How a Keller Central wrestler moved from Hawaii and made UIL state meet in 60 days
Three months ago, Kaycie Tanimoto, all 4-foot-10 and 102 pounds of her, was the star of her wrestling team in Hawaii. And today, after her family left the Aloha State for the Lone Star State late last year, she’s a junior at Keller Central and the star of her wrestling team.
Many things have changed in Kaycie’s world. And many things haven’t.
“I was extremely sad [about moving] because I was leaving behind everything I’ve known my whole life. Hawaii is a very small tight-knit community, where everyone knows each other, so it was very scary,” Kaycie said of moving to such a large state. “It felt like I was going to another country.”
Kaycie, 17, grew up more than 3,600 miles from the DFW Metroplex, in Mililani, a small town on the west side of Oahu. She wrestled and practiced judo in Hawaii, where she learned the disciplines from Tatsuhiko Hikiji, Hawaii’s first three-time state champion. Kaycie was a two-time state medalist in both sports during her freshman and sophomore years.
“She came to club and right away I could tell she had some background,” said Central head wrestling coach Bill Wilson. “Great kid who works hard. She has definitely improved during her short time on the mat here.”
Kaycie placed third in the 102-pound weight class at the Class 6A Region 1 meet on Feb. 15, making her the only girl from Central to qualify for the state tournament this season.
“Initially, I was very nervous, but once I met the girls on the wrestling team, they welcomed me with open arms,” Kaycie said. “When I started school, it was easy because the girls would say hi or help me find my classes.
“I went to a small private school for 11 years in Hawaii,” she said. “I had never been to a public school. It was cool to wear my own clothes and not a uniform.”
The family moved for financial reasons and found Keller Central High School, said Kaycie’s father, Mike Tanimoto. “We chose Keller because it was in our price range and had a high educational rating for both high School and middle school.
“When we first contacted Coach Wilson, he was very supportive and informative about the transition,” Tanimoto added. “From the first conversation we had with him, we knew that Keller would be the best fit for our family.”
And now it’s as if Kaycie has been at Keller Central the whole time.
“She fit in real well. That was easy for her,” Wilson said. “She came after Christmas so we haven’t had much time with her, but the one thing about Kaycie is she’s had some national exposure with wrestling outside of Hawaii so coming in wasn’t a problem for her.”
For Tanimoto, watching his daughter grow as an athlete “has been such a blessing and satisfying experience. Everything she has accomplished this season on and off the mat has been because of her determination to succeed and having supportive coaches, teammates and families.”
Kaycie says she can feel the improvement that has come as a result of working with her coach at Keller. “My wrestling has definitely gotten better with the help of Coach Wilson and my teammates.
“I also appreciate our team captain, Annabelle Garcia, who pushed me to my limits. I’m ready to not only represent myself, but my teammates and school.”
And Kaycie, along with her Central teammates Colton David, and Josh and Jacob Garcia on the boys squad, will take part in the UIL state meet Friday and Saturday at the Berry Center in Cypress. (The boys will start at 8:30 a.m. Friday while the girls will start at 11 a.m.)
Kaycie, who sports a 24-7 record this season, placed third at the district meet.
Then at the regional meet, she pinned Weatherford’s Kadee Kelley, who came in ranked No. 5 in the state, in the consolation quarterfinals. In the bronze medal match, she won by major decision, 9-0, against El Paso Pebble Hills’ Isabel Walker, a No. 1 seed.
“I had to prove myself up here because I was the new girl, but I had a lot of support from my team during the transition,” she added. “I’m proud of myself because I’ve come such a long way since moving.”
