Female Athlete of the Month: Courtney Kandler

by LEI-ALOHA BRATTON
Advertising Mgr., Kaiser High School's Cougar Connection newspaper*Archived October 2006 article

Growing up, Kandler was more into reading than playing sports. By the third grade, she had read the entire 500-page long Brother's Grim. Now as a senior, she is number one on her team, a top contender in the OIA and maintains an increasing 4.1 GPA. But her achievements in volleyball were not out of luck or help from a fairy godmother, but because of sheer determination.

Back to that little girl... Most people would have quit after getting hit in the face at their first game. Even her dad thought she would not stay with it, "She looked like she was about to cry and I was absolutely sure that was the end of volleyball," said father Tom Kandler. Instead she got back up and continued to play. From then on Kandler began to practice every day and volleyball became a part of her life.

Garry Loo was her first volleyball coach after she joined club Kaleolani in the 6th grade. She played with this team until her freshman year, where she was moved up to the Kaiser varsity volleyball team. "She was good and I said for her to go to varsity. Well, at first I wanted her to stay down so we would win, but I knew it was best for her to move up," said head coach Sonia Sismar, who was then the Kaiser JV coach.

In the off-season of her freshman year, Kandler continued to play club ball for Kaleolani. As a sophomore, however, she switched teams to play for Magnum 5-0, a club made up of the best players in the state. "I was the worst player on my team. It was embarrassing to even show up to practice, I was so bad. But I think playing for Magnum really helped a lot in making me a stronger and better player," said Kandler. The practice and experience Kandler gained that year became most apparent her junior year when the Cougars were able to finish off their season first in the East, second in OIAs, and fifth in state. "She is a great all around person, doing well in academics, athletics and has a great personality that really makes her shine," said Sismar.

Although her life is dominated by sports, Kandler still finds time to take care of her two brothers and one sister, keep up her grades and maintain a close relationship with both her parents after their divorce. "It was hard to accept and at first I didn't tell anyone, but then I got over it," said Kandler, who was a seventh grader at the time.

Volleyball keeps Kandler and her father connected. "He is my number one supporter. He always comes to my practices and games telling me how I can get better," said Kandler.

When she first started out, he set up a volleyball net in the backyard to help her practice. "I saw potential in her and I knew that she could do well if she really wanted to, I was just there to help," said Tom Kandler.

Her mother, Norlynn Kandler, is her role model. "My mom is really strong, she works two jobs to support all of us and it is really stressful for her but she does it for us. I admire her for that," said Kandler. She takes after her mother's diligent character not only in sports but also in school. Kandler works hard in school to get good grades, but does not consider herself an over-achiever. "I cannot stand getting anything less than an 'A'," she said.

After high school, Kandler hopes to attend UC Davis and is considering playing collegiate volleyball. "Right now, I don't think I'm at the level that I need to be at to get a scholarship to play ball. I think, at the most, I can walk on for a UC school," said Kandler, who is her own worst critic. To her, Kandler feels there is always room to improve even when there's almost no room in her hectic life to do so.