Ser ving the students of the Univers i t y of Hawai ‘i at Manoa s ince 1922

Thursday

VOL. 101 | ISSUE 2 WWW.KALEO.ORG

June 1, 2006

Tyson Nam returns to the ring with a mission

InsideNews 1, 4Features 2, 3Editorials 7Comics 6Sports 1, 5, 8

Oven art celebrates Raku

Ho`olaule`aNews | Page 4

X-out third in trilogy for lack of

development Features | Page 3

Compiled by Michelle White

Monday, May 22

7:53 p.m. - A caller reported seeing two men jump the fence into the Duke Kahanamoku pool. The suspects left after Campus Security arrived.

Tuesday, May 23

10:40 a.m. - Faculty reported the theft of a school laptop from St. John Hall. A theft report was filed.

1:58 p.m.- A disorderly man on the 3rd floor of Keller Hall refused to leave. A report was filed with Campus Security.

Wednesday, May 24

6:46 p.m. - Campus Security found two men on the roof of the Hawai‘i Institute for Geophysics building. The men were identified and asked to leave.

Thursday, May 25

12:55 a.m. - Campus Security found a man sleeping on the Bachman Hall lawn near the flagpole. He was asked to leave.

9:59 a.m. - Staff at Sinclair Library reported that a dog was tied up outside. Campus Security found a Hawai`i Pacific University graduate student leaving with her dog. She was advised not to leave the dog unattended on campus.

8:05 p.m. - Security at Maile Way reported that someone was complaining about cats on their car. They requested that secu-rity remove the cats. The sus-pected cats ran into the bushes before security arrived.

Friday, May 26

2:48 p.m. - A woman reported that a man threatened her near Bilger Hall. She filed a report.

Saturday, May 27

10:25 a.m. - Campus Security found that someone defecat-ed on a bench near Sinclair Library. Custodial staff was informed.

3:38 p.m. - A Freeman guard reported having trouble with a woman at Hamilton Library. Library staff reported that they she has caused trouble several times before.

9:31 p.m. - HFD damaged a

CampusBeat

DIANA LORGE • Ka Leo o Hawai‘i

Anthony Torres (right) gains an advantage over his opponent, Jerry Hackney, through a mounting position. Torres defeated Hackney by TKO in 4:12 in the first round. Torres was a participant on the television reality show, "The Ultimate Fighter," and improved to 4-1. Hackney dropped to 7-4.

By Danielle FludKa Leo Editor in Chief

Anticipation ran like a visible shudder through the crowd Friday night at the Neal Blaisdell Arena as the lights dimmed for a moment in silent remembrance of a treasured Icon Sport member and brother, Jason Nam. The crowd suddenly roared as an overhead slideshow came to life and music thrummed through the arena as another Icon fighter appeared on the screen. A fighter with a face of intensity, of confidence and of purpose. Tyson Nam. “His family loved it,” said Patrick Freitas of Icon Sport. “Tyson’s actually never seen it...he didn’t want to until after the fight. Someone told us he was covering his eyes and ears backstage. He won’t see it until we can burn him a DVD copy in a few days.” The slideshow was a combined effort of Icon Sport, KITV report-er Rob Demello and KHON anchor Kanoa Leahey. They created a video concept to run on the Jumbotron while music played. Nam submitted some of the pictures of his brother, which Freitas took with the songs and quotes to their video editor. The crowd cheered wildly above the music as Nam, a University of Hawai`i senior, strode into the arena under the classic entrance song, “Eye of the Tiger.” Though Nam might have shared the song with another

infamous ring fighter, Rocky didn’t hold a candle to the intensity of the fiery crowd as Nam made his way across the platform and through the ropes to stand under the harsh lights of the ring. The song was more than appropriate for the situation and Nam approved. “They [my coaches] chose it,” Nam said. “But I wanted that song from the beginning, so it was a good guess. My brother was born in the year of the tiger, and he always use to tell me, ‘eye of the tiger,’ before each of my previous fights.”

