Ernest Chun-Olinger maneuvers his wheelchair into position using his left hand and delivers a forehand shot across the net with a racket taped to his right hand.

It's almost noon and Chun-Olinger has been practicing for three hours on a sunny day at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa outdoor courts.

"He'll keep going until he's exhausted," said Carolyn Katayama, a UH tennis and badminton teacher who coaches Chun-Olinger for free four times a week. "He's eager, athletic and coachable ... a coach's dream."

Chun-Olinger, 24, has remarkable athletic skill, hand-eye coordination and a burning desire to master a game he took on 12 months ago.

His ultimate goal is to represent the United States in wheelchair tennis at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. He has invested $4,000 in a special tennis wheelchair he uses six days a week.

A Waipahu resident and 2006 UH graduate with a degree in communications, Chun-Olinger has played in two tournaments and is undefeated.

In April, he won a starter's level U.S. Tennis Association event in Florida. He then finished first in the second-highest level division for quadriplegics at an International Tennis Federation tournament at Fukuoka, Japan in May.

Chun-Olinger wants to compete at the ITF's main level by this time next year. The quadriplegic class he wants to play in is for competitors who are impaired in four limbs.

Chun-Olinger broke his neck in a skimboarding accident in December 1996 during his freshman year at Waipahu High School. It left him without feeling from the chest down. He can move his right hand but doesn't have the strength to grip anything with it so he now writes and eats left-handed.

Rovena Olinger, a Bank of Hawaii vice president, never gave her son a chance to become despondent over his condition.

"I was in the hospital for three months and had to wear a neck brace for a year but my mother put me back in school as soon as I got out of the hospital," Chun-Olinger said. "I didn't want to go. She forced me. If it wasn't for that, I don't think I would have ever gone back to school.

"I stayed on track and graduated with my class. The only thing I didn't have to take was PE. They counted rehab as PE and extracurricular activities."

He plans to put off pursuing a master's degree in educational technology for a year and polish his tennis skills by touring on the Mainland.

He intends to play in Dallas; Belleville, Ill., and Hilton Head Island, S.C., in September with hopes of being invited to an event in Atlanta. The U.S. Open for Wheelchair Tennis in San Diego in October will be his final stop.

ITF points, which determine ranking, are what Chun-Olinger seeks. He earned no points for the Florida win because it was at the starter's level, but he did get points for his victory in Japan.

"The difference is I got 75 points for a second-draw win (in Japan) and the main-draw winner, Peter Norfolk, got 465 points," he said.

Under Katayama's tutelage, Chun-Olinger has learned to position his wheelchair at an angle for better contact, improved his overall skills and built up his endurance by working on longer rallies. "I have him stroking at the level of his belly button and finishing at the top of his shoulder to get more spin on the ball and make it jump more," said Katayama. "He's getting stronger, hitting six to 10 balls. Whatever I ask him to try, he'll try."

Chun-Olinger, who earned $500 by placing third among the local finishers in his first Wheelchair Honolulu Marathon last December, was encouraged to try tennis by local wheelchair athletes John Greer and Richard Julian.

"I've always been competitive and like the challenge of figuring things out," said Chun-Olinger, who is also a skilled table tennis player.

"After I saw the main-draw players, I realized I need to work on finishing. The keys are placement and staying in the game because tennis is a mental sport. The top players can play three to four hours so you have to be in tip-top shape."

Chun-Olinger said his siblings and friends have always supported him. It's a big reason he's not afraid to try things, like traveling alone.

During the school year, Chun-Olinger lives at Atherton YMCA and volunteers time to tutor kids.

Except for donations from the Challenged Athletes Foundation, Chun-Olinger's dream tour is self-funded. He is seeking sponsors or donations.

Anyone wishing to help can make a tax-deductible contribution in his name to Wheelchair Sports Hawai'i. Call Jeff Sampaga at 625-6696 or Chun-Olinger at 561-0958 for information.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.