Wai’anae, HI

October 24, 2014

Every hero has the moment they need to be ready for, that one moment in every dangerous situation when disaster strikes, when they are called upon to react at a moments notice. For Rayden Keaulana, that moment is what he lives for.

“You see a guy is drowning, you’ve got maybe 30 seconds to get the guy before he goes underwater, you have to make sure you get from Point A to Point B and back on land in a matter of seconds,” he said.

Staying prepared may be a bit more difficult when your office is the stunning Makaha Beach.

Even on his days off, Lifeguard Rayden Keaulana is always on duty, from shore to shore, with water comes responsibility.

“A lot of people don’t know how the water is, they might look at this and say it’s beautiful, but they don’t know about currents, rip currents, things you can’t see under the water, and thats usually where they get in trouble.”

Rayden inherited this responsibility from world-renowned surfer Buffalo Keaulana, who just happens to be his grandfather, and the original lifeguard of Makaha Beach.

“Whenever someone’s in trouble, and you’re a lifeguard, no matter where you’re at, you’re on duty,” Buffalo affirms.

Rayden adds that there is a problem with some of Hawai’i’s beaches, “On this side of the island there’s a lot of beaches that’s not guarded… and anything can happen there without a lifeguard.”

Even so, the Keaulana’s are steadfast in the fight to increase Hawai’i’s Lifeguarding Staff.

“Jr. Lifeguards is a program that teaches kids basic skills, swimming skills, how to get out of certain situations and CPR,” explains Rayden.

One pupil of his can attest to the benefits of the program, “It helped me develop as a person. It makes you realize people should be mindful of others, you know a lot of things can happen out at sea,” mentioned Jr. Lifeguard Jeremiah Gionson.

It is a mindset like the Keaulana’s that may be able to keep programs like the Jr. Lifeguards afloat. Programs that help to build strong young leaders with the potential for heroism, “If one of the students was here, and they saw someone drowning out there, they could easily yell to the lifeguards or do something you know, we teach them certain signs,” explains Rayden.

Unfortunately, only two sites are under current operation. Due to lack of funding, these sites are slowly drowning in a sea of red tape. In this moment, just like a lifeguard, Rayden dove in headfirst to help.

“We did jr lifeguard from 10 yrs old, all the way until 17 did the competitions every year, and now we try to make kids in our program do the same thing.”

Unfortunately, this year he was too late to save the Jr. Lifeguards, but that still hasn’t stopped Rayden from helping kids in need.

“They’re the heroes? Maybe, yeah. Some of them actually wanna be guards when they’re older.” That would be the perfect end to another day at the office for Rayden, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Wai’anae, HI

October 22, 2014

Monday through Thursday for senior Harmonie Westbrook, a multi sport student athlete at Wai'anae High School, is a continuous cycle of involvement.

"Wake up, go to school, right after school I lift with the wrestlers, walk straight to the Wai'anae Boxing Club, train until about six thirty and then go home, shower, eat, do homework; work on projects if I need to, college apps, and then go to bed." said Harmonie.

For Harmonie, doing what she does isn't just an option- it's a lifestyle.

"I feel like if you don't give your 110% in what you do, then you're doing the wrong thing." added Harmonie.

Harmonie always puts that little extra in extraordinary- however, last year, she found herself wrestling with a very serious problem.

"I left during practice and I came home crying to my mom saying that I hate wrestling and that I didn't want to do it again. I just felt so exhausted...so I didn't get no sleep and I just felt so overwhelmed and stressed out with everything." said Harmonie.

Ultra competitive students such as Harmonie face extreme levels of physical and mental stress. By putting so much emphasis on doing her being in everything she does and not taking any breaks, Harmonie has become part of the student athlete population that is faced with a battle with themselves. According to a University of Toronto study. 40 percent of teenagers who participate in school sports suffer from high levels of stress and feelings of depression.

"I mean I seen her dehydrated. I seen her so thin. I was saying, 'Harmonie quit.' I could just see her mentally, physically and her body was just deteriorating." said her mother, JoAnn Westbrook.

Maria Thompson, a Psychology teacher at Wai'anae High School says that it's very normal for teens with Harmonie's time sensitive and taxing physical and emotional demands.

"Physiologically their hormones are still blasting away- going up and down. so conflicts like that can happen and would create a biological reaction." said Thompson.

This type of reaction is best dealt with an outlet, she added. In many cases, student athletes turn to their parents, a trusted adult, or best friend. Harmonie, on the other hand, took a more physical approach to coping with her stress.

"Paintball is my favorite sport because it's such a big stress reliever besides the fact that you get to shoot people and it's legal." said Harmonie.

Harmonie's parents own the Hawaii Extreme Paintball and Airsoft field, and on Saturdays and Sundays from nine to five, Harmonie is afforded the opportunity to be around every weekend, working the register, reefing paintball games, or dealing with the customers who want to play games.

Whenever life seems tough, she's able to go to the paintball field and alleviate whatever it weighing on her mind.

"Paintball helps me a lot especially stress wise. Every time I feel overwhelmed of I just feel irritated or annoyed I just ask my dad to watch the office, pick up the gun, and go in a couple games to relieve some stress." said Harmonie. "This paintball field is my home field advantage because it's my paintball field."

Tap outs, jabs, and some fully automatic firearm carnage is the inharmonious hectic life that some how all fits in to complete Harmonie.