Rainbows get shoe to call their own
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
ASICS America Corporation
Look to the bottom line to judge how great the volleyball gap is between second-ranked Hawai'i and WAC West cellar-dweller Boise State, who play tomorrow at Stan Sheriff Center.
ASICS, which outfits the UH women's volleyball team, has produced the GEL-Wahine shoe.
The Broncos (5-19, 1-8 WAC) stagger in with a nine-match losing streak. The Rainbow Wahine (23-1, 9-0) have won their last 22 this year, last 83 against WAC teams and are two victories away from clinching the top seed at the WAC Tournament.
And, just so the 'Bows can kick more sand in WAC foes' faces, they now have their own shoe.
ASICS America (formerly ASICS Tiger) is officially introducing the GEL-Wahine volleyball shoe next month. It will be available, possibly as early as Saturday, at McCully Bicycle & Sporting Goods and The Running Room in Honolulu, and Runner's Hi in 'Aiea, according to Char Taguinod, marketing manager for teams at ASICS headquarters in Irvine, Calif.
"It's pretty much our way of thanking Coach Dave Shoji and his program for their loyalty over some 20 years," Taguinod said. "We get tons of exposure from them."
The Rainbow Wahine received the shoes, which retail for $85, last week. Some are wearing them off the court and like the comfort.
They stand out, even in the massive sneaker market, because of the volleyball on the tongue and green color. ASICS hasn't done a green shoe in five years. There are also blue, black and red versions.
This is also the first time ASICS has produced a shoe specifically for a program and its only "female-specific" shoe. "There is no GEL-Warrior," Taguinod said.
ASICS has outfitted the team from head to toe — everything from travel bags and sports bras to knee pads and mittens — since Hawai'i wore Nike to win its second national championship, in 1982, and the swoosh never bothered to acknowledge the accomplishment.
"I like the fact ASICS knows we're alive," Shoji said. "They treat us well, service us. Their management has embraced us. I think we mean a lot to them and they mean a lot to us."
ASICS approached Shoji about the shoe last spring.
"I felt very honored," he recalled. "I never got a reason why they were doing it. They just said they were coming out with the shoe and didn't even ask us to wear it."
Boise is the 'Bows' only match this week, but Shoji's focus is on conditioning. In three easy sweeps last week, without All-American Lily Kahumoku, who is expected to play tomorrow, he grew concerned that his team had it too easy. They came back to a special cardio session Monday, a "little longer" practice yesterday and are probably going for more conditioning Friday.
It is the coaching staff's way of providing a challenge when the opposition cannot.
"It's hard to gauge where we are right now," Shoji said. "We looked good at times against Arizona, that's why we had them come in. We looked pretty ragged also. I'm not sure how sharp we are. We won't find out until we play Fresno (Nov. 8) or maybe even the second round of the NCAAs."
QUICK SETS: ASICS is an acronym for the Latin phrase Anima Sana In Corpore Sano — "a sound mind in a sound body." ... In WAC matches only, Nohea Tano leads the conference in hitting percentage at .469. She hit .595 last week.
Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8043.
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