As if the 2008 Olympics weren't already exciting enough, the fact that Natasha "Tasha" Kai of Kahuku helped the U.S. women's soccer team win gold medals in Beijing after defeating Brazil 1-0 on August 21 especially thrilled all her family, schoolmates and friends in Koolauloa.

In fact, most of her immediate family — father Benny Kai Jr., an "ambassador" at the Polynesian Cultural Center; mom Sharon Kai, grade 6 teacher at Kahuku Elementary; sister and former teammate Krisha Kai, and little brother Jurrel Kai — were in Beijing to watch Tasha and team play in all six Olympic games, including her overtime header on August 15 that gave the U.S. a 2-1 victory over Canada and sent the U.S. women to the semifinal medal round.

"We knew she was special from the first day when she played soccer. That was AYSO, and I was the coach. I learned from books, because I didn't know how to play soccer; but she needed a coach, and we all had a good time. She said to me, Dad, when I grow up I'm going to go to the Olympics and get a gold medal. She has accomplished her dreams," said Benny following the PCC Alii Luau where Tasha posed for pictures on August 30 with fans and proudly showed them all her gold medal."

He added that his daughter was also highly skilled in basketball, track and volleyball — "but her passion was soccer. She was an outstanding player; that was well known at a very young age."

Her mother recalled one of Tasha's Kahuku yearbooks quoted her as saying, "'2004 Olympics, here I come.' So, it was 2008, but she got there."

Indeed, Kai has been consistent over the years: She was a superb athlete at Kahuku High, who accepted a full scholarship when she graduated in 2001 to play soccer for the University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine. At UH she scored 162 goals and was named three-time Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

"I knew she would go far, and her receiving a gold medal is a blessing not only for our family but the state of Hawaii. I also think this will open doors for a lot of young Hawaii kids," Benny continued.

"I love her very much. She makes not only our family but everyone who knows us and the world of soccer very proud."

One of the proudest is sister Krisha, who played with Tasha at both Kahuku and UH: "I'm not too surprised at my sister's success. She's always been talking about it, and doing things to accomplish her goals. I mean, obviously with the Olympics you can never be sure, but she did it," she said.

Krisha, a 2003 Kahuku graduate who suffered a career-ending injury her junior year at UH, recently completed a Latter-day Saint mission in Taichung, Taiwan, where she learned to speak fluent Mandarin Chinese. "I was basically the official translator for the parents in Beijing."

Krisha now coaches the varsity girls soccer team at Kahuku, and said she plans to return to UH early next year.

Finally getting a break from all her fans, Tasha said, "I knew going to the Olympics was my dream and my goal since I was five. It took me 20 years to accomplish that dream. Some people make dreams but don't have the opportunity to make them come true. Luckily, I lived every moment to the fullest and accomplished my goals. I was also lucky to have my family to witness it."

"Family is real important to me," she continued. "They're the most precious thing in my life, and having them be able to come and witness and actually live my dream with me made it a hundred times better. I'm so happy they were able to come and see this. It was priceless."

"I want to thank my family for always being there for me through thick and thin," she said. "I also want to say thank you to the people in Hawaii who supported me."

U.S. gold medal Olympian Natasha Kai
and her family

Tasha said it was "an awesome experience to be a part of this great team. Throughout the year we had our ups and downs. We lost three important people to injury. As a team we needed to overcome that and become closer with each other. At the end we all believed in the 18 who were the final picks, even though a lot of people back home felt we were such a young team, that we were not going to be able to do it."

"In China we all got together and said, look, we can do it. When nobody believed in us, we believed in ourselves, and that's what got us the gold medal."

"It was an amazing feeling, being able to stand on that podium, listening to our national anthem. It was overwhelming and the best feeling that I ever had in my life."

Asked about the rest of her experience in China, Tasha described living in the Olympic Village as "awesome. There were so many athletes you see on TV. We got a chance to meet a lot of the U.S. athletes. We got to interact with a lot of different countries. The village is huge, so we got bikes to ride around." She added the U.S. team also toured the Great Wall and Beijing's Forbidden City.

"The food was different. There was a big cafeteria there, with all different cultural foods, and then there was McDonald's, which was probably the number-one hit at the Olympics. My own diet was bad, and I gave a lot of stuff up, leading up to the Olympics, so I lost a lot of weight."

Tasha expressed pride that "so many athletes from Hawaii medaled. It's bringing us a bigger name and letting people out in the world know that Hawaii, even though it's so small and some people don't think it's part of the United States, has a lot of talent here. For example, the Little Leaguers came back with their championship at the same time I did, and I think it's awesome. We're showing the world all the talent we have here."

"I'm also totally proud to be from Kahuku. I'm totally a Red Raider for life, and that's never going to change, never ever."

After taking a few weeks break at home, Kai said she'll participate in a national tour. She also noted that "in 2009 the professional league is coming back. There are about six cities out there, and I'm willing to play in any one of them. Wherever I'm wanted and feel welcomed. There's also training for the World Cup, which is coming up in three years."

Asked how she feels about the rising generation now looking up to her as a sports hero, Tasha replied, "I think that's amazing, being local and having local kids look up to me. I'm just the living proof that a little country girl can make it big-time. I'm just opening doors for the younger generation and giving them hope and belief in themselves that one day they can make it where I made it."

"It's been an amazing ride. Growing up in Laie, going to Laie School, going to Kahuku High School and UH, I just think my whole life to now has been amazing. I wouldn't have changed it for the world, and I'm thankful I had this opportunity."

[Editor's Note: On September 16 Tasha was allocated, along with two other U.S. Olympics teammates, to the Sky Blue team in the new Women's Professional Soccer league. The team, which covers the New Jersey/New York area and plays its home games at Rutgers Stadium, will debut in April 2009. Each of the seven teams in the new league —  also including those in San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, St. Louis, and Washington DC — received three gold medal players from the U.S. women's team.]

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