Posted on: Friday, March 18, 2005

ASICS volleyball club players to train in Japan

Advertiser Staff

ASICS Rainbow Volleyball Club director Luis Ramirez took a "shot in the dark" and ended up hitting a bull's eye.

The result is a trip to Japan for 30 of his club players — mostly in high school — to train with Hiroshima's top high school volleyball teams.

The players, nine girls and 21 boys ranging from 14 to 18 years old, are from Kahuku, Radford, Kaimuki, Punahou, Iolani, Kamehameha, Roosevelt, Saint Louis, Maryknoll and Kaua'i.

Five coaches, including Ramirez, who also is the boys coach at Iolani, and five chaperons will accompany the players.

The trip began with a simply inquiry, according to Ramirez.

A member of the club is Colan Ishii, 16, whose father, David, competes on the Japan tour.

Ramirez approached David's wife, Lorraine, and asked, "'Hey, what do you think about this?' She's been so instrumental to this trip."

"He (Ramirez) knew that David plays on the Japan tour," Lorraine said. "(He said) wouldn't it be nice to hook up with a team in Japan, just wishing off the top of his head."

Lorraine called David in Japan. David spoke with his uncle, who lives in Hiroshima and is head of a volleyball association. David's uncle then had his son, Norio Neishi, arrange for dorms, practice schedules and hotels.

The club will be staying at a professional team's facility, Ramirez said.

"We just wanted to raise our level," Ramirez said. "Our club is college prep. We wanted to train at highest level of competition."

The team will leave Monday and return March 29.

David, who is preparing for his first golf tournament of the year in Nagoya, will meet the group at Kansai Airport in Osaka. He will escort the team to the Bullet Train and then return to Nagoya.