Waihilo Chartrand spent much of her summer at Hilo Bayfront, running around in the sand for volleyball drills under the guidance of her father, Uwao. ADVERTISING Waihilo Chartrand spent much of her summer at Hilo Bayfront, running around in the
Waihilo Chartrand spent much of her summer at Hilo Bayfront, running around in the sand for volleyball drills under the guidance of her father, Uwao.
It’s a routine of hard work for the 2012 Hilo graduate and Chaminade junior, who’s making her homecoming when the Silverswords visit the University of Hawaii at Hilo on Saturday.
Chartrand’s teammate Suncica “Sunny” Bakic, who played with her for two years at Eastern Arizona junior college, lived with the Chartrand family in Hilo this summer.
“Sunny is pretty much like hanai,” Chartrand said. “In the summer, we ran, went to the gym and worked out at Hilo Bayfront in the sand. It was like the old days, and my dad helped, of course, the both of us.”
The Silverswords are the visitors, but they’ll be treated with open arms and loud cheers by the crowd.
Chartrand has a big family, and the local volleyball community always supports one of its own. Her HI Intensity club teammates will be there as well.
Chaminade coach Kahala Kabalis Hoke is the daughter of Carla Carpenter-Kabalis, the HI Intensity coach and UH-Hilo and NAIA Hall of Famer.
“I’ve got a big family, but Aunty Carla knows half of Hilo,” Chartrand said. “I’m happy to play in front of my family again.”
Chartrand, listed as an outside hitter/defender/libero, has the distinction of being the first to play under the mom and daughter coaches. The communications major is on a full-ride scholarship at Chaminade.
“Kahala is disciplined … If you’re late, there’s punishment,” Chartrand said. “It’s the same thing with Aunty Carla. It’s not lax either. Kahala and her are encouraging and believe in all of us.”
The best thing about Chartrand is not her ball-handling, but her personality to connect and bond with others.
Chartrand keeps in touch with former HI Intensity pals Angel Alameda, Evalani Toledo (2014 Hilo grads at Eastern Arizona); Amanda Loeffler (2014 Hilo, Pacific Union); Chelzie Ulu (2013 Hilo, Eastern Arizona); and Randi Estrada (2012 Keaau, University of Charleston, West Virginia).
“I talk to them about volleyball and school,” Chartrand said. “We want to keep in contact and make sure everybody is good and on the right track. No matter where we go, we keep in touch and don’t forget about each other.”
As for her friendship with Bakic, Chartrand said, “What made us close was not just the fact we were roommates for volleyball, but school was our first priority. We were always pushing each other, like with making flash cards. In volleyball, we were pushing each other for motivation.
“Sunny wanted to come to school in Hawaii, where I was. I told her to send video to coach Kahala, but it was hard because she had surgery for her ACL. She was worried that would affect her. I told her to think positive, be willing to work extra hard, and train. She had the right mindset.
“When she talked to the coaches, Kahala told her because of her academics it’ll cover that (scholarship). She has a 4.0 grade point average and is majoring in international business.”
Chartrand hopes to work in the hotel industry or become a flight attendant. If Bakic gets a corporate gig, they might turn into traveling buddies.
