Former UH Warrior Jameel Dowling agrees to free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals

After not being selected in this weekend’s National Football League draft, former University of Hawaii Warrior cornerback Jameel Dowling agreed to a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals.

After graduating from UH in December, Jameel wanted to stay in Hawaii. Having not been invited to the NFL Combine, Jameel knew that his one opportunity to perform for the scouts was at the UH Pro Day. Starting in January, Jameel began training at Tactical Strength and Conditioning to prepare for the Pro Day. 

	Pre-test	Pro Day
Vertical Jump	26.5 inches	28.5 inches
Broad Jump	9 feet	9 feet 9 inches
225-pound bench	12 reps	17 reps
40-yard dash	4.91 sec.	4.59 sec.
Pro agility	5.02 sec.	4.61 sec.
L-test	8.12 sec.	7.27 sec.

Jameel’s performance at Pro Day showed a lot of improvement, which led to a private workout with the Seattle Seahawks. However on draft day, it was the Arizona Cardinals that came calling. They were looking for a big corner (Pro Day measurements - Height: 6-1 7/8; Weight: 206) and liked what they saw in Jameel.

Jameel will report to the Cardinals mini-camp, May 1-3.

PA’A Kaiwi Solo OC-1 World Championship Race

The PA’A Kaiwi Solo OC-1 World Championships were held on Sunday, April 19. The 32-mile race crosses the Kaiwi Channel, starting at Kaluakoi, Molokai and finishing in Hawaii Kai, Oahu.

In the men’s division, Luke Evslin finished 8th in 5:33:57 and Kelly Foster finished 15th in 5:44:07. On the women’s side, Jaimie Kinard finished 3rd in 6:31:30.

This year’s race was exceptionally challenging as paddlers faced constant headwinds throughout the day. The winning times were the slowest in the 15-year history of the current course.

Prior to the race, Jaimie described the PA’A Kaiwi Solo in “World Series of OC-1 Races.”

The 32-mile solo crossing of the Ka’iwi Channel is not for the faint of heart. Last year’s times ranged from three and a half hours to almost six hours.

PA’A’s world championship event is a chance to race the best of the best in the most challenging of waters and catch up with paddling cronies from across the island chain and around the world. Checking out the list of participants at www.paahawaii.com, there are paddlers from every major Hawaiian island, Japan, Canada, California, France, New Zealand, and Australia.

You can also read about Jaimie’s post-race interviews with “Three Solo First-Timers” as they describe their experience and why they decided to race.

Luke and Kelly are not only active competitors in OC paddling, but also run Kamanu Composites, an outrigger canoe manufacturing business. Kamanu has also been active in the OC community as a supportive race sponsor during the OC-1 season and the Kaiwi race.

Here’s a video of the 2009 PA’A Kaiwi Solo.

2009 PA’A Kaiwi Solo from Marta Czajkowska on Vimeo.

Marissa Chow wins ILH girls golf title

Update: Honolulu Star-Bulletin story on Marissa and her mother.

Iolani freshman Marissa Chow shot an even-par 72 at Kapolei Golf Course after an opening round 71 at Oahu Country Club to win the ILH girls golf title by three strokes.

Chow dedicated the win to her mother, Lynne, who died of breast cancer in January.

“I know that she was watching me and that she was right there with me the whole time,” Chow said. “This was really her dream and I just really wanted to do it for her.”

Chow began her round with a birdie on the 498-yard, par-5 first hole.

“I hit a good drive, good second shot and the approach — I was in shock myself how well I hit it,” she said. “The putt just went dead center and after that I knew that this was going to be my day.”

Chow made five consecutive pars before another birdie on the par-5 seventh. However, she gave it right back with a bogey on the par-3 eighth.

After making the turn at 1-under 35, Chow went blemish-free on the back nine except for a bogey on the par-4 11th.

“The course is in great shape, the greens were great,” she said. “I don’t think we’ve played on a better course than this all season.”

Chow has been dealing with plantar fasciitis in both of her feet for the past three years, making yesterday’s win all the more remarkable. The condition is caused by excessive wear to the plantar fascia, which supports the arches of the foot and results in inflammation of the connective tissue.

“I’ve learned to deal with the pain and not let it bother me as much,” said Chow, who averaged a league-best 72.2 strokes per round during the season.

“She played awesome, the same way she’s played all season,” Raiders coach Glenn Inouye said. “She’s so consistent - it’s almost always fairway, green and two-putt.”

- Honolulu Advertiser

Kainoa Chu named to Basketball All-Star teams

Kainoa Chu was recognized for his outstanding play on the basketball court this season. The Iolani junior was named to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin Fab 15 and an Honorable Mention on the Honolulu Advertiser All-State Teams. During the state tournament, Kainoa averaged 14 points a game while leading Iolani to a third place finish.

In the off-season, Kainoa plays for the Hawaii Raiders, a select group of student athletes from OIA and ILH schools. This team has participated in the Reebok “Summer Championships” Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada, competing against some of the top high school players in the country.

How performance training helps 37-year-old in sports and work

Sports have always been a part of Josh Anderson’s life. Growing up he was active in basketball, baseball, football and track. Today, the 37-year-old plays basketball and softball twice a week each along with volleyball. But injuries, knee and back pain, and age have slowly been catching up to him and he started to realize that he needed to get in better shape in order to stay competitive. Looking for a change and a competitive edge, Josh began training at Tactical Strength & Conditioning. “I’m getting older and I’m starting to get injured more often so I’m trying to relieve my injuries and get a little better performance.”

Initially, we conducted an assessment to determine how his body moves and identify any problem areas. Based on the assessment and Josh’s goals, we developed a training program to improve his movement efficiency. One of the primary components of his training program has been to focus on developing a solid foundation, joint stability and mobility. Only after a solid foundation has been established, can an athlete truly develop strength and power safely and effectively. We worked on his joint stability and mobility through core training and a lot of stretching. Initially, Josh felt a little out of his element as the exercises were a lot different than what he remembers doing back in college when he was powerlifting. “I never did stretch growing up and I never stretched when I powerlifted and that led to a lot of injuries. Now I’m training smarter.” [CONTINUE READING THIS POST..]

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