousin Aven Lee all played for the Rainbow Wahine.
But unlike them, she took a different path and reached the highest levels of the sport, accomplishing something youngsters often dream about.
“Since I grew up on Oahu, I was fortunate enough to be able to watch and learn from the UH women’s volleyball team,” said Miyashiro, a 2005 Kalani High graduate, who played college ball at Washington.
As a libero for the Huskies, Miyashiro was a two-time national defensive player of the year. She earlier was honored as the Hawaii state Gatorade player of the year.
In 2009, she finished at Washington with the career record for digs (2,382) and digs per set (5.36) and a year later joined the U.S. national team.
She led the team with 4.0 digs per set during a world tour of China and helped the U.S. capture gold at the FIVB World Grand Prix.
Then Miyashiro reached her greatest goals: she won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics and also played pro ball in Europe.
Despite her success and international travels, Miyashiro hasn’t forgotten her roots.
She was at Andrew Gym on Wednesday with The Give It Back Foundation, in its second year of inspiring and helping younger volleyball players.
“The community has given a lot to me, so I wanted to give back,” she said.
The camp, with other U.S. national team players, will later travel to Kauai and Maui. All proceeds will be donated to a charity in the community hosting the camp. Oahu was first on the camp tour.
The foundation was co-founded by the U.S. women’s national team members Courtney Thompson (from Kent, Wash.) and Miyashiro, who had an unforgettable Olympic journey.
“I got to compete against the greatest volleyball players in the world and even learn stuff from them,” she said. “It was a great experience and a dream come true.”
In the inaugural year, Thompson’s camp in her hometown donated $35,000 to The Children’s Therapy Center of Kent, Wash.
The event not only benefitted the Big Island players, who signed up, but also helped out the community as well.
The kids who signed up for the camp were grateful for the opportunity to be taught by the country’s best.
“This is a great learning experience for me and everyone else. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Waiakea sophomore Makena Hanle said. “I am very thankful that these former Olympians would come here and help us.”
Nani Spaar, a Kamehameha freshman, also enjoyed the camp, noting that the coaches related well to everyone.
“They are great coaches. When we make mistakes, they say that is perfectly fine, and that the only way to get better is to learn from them,” Spaar said. “I am grateful that they came here.”
The camp was open for girls in grades 9-12 and featured past and present U.S. national team players, including Nicole Davis (from California), Alisha Glass (Michigan), Kristin Hildebrand (Utah), and Lauren Paolini (Michigan).
The Give It Back Foundation is in its second year of inspiring and empowering the next generation of volleyball players to be the best they can be, something that hit home for Hilo senior Kailee Kurokawa.
Kurokawa got rid of her butterflies once she felt comfortable following the lead of the Olympians.
“At first, I was nervous, but once they started I found out that they are very helpful,” Kurokawa said. “I appreciate them coming here and trying to make us the best we can be.”
