First Disclaimer: ☻ (All pictures were either taken (i.e.
“cockroached”) from public sites or taken personally (i.e.
photographically, “not cockroached”) at the games or other public
events. Stats were “cockroached” from and remain the exclusive property
of the respective “cockroachees” i.e. The NCAA or WAC (and they may
copy and paste them back at any time). All “cockroached” pictures
remain the exclusive property of the respective “cockroachees” from
which they were originally “cockroached” and unless otherwise
advised, I will assume they were placed in the public domain to be to be
consumed by the public (and well, you know… “cockroached”).
☻
3/11/08/--- The new
“Official Miss Honolulu” page is now up and at
I absolutely LOVE
everything about this place!
This is an unsolicited, unauthorized, and unofficial
website thanking, honoring and in tribute to:
There is
no ‘I’ anywhere in
Raeceen Anuenue Woolford
A gift and tribute to Raeceen Woolford
and the Woolford ohana.
An amazing and inspirational Hawaiian, athlete, and person. Thank you for sharing your time and story with the
perennial fans. You will be missed!
-Da cute!
RAW News Archives RAW Stats RAW Pics
Joe, why did you go to the
effort to create this site?
The
reason that I created this site is to thank, honor, pay tribute, and bid a fond
aloha, to a UH athlete with an incredible story (The #15 at UH J!). An outstanding athlete that I believe to be one of the
most complete, inspirational, and least hyped that I have ever watched play,
played with, known, or knew of. Also, because I was off today, information
technology is what I do for a living, found the domain name
“raeceen.com” had not been taken, and thought that doing this would
just be a really nice “random act of kindness” to do☻! (On
top of all that, I did have something to say and my family crest motto is
“nil penna, sed usus” (it’s kind of the
“Duh!” clarification of the ancient postulate that led to the
phrase popularized as “The pen is mightier than the sword”). When
we adopted the motto in the 16th or 17th century,
I’m not sure if we were kinda’ slow or if the people we hung with
were kinda’ slow (“not the pen [itself], but its use”…ya’ think?!?). Anyway, enjoy
another random act!) The next six pictures tell the story without words
wonderfully (1,2,4,5,6, not cockroached) 1) Enthusiasm,
2) Focus, 3) Strength, 4) Character, 5) Depth (and respect for others), 6)
Heritage.
[I
didn’t notice this until it was pointed out to me by another fan after
seeing the page. The eyes in these pics are most definitely the direct pathway
to her soul (and intent), even the keiki pic