[WHISTLE/INDISTINCT]
Wai'anae High School's football coach,
Sam Tapeni, may seem like he has
all the bells and whistles working in the field.
But there's even more of a workout to come.
Most coaches stop coaching when the season over.
But when season over,
I begin coaching, and I go right through.
I basically coaching them the whole year.
When Coach Tapeni steps off of the field,
his work has only begun.
[INDISTINCT]
On the field, everything is fast,
so we don't really get to talk and get to know them.
But in the weight room,
everything is slowed down because you gotta be very safe,
so you have that time to find out if they have a mom,
if they have a dad.
I spot most of the kids,
and when you're spotting somebody,
whoever is doing the lift gotta put your trust
in the person that's spotting you.
And that's where the bond begins.
I see him as everything:
friend, father, coach, mentor.
He's willing to do anything for the kids.
Like he's not only gonna be there for you
on the field,
he's gonna be there for you wherever you need him.
To me, a father has the biggest impact on a son.
You know, some of these kids,
when they go home,
they don't have an adult to talk with.
And when any member of the team is missing something,
Coach Tapeni is always there to pick up the weight.
Okay, come on, let's go.
I take them home,
and you know,
we go get something to eat.
Just like sitting at one dinner table.
And the way Tapeni cares for his kids
isn't the only thing that he wants them to know.
I tell every kid that comes to this program
that I love them,
because some of them will never hear it from their parents.
[INDISTINCT]
But just like lifting,
with Tapeni, they will never have to bear the weight
by themselves.
Everybody needs a helping hand.
I mean, yeah, we can try and do everything on our own,
but we all need some help, sometime.
[DRUMMING]
Whatever the situation is,
I got you, I can help you,
I'll be there for you.
And that, to me, is a father figure.
And Tapeni loves them,
just as a father would.
They know that I love them.
That when they come in here,
that someone cares about them.
Beyond sports, beyond weightlifting,
but care about who they are and not just, Yeah, that's the guy,
Number 63, Number 76.
This is Cheralei Tokunaga-Williams from Wai'anae High School,
for HIKI NŌ.
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