Kapaa High School senior wrestler Jolette Miner-Ho placed second in the 2-day Punahou Invitational Girls Wrestling Tournament on Oahu.
Miner-Ho, who is becoming one of the most accomplished female wrestlers in the Kauai Interscholastic Federation’s eight-year history of the sport, was pleased with her results.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement, and especially at the tournament, and I can say that with good conscious seeing myself from a freshman, and now coming in as an experienced wrestler, on how I should perform, and it’s a huge eye-opener,” she said.
Miner-Ho, one of 17 KIF wrestlers who participated in one of the most prestigious tournaments in the country, wasn’t the only wrestler to come away with hardware.
Kauai High’s Alana Takata placed fifth in the 155-pound open division, and Kayana Niheu-Kamaka, of Waimea, finished second in the 184-pound novice division.
Miner-Ho was pleased not only with the individual performances but with the growth the KIF displayed as a conference.
“With the KIF being so small, and coming into a bigger tournament like this, I believe every wrestler wants to perform at a high level, and this is unlike most tournaments,” Miner-Ho said. “This allows wrestlers to gain experience from what could be one of the top tournaments in the country.”
The tournament was good preparation.
“This will prepare us for what we should see at the state tournament, and taking from the experience we had from this week, we know we had to work the KIF tournament,” Miner-Ho said.
