Sports: Wrestling
High School Wrestling
Eddie Gudoy: Down Pat on the Mat
by Brian McInnis
What are some of the ingredients to create a perennial girls wrestling powerhouse?
Moanalua head wrestling coach Eddie Gudoy believes it takes a dash of athleticism, a sprinkle of coaching prowess, and a little bit of luck.
"We're just very fortunate to have had some quality girls come by," said Gudoy with a chuckle.
He's being a little modest.
Since 1998, when girls wrestling was added as a sanctioned high school sport in Hawaii, Moanalua's girls wrestling team has won three team championships and had three runner-ups for the title. That makes six first- or second-place finishes in eight years. In addition, Mehehune wrestlers have accumulated 11 individual state titles over that span.
Two of the biggest reasons for those numbers are Moanalua's biggest success stories in the sport, Caylene Valdez and Stephany Lee.
"We've been really lucky," said Gudoy, who took over the reigns of the Menehune wrestling program in 2004 after being an assistant for about 17 years there. "We've had Stephany, and she's one of the top wrestlers in the nation right now."
Lee is currently rated the top women's wrestler in the country for her 158.5 lb weight class by USA Wrestling.
As for Valdez, she became the first girl to win an individual state title in her weight class all four years she went to high school (2000-2003). Lee added three state titles from 2000-2002, and both added a national title in their last year.
That pair was by no means the only successful thing Moanalua had going — there were many other grapplers who also contributed to the team's success.
So what, exactly, do the Moanalua coaches know that the rest of us don't?
Gudoy says he or his assistants don't have anything magical going on, just a hardworking, veteran group that knows how to bring out the best in their athletes.
"The most we can do is make sure they go the right way," Gudoy says. "They'll learn what they can do and once they find that we can help them along. As a coaching staff … well, we're alright," he says with a laugh.
Some of his wrestlers were eager to speak up for the coaches.
"I think it's both (coaching and athletes)," says senior Ku'ulei Nitta. "Cause a lot of the athletes can be talented, but only the coaches can make them the best as they can. They are a great coaching staff."
One thing you notice immediately in practices is that the girls team trains right alongside the boys — including using grappling moves on each other. This can be found at many schools in Hawaii, often for budgeting reasons, according to Gudoy. But there is little doubt that watching the team working and competing as one group helps the students of both genders.
"I try to cater to (the girls) in practices," Gudoy concedes with a grin. "I try to, anyway. Sometimes the boys get a little jealous of the girls' status, but if they win they all get the attention."
He adopts a sterner tone when dealing with the boys on the roster, not hesitating to single out a wrestler who isn't giving a drill his all or is goofing around.
Still, the girls have to work at it just as hard.
"They (the coaches) push you until you're about to break," says junior Ariella Ing. But she thinks this is beneficial in the long run and needed for an athlete to realize their potential, especially incoming freshmen to the program.
"The (newcomers) need to stick it out," she says.
For all the individual success of student athletes like Valdez and Lee — not to mention the accomplishments of the team as a whole — expectations within the program can run a little high. Still, Nitta, Ing and their fellow generation of Menehune stars say they aren't fazed by the hype.
At least, not too badly.
"(Stephany and Caylene) were really talented," says senior Alicia Fu, who just claimed a first place finish in the 155 lb division at the O'ahu Interscholastic Association East tournament on Feb. 11. "I'm talented too, I guess, but …"
She is hesitant to place herself in the same category.
"I think they might feel a little intimidated," Gudoy says. "For the girls, they see the (championship) banners on the wall, and they know wrestling is tough. Because the program is one of the best, I have to make it harder. Just to make them realize where we're at."
Where they're at is crunch time for the 15-person team this year, which was just entering the primary OIA tournament, followed a week later by the State Championships March 3 and 4 at the Blaisdell Arena.
The team was cautiously optimistic of its chances, and who knows - they might get lucky.
Again.
