Three from Laie win gold, and two sophomores get invited to a national camp.

Three Laie kids won gold medals between Aug. 9–12 at the Jr. Olympics Skills Competition in Colorado Springs, Colorado:

  • Josh Christensen, 13 and a 9th grader at Kahuku where he plays JV football, medaled in tennis.
  • Quayd Ah You, 11 and a 7th grader at Kahuku Intermediate who plays Jr. Midgets Pop Warner Football, won gold in track for a 6.83 50-yard dash and 7’4” standing broad jump.
  • Rachel Christensen, 11 and in grade 6 at Laie Elementary, also won gold in tennis.

The Christensens are the children of Perry and Martha Christensen; and Quayd is the son of Kingsley and Julia Ah You.

Martha Christensen, a former BYU-Hawaii tennis player, said her “kids have been playing since they were four, when they could start.” She noted they were the only brother-sister team in the competition, which is held at the U.S. Olympics Training Center.

“Rachel and Josh also went last year. Rachel won tennis, and Josh went basketball then,” she continued, adding all three kids had “great fun” and came home with lots of momentos and sports equipment from the all-expenses-paid trip.

“Both Josh and Rachel have represented Laie Elementary in the Windward Physical Fitness meet for the last couple of years.”

Kingsley Ah You, who owns Digital Sports Hawaii, pointed out his son’s dash time — which he ran without much practice — was good enough to have “won a silver in the 12–13 category.”

“It’s a wonderful program for the kids and an opportunity to meet others. Everything was first-class,” he added. “It was awesome to represent Hawai‘i and our community of Laie.”

Two sophomores invited to bowl game

Well-known college football recruiting guru Max Emfinger invited two sophomore boys with Ko‘olauloa ties to his 2010 annual All American Bowl Game Classic in Jackson, Mississippi, after watching them in one-on-one drills on July 21:

  • Kona Schwenke, 15, son of McKay and Angela Schwenke of Laie, plays for Kahuku.
  • V.J. Fehoko, 15, son of former Koolauloa residents Vili and Linda Fehoko, plays for Farrington.

Kona’s uncle and former Laie resident, Reg Schwenke, reported Emfinger described the two as “freaky sophomore phenoms. They’re the first and only two sophomores I’ve selected for any of my 14 All-Combine teams around the country.”