Oyakawa: Directing Action From the Deck

Although 1952 Olympic champion Yoshi Oyakawa spends most of his time concentrating on developing his young proteges at Cincinnati's Oak Hills High School, the premier backstroker of the early 1950s still finds time to dip in the pool occasionally and pursue his own career in state level Masters age group competition.

A twenty-year layoff from active participation barely affected Oyakawa, who in the mid-1970s turned in a respectable 1:03 for the 100-yd. backstroke, just five seconds off the 58 flat that won him a third consecutive NCAA title in 1955, when he captained the Ohio State Buckeyes' ninth national swim crown.

"I used to follow the progress of the top AAU swimmers in the country, but after a time I found my own times outdistanced by the men and then finally in the middle of the pack for the women. I decided then it was time to quit paying such close attention to that and worry more about my own swimmers," he said recently.

With his commitment to high school coaching, Oyakawa rarely finds the extra hours to stay in shape for the Masters meets, so whenever he makes an appearance it is without the luxury of regular workouts.

Oyakawa's present crop of Highlanders includes one of Ohio's most dynamic brother acts, Mark and Greg Rhodenbaugh. Mark, a sophomore, is already ranked number one in the state for the 200-yd. individual medley.

The swimmers at Oak Hills benefit from the native Hawaiian's close attention to the scientific developments in stroke instruction and workout schedules. He presently incorporates heavy doses of Nautilus and Universal weight machine exercises into practice sessions for the Highlanders.

"I owe quite a debt to the coaches who first began experimenting with the wide influx of ideas now common practice in my sport. The massive yardage and major stroke adjustments I thought peculiar years ago make even my high school kids capable of times once reserved for only the best," Oyakawa said from his Cincinnati home.

In earlier years, Oyakawa contemplated making the transition into college coaching but is now content in his role with secondary stalwarts.

Oyakawa would prefer to see the same low key approach to recruiting which brought him to Ohio State in fall of 1951. A late starter to age group swimming in Hawaii, the gifted backstroker swam for Hilo Aquatic Club before following a wave of talented aquamen to the mainland.

The advanced skills of Buckeye head coach, Mike Peppe, lured Oyakawa to Columbus along with fellow Hawaian, Ford Konno. Under Peppe's tutelage, Konno also soared to the top, racing to six NCAA titles between 1952 and 1955.

"I still refuse to steer my kids towards any college in particular. I don't believe they should be pressured into making an already difficult decision." Oyakawa says, "I do not approve of the hard sell recruiting pitch and regret that such free enterprise is allowed where young athletes are concerned."