Nam was more than just the eye of the tiger as he stepped into the ring—he was the muscle, teeth, and claws as well. He took the fight late in the third round with a win by decision, his opponent, Bill “Spider” Dexter, bleeding and struggling on the mat. The audience stood and waved their arms as they whistled and hooted in agreement as Nam was awarded the fight. “There was no way I was going to lose,” Nam said on stage after the fight. “No way in hell. [I gave] 110 percent, just like my brother gave

every day. No more than that.” Nam’s original opponent, UH student Ben Shrader, was scheduled to make his debut professional fight but dropped out at the last minute. Nam was surprised, as Shrader was originally going to accept the fight despite being advised against it. Nam was even more surprised when he heard he was fighting Dexter instead. “I was kinda worried,” Nam said. “Because we don’t have any videos on him or whatever. I didn’t know

By Blaine TolentinoKa Leo Senior Writer

Student loan interest rates are expected to climb about two per-centage points this summer. July 1 marks each year’s adjustment in interest rates for outstanding col-lege loans. The U.S. Department of Education is expected to raise inter-est rates to just over seven percent with parent loans up to 7.8 percent. US House Democrats have warned students and parents to con-solidate loans before July 1. Doing so would result in the possibility of locking in a lifelong rate as low as

Two percent increase in loan interest by July 1See Nam, page 8

See Loans, page 5

Graph by Ka Leo Staff

Politicians urge students to

consolidate loans

Interest rates for Parent Loans for Under-graduate Students (PLUS) will experience a sharp increase in the upcoming 2006-2007 school year as rates rise from 6.1% to 7.8%. This increase follows a rising trend over the

past three years after a decrease in rates in years prior.

Source: Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education

See Campus Beat, page 5

UH fighter rises in

competition

By Casey IshitaniKa Leo Comics Editor

As summer approaches, students and faculty alike are plotting the course of their vacations – a road trip, perhaps, maybe a plane ride to visit loved ones in far-off lands or working all sum-mer to pay for rent and tuition. For the latter, to make the time pass by more pleasantly and inspire satisfac-tion, here are a few songs for your summer playlist:

The Fiery Furnaces – “Here Comes the Summer” (from EP)Eleanor Friedberger’s velvet-soft voice and irresistible melodies the song unloads on the listener make this sunny pop treat the perfect tease for the upcoming season. Even better, it works as nostalgia, making next sum-mer equally tempting.

The New Pornographers – “Sing Me Spanish Techno” (from “Twin Cinema”)A very strong and affective tune from the always-wonderful Pornographers about being caught up with a single song for too long and looking for another. Ironically, this will be that song for many who hear it.

Pavement – “Summer Babe” (from Slanted and Enchanted)As guitars buzz around his groggy voice, Stephen Malkmus describes a woman who eats her fingers and mixes drinks with a plastic-tipped cigar. You can’t help but wonder if he’s disgusted or turned on by her pathological grotesqueness – or both.

Stereolab – “Cybele’s Reverie” (from Emperor Tomato Ketchup)Sung entirely in French, albeit in Laetitia Sadier’s deep, smooth, sexy voice, and riding a sweeping string section, this paean to lost innocence and hope is basically the type of song that makes you miss those magical summers in which a couple of months without school could mean infinite

amounts of wonder and beauty.

People Under the Stairs – “Hang Loose” (from OST)Nothing too deep in this track from the LA-by-way-of-Bay-Area hip-hop duo, but it does contain one of the most infectious funk samples used by any DJ. This is the kind of song that should put to rest the accusation by many critics of hip-hop that the art has gone stale and that the artists have forgotten how to have fun.

Blackalicious – “Release” (from Blazing Arrow)Chief Xcel and his brilliant wordsmith Gift of Gab pushed the art of hip-hop before but never as intense as their work on “Release,” which features three different acts (Blackalicious,

FeaturesKa Leo o Hawai‘i

Thursday, June 1, 2006 | Page 2Editor: Alyssa Navares | (808) 956-3221 | features@kaleo.org

An earful of sweltering summer sing-alongs

Saul Williams and Lyrics Born) over the course of nine breathtaking min-utes of solid vocal athletics that went criminally underappreciated by the masses. It’s almost like the perfect summer block party playlist in and of itself.

The Kinks – “All Day and All of the Night” (from Kinks-Size)Never really taken seriously in their own time, The Kinks, like The Ramones after them, proved that they could be timeless rock heroes without slinging out intricate instrumentation or hyper-literate poetic musings. With “All of the Night,” the British group takes the easiest chords and lyrics and brilliantly create a classic rock come-on.

Sleater-Kinney – “Oh!” (from One Beat)The sweetest and catchiest song from the band that has not yet stopped molting rock-styles and melting eardrums, “Oh!” finds the rock trio using the surprising wail from an analog surf-organ to add the right amount of tartness needed for a summery love song. The volume they play at earns Sleater-Kinney the exclamatory song title.

Dungen – “Festival” (from Ta Det Lungt)The hard-rocking psychedelic Swedish band cools down for a moment to coo a very bright, very disarming and very approachable song that, even if your Swedish isn’t exactly fluent, your uncontrollable desire to swoon will give way.

Belle & Sebastian – “Song For Sunshine” (from The Life Pursuit)While Belle & Sebastian’s “Mayfly” would have also been appropriate, it’s about death. When you’re just start-ing your summer vacation, you don’t want to be thinking about mortality. Then again, all of Belle & Sebastian’s songs are quite depressing, lyrically. “Song For Sunshine” might be about false hope but it has a great Stevie Wonder-esque organ. Plus, false hope

A stack of tracks to watch forthis season

COURTESY PHOTO • Matador records

The New Pornagraphers, in a sequel act, will have you “listening too long to one song“… their own.

COURTESY PHOTO • stereoLab oFFiciaL website

Stereolab, looking oh-so French and trés cool, in their early years.

is what summer is all about.

Broken Social Scene – “7/4 Shoreline” (from Broken Social Scene)The perfect song for an escape, with an orchestral amount of guitars thrash-ing alongside blaring trombones and Leslie Feist stealing the spotlight with her usual guile, “7/4 Shoreline” is that sweeping ballad that you need to hear when the harsh realities of socioeconomic pressures get in the

way of warm summer breezes and well-earned self reflections.

Jimi Hendrix – “Long Hot Summer Night” (from Electric Ladyland)Hendrix’s languid guitar-work here conjures an image and even a sen-sation of a sultry night where lust and vigorous youth curdle together. One of the rock god’s best and certainly good for those summer air-guitar lessons.

FeaturesKa Leo o Hawai‘i

Thursday, June 1, 2006 | Page 3Editor: Alyssa Navares | (808) 956-3222 | features@kaleo.org

By Haunani KaneKa Leo Contributing Writer

The Kaiwa Ridge Trail, more commonly known as the Lanikai Pillboxes or Lanikai Hills, is a 30-minute hike along the Keolu hillside, bordering the backside of Lanikai. The short distance of the trail makes it popular for walkers, joggers and Kailua residents. Kaiwa Ridge offers a breath-taking view of the Windward coast-line. Hikers can see islands like the Mokulua Islets, Mokapu Peninsula and Rabbit Island. A very dusty trail, this hike may

be steep in a few areas but not steep enough to require any climbing gear. Most of the trail is covered in fine granite. For some residents, like University of Hawai`i at Manoa senior Jenny Handley, this hike has become a daily routine. “I like to hike to the Pillboxes because of the incredible 360-degree view,” Handley said. “From one side of the path, I can see from Makapu`u to Kualoa, and on the other side, there’s the Ko`olau Mountain Range, Kawainui Marsh and much of resi-dential Kailua.” The entrance to the trail is located across the street from the

Mid-Pacific Country Club and Golf Course in Lanikai. There are other entry points in Keolu, Lanikai and Bellows. Most hikers take this trail to the second of the two old military bunkers called the pillboxes. These pillboxes were used during World War II, at an elevation of about 565 feet. “The best times to hike are dur-ing the early morning and late after-noon when it is cool,” local Lanikai resident and UHM sophomore Chad Martin said. “The trade winds alle-viate the sweltering heat during the midday, making anytime possible for a hike,”

By Marlo TingKa Leo Contributing Writer

“X-Men: The Last Stand” is a waste of time and potential. According to its official website, the movie “raises issues with strong con-temporary relevance.” Raising them, however, is as far as it goes. The first two X-Men films did more than simply make casual references to the social issues it was addressing – this last one doesn’t. Based on the Marvel comic book series, the X-Men are a group of mutants led by Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), a telepath and the head of their school for mutants. Mutants have powers that normal humans lack, like the ability to move through walls. The general public sees them as a threat – and some mutants are – but the X-Men advocate peaceful coexistence and equal rights. In this latest installment of the movie series, a so-called cure for mutation is introduced. Some mutants oppose it, arguing that there’s nothing wrong with them. Others line up for it, seeking acceptance in mainstream society or a release from the burdens that their mutations give them. Rogue (Anna Paquin), for example, drains the life out of anyone she comes in skin contact with, which complicates her relationship with her boyfriend. Others bear physical characteristics that distinguish them from ordinary people or are, in some other way, an inconvenience. This could’ve made for an interesting story had it been developed, but it wasn’t. Instead, the cure is an excuse to show off special effects shots. Erik Lensherr (Sir Ian McKellen), who goes by the name Magneto whenever he runs around in his cape, sees the cure as a threat to all mutants and violently opposes it. The X-Men step

in to stop him and things blow up. While all those explosions are pretty, they’re not a cure for the movie’s shallow plot. The characters are, like the story, underdeveloped and uninter-esting. No time is spent on their backgrounds, and no one is given any reason to care about what hap-pens to them. This shortcoming is compounded by the addition of a lot of new mutants, who are all given introductions but not a purpose for being in the movie. “The Last Stand” was written by Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn. Both of them worked on the screenplay for the second X-Men film. But, like the mutants who lined up for the cure, they seem to have lost their powers.

Editor Note: Stay for the credits

X-Men: can't stand up to hype

COURTESY PHOTO • 20tH century Fox

“X-Men: The Last Stand” doesn’t fulfill its fullest potential, as the previous films did.

Lanikai Pillbox: Kailua view

HAUNANI KANE • Ka Leo o Hawai‘i

Those who hike to the Lanikai pillboxes enjoy a view of the islands, such as the Mokulua Islets. The concrete structures were built in World War II as emplacements for machine and antitank guns. The 30-minute hike is well-known for offering a 360-degree view of the Windward side on O‘ahu.

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Tiny kilns fire upbig artscene

NewsPage 4 | Thursday, July 1, 2006

Ka Leo o Hawai‘i

Editor: Matthew K. Ing | (808) 956-3221 | news@kaleo.org

Photo Essay By Blaine TolentinoKa Leo Senior Writer The 30th Annual Raku Ho`olaule`a will begin this weekend on June 5. Students from the UHM Art Department will fire ceramic pieces in a community kiln that will be set up through Sunday. Preparations for the event began weeks ago with the Tea Bowl Workshop on May 13, thanks to the East West Center Tea House. Tea bowls that are made by each contribu-

tor’s group will be sold to ben-efit Hawai`i Craftsmen. Participants will be judged for an exhibition at Marks Garage, where their work will be shown at First Friday, an open gallery night held each month, on July 7. One of the judges will be Ernest Aryee, a large-scale clay worker from Ghana. The others are mem-bers of the Urasenke Foundation which was founded in Kyoto as a group dedicated to the American understanding of Japan.

Ka Leo O Hawai‘i is the campus newspaper of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. It is published by the Board of Publications four times a week except on holidays and during exam periods. Circulation is 14,000. Ka Leo is also published once a week during summer sessions with a circulation of 14,000. Ka Leo is funded by student fees and advertising. Its editorial content reflects only the views of its editors, writers, columnists and contributors, who are solely responsible for its content. No material that appears in Ka Leo may be reprinted or republished in any medium without permission. The first newsstand copy is free; for additional copies, please come to the Ka Leo Building. Subscription rates are $36 for one semester and $54 for one year.© 2006 Ka Leo O Hawai‘i

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Tiny kilns fire upbig artscene

TOP: An instillation piece from undergraduate Jon Vongvichai sits in the ceramic area of the art building. The installation will stay up until next Tuesday. The framework that Vongvichai’s cocoon-like structures hang from will be used at the Raku Ho’olaulea next week.

ABOVE: Daven Hee shows the work from Shige Miyamoto’s class last semester. Their tiny kilns will be fired at the festival. The pieces are fired so that they may act as miniature ovens for cooking food.

LEFT: Undergraduate Jonah Punzal has been sculpting for four years at the University of Hawai i. Here he carves an unfired vase.

BELOW: Punzal chooses tools in the ceramic studio on Tuesday afternoon, getting ready for the Raku festival this weekend, where he may submit this piece.

NewsKa Leo o Hawai‘i

Editor: Matthew K. Ing | (808) 956-3221 | news@kaleo.org Thursday, June 1, 2006 | Page 5

6.1 percent for parents and 4.75 for students. “Student and parent borrow-ers have a little more than one month left to consolidate their college loans before interest rates rise again,” said Representative George Miller of Calif., the senior Democrat on the House education committee. “I strongly urge bor-rowers not to miss this opportu-nity to save thousands of dollars in interest costs on their loans.” Consolidating loans helps borrowers by combining all of their eligible loans into a one fed-erally guaranteed loan, a Federal Consolidation Loan. Students are also provided with an extended repayment term. Federal Stafford and PLUS loans are reset every July 1 according to the Treasury bill yield from May. The Treasury bill yield is a estimate of the increase in bond maturation that forecasts the new appraisal of interest. “With rapidly increasing college loan volume, it is criti-cal for students to take advan-tage of any opportunity avail-able to reduce their debt,” said Representative Dale Kildee of Michigan, the senior Democrat

Hale Wainani elevator after pry-ing the doors open to free the occupants. Someone who had been stuck in the elevator had fainted and required medical attention.

9:32 p.m. - A Freeman guard reported that three elderly women

forgot where they parked their car in the lower campus parking structure. Campus Security helped them find it.

Sunday, May 28

12:58 p.m. - A guard at the Hamilton

Library reported a confrontation with a UHM student. The woman left after Campus Security was called.

2:22 p.m. - A woman reported that she hit a pole near the Hale Aloha cafeteria.

Loans: Interest rushes consolidation before July 1

From page 1

CampusBeat From page 1

Illustration by Casey Ishitani

on the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness. “Consolidating before July 1 will save students money – potential-ly thousands of dollars – easing the financial burdens that limit their career choices.” Elizabeth Brown, a student at Kapi`olani Community College, works for a Pacific Mortgage brokerage. She’s married, with a house of her own, and is still pay-ing her student loans. And now she’s returned to college. “I get financial aid now, but I had to prove that I’m paying off my defaulted loan,” Brown said. After leaving college without graduating, Brown didn’t pay off her loan, thus it was defaulted. “My defaulted loan still effects my credit to this day,” Brown said. “Many college grad-uates don’t realize that not paying off their college loan shows on credit history and effects their ability to get loans in the future.” Brown added that missed and late payments are signifi-cant in a prospective borrower’s credit report. “After six months, students have to begin making pay-ments,” Brown said. “And if you don’t start making those payments, we see it.”

ComiCs & CrosswordKa Leo o Hawai‘i

Comics Editor: Casey Ishitani | comics@kaleo.orgPage 6 | Thursday, June 1, 2006

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Solutions for 5/25/06

By Keane SantosKa Leo Sports Editor

For much of his coaching career Les Murakami brought sun-shine to the University of Hawai`i baseball program. Murakami was an integral part of the construc-tion of a new baseball stadium – now named in his honor – in 1984. He brought 30 years of ser-vice, eclipsed 1000 wins, and 14 years ago led Hawai`i to a magical appearance in the College Baseball World Series. Hawai`i made the NCAA tour-nament in the following ’93 sea-son as well, but since then? Rainy years. The ‘Bows struggled in medi-ocrity; their only hope of reaching the NCAA came in 1999 – the last time Hawai`i reached 40 wins prior to this season. In 2000 the program took another blow as their longtime coach Les Murakami suffered a stroke, leaving the baseball team’s future in uncertain hands. Skies after Murakami seemed dark, as new head coach Mike Trapasso

coached the Rainbows to a 16-40 record. However, the clouds have all but cleared since then. After a few promising seasons, the ‘Bows are back in the NCAA tournament this year to face Big 12 champion Kansas in the first round. “It’s what we have been work-ing for, it’s the goal we’ve set from day one of our practices when our kids showed in August,” Trapasso commented. “I’m happy for our kids and our assistant coaches.” Since the day of his hiring, fans have been hoping Trapasso would bring the ‘Bows to where they are now. For the past few seasons Hawai`i had the talent to be competitive in the NCAA tournament. Last sea-son Hawai`i shocked the baseball nation when they swept national powerhouse Florida State for the first time in Series history, including a 15-0 shutout over the Seminoles in the opener. In 2004 the Rainbows won two of three games over the third ranked Rice Owls team who had dominated the Western Athletic Conference for years. But every season an amazing and promising victory was fol-lowed by disappointing confer-ence losses and, ultimately, no appearances past the WAC tourna-ment for the Rainbows. This year Hawai`i finally got it done with strong non-conference showings against Washington and

Southern California and a second-place finish in the WAC. “I don’t really like compar-ing teams from one season to another, but what’s separated this team from day one is character,” Trapasso said. “They’ve stayed on task and not let other things get in the way of winning.” Hawai`i went an impressive 43-15 this season and reached the WAC title game before falling to Fresno State 8-4. Hawai`i was ranked 24 in the nation twice this season and posted an impressive road record of 16-4. The season has earned Trapasso a Coach of the Year recognition by the College Baseball Foundation. Hawaii’s number one pitcher Steven Wright became WAC Pitcher of the Year and an All-American award for his 11-2 record and 2.30 ERA. But where will the ‘Bows go from here? Will they advance in the NCAA? Can they defeat Kansas? Could they reach another College World Series? “You always want to win the first game,” Trapasso said. “Everybody is good [in the NCAA] and everyone has earned it. There are no gimmies, we’ve got our work cut out for us.” After years of rain, the sun is back and the Rainbows are finally starting to shine again. Who knows what will happen from here, but for the first time in 13 years we, as fans,

Should we bring Ka Leo’s “Bathroom Wall” segment back in the fall? Let us know what you think, vote at www.kaleo.org or email bathroomwall@kaleo.org.

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Trapasso coaches Rainbows to skyHawaii's first

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CommentaryKa Leo o Hawai‘i

Editor: Kimberly Shigeoka | (808) 956-3214 | editorials@kaleo.org Thursday, June 1, 2006 | Page 7

Vote onLinefor

Bathroom Wall’s return

what to expect – didn’t know if he was good at standing up or on the ground.” Dexter proved to be a worthy opponent as both athletes came out swinging in the first round. Dexter leapt up and tried to grapple Nam, his legs wrapped around Nam’s waist, arms struggling to catch Nam in a guillotine choke – a choke that attempts to crush the opponent’s windpipe and win by submission. “Ground fighting is new to Tyson,” Freitas said. “Even Dexter’s standing guillotine chokes were pretty scary. One almost caught Tyson early in the fight, but Tyson just threw Dexter to the ground. Tyson’s defense saved him from get-ting caught in a submission; his offense won him the fight.” Hannah Rozsa, a visiting student from the University of California, San Diego, said that the fight started out fast and entertaining. “It was great to watch them go at it,” she said. “They really turned up the heat and just went for it.” A chant slowly picked up, and soon the crowed chanted “Tyson! Tyson!” as Nam struggled to free himself, and man-aged to twist his body forward to throw Dexter on his back. The referee then separated the grappling duo as a crimson stream bubbled from above Dexter’s left eye to streak down his face. Though despite the blood, Dexter was determined to not give in. “I caught him in an uppercut in the nose too,” Nam said. “I hit him a lot of times, and I actually hurt my hand on his

head, but he just kept coming. [He] never went down, never got discouraged.” Round Two started off in a flurry of fists and knee thrusts, and Nam had Dexter pinned against the ropes. Dexter tried several times to get Nam in a hold as he sent several knee thrusts into Nam’s stomach. Nam reached out and grabbed Dexter by the sides of the face and roughly pushed him against the corner ropes and to the ground. Dexter kicked wildly while on his back to keep Nam at bay as the last few seconds of the round ran out. “He was trying to go for the guil-lotine choke,” Nam said. “A couple of times he almost had it. I tried to hold his chok-ing arm to keep him from choking my throat, and tried to keep him from standing.” Dexter dove for Nam’s legs as soon as the referee opened up Round Three and managed to clamber up Nam’s front-side and again attempted at a choke. By that time Dexter was bleeding from above the eye and out of swollen nose, and the judge stopped the fight sev-eral times to check on the injuries. Nam shoulder-threw Dexter to the mat, and the two opponents grappled for dominant position before Nam gained the top and put in three quick jabs to Dexter’s head before the referee stepped in and ended the fight. “It was tough,” Nam admitted afterwards. “Just a little mis-take and he could have had the submission. He was really close some times, I actually was worried while on the ground—he defi-

nitely knew what he was doing.” Freitas was very impressed with Nam’s dominant win over Dexter. “Dexter was undefeated at 7-0,” Freitas said. “And he’s been fighting since 2003. Tyson’s complete [mixed martial arts] training has only just begun, and he tooled Dexter.” Nam will most likely not fight in the upcoming July 23 Icon Anniversary event, due to several injuries to his hands from the fight with Dexter. “I think I might have sprained my hands,” he said. “I don’t want to take a fight so soon and injure it anymore. I gotta be

that 110 percent going into the fight, don’t want to be hold-ing anything back.”

Instead, Nam plans on focusing on stud-ies during second summer session with a class

in Biochemistry, while working on campus in the Natural Sciences Dean’s office. He will continue to train while having to take it easy for a bit due to his hands, but overall he is very happy with the fight. “As long as I gave it my all,” he said. “Win, loose or draw, everyone is happy, as long as you don’t think you left any-thing out, or there was nothing that you didn’t do.”

This was Nam’s second MMA win with Icon Sport. His first win was in March with

a technical knockout in the first minute of round three against veteran fighter Ryan Lee. Freitas believes that Nam’s superior defense comes from a mix of rare instinct and incredible athleticism. “When he becomes proficient in sub-

missions and submission defense,” Freitas said. “Tyson will be nearly impossible to beat in

his weight class, and I don’t mean just in Hawai‘i. I mean on the

national and even interna-tional scene.”

sportsPage 8 | Thursday, June 1, 2006 Editor: Keane Santos | (808) 956-3215 | sports@kaleo.org

Ka Leo o Hawai‘i

DIANA LORGE • Ka Leo o Hawai‘i

Bill Dexter (top) attempts a guillotine choke hold on Tyson Nam.

SportsBriefsKa Leo Sports Desk

Rainbows playing-on in NCAA’s

For the first time in 13 years, the University of Hawai`i at Manoa base-ball team is heading to the NCAA tournament. The ‘Bows earned the Western Athletic Conference only at-large bid and were seeded third

in the Corvallis regional at Oregon. Hawai‘i will face second seeded and Big 12 champion Kansas on Friday, June 2, at noon. Also in Hawaii`s bracket are Wright State (horizon champion) and Oregon State (Pac-10 champion). Fellow WAC member and champion, Fresno State, earned the second seed in the Cal-State Fullerton regional.

Wright and Trapasso honored

Junior pitcher Steven Wright and Rainbow Head Coach Mike Trapasso were both honored by the College Baseball Foundation, earning All-America and Coach of the Year honors, respectively. Wright was one of seven pitchers named to the All-America

team. He is 11-2 on the year with a 2.30 ERA, striking out 123 in 109.2 innings pitched. He was also named the WAC Pitcher of the Year. Trapasso joins Rice’s Wayne Graham, Virginia’s Brian O’Conner and Kentucky’s John Cohen as the honorees as National Coaches of the Year. Trapasso has led the team

to their best season since 1992, going 43-15 through the regular season. Most impressive is the 16-4 record that the ‘Bows have posted on the road. “I was able to win [the Coach of the Year honor], because Steven Wright was an All-American,” Trapasso said. “It’s a team award, it takes good players to win games.”

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DIANA LORGE • Ka Leo o Hawai‘i

Tyson Nam, a UHM student, returned to

the ring at the Blaisdell Arena for his first

fight since the loss of his older

brother, Jason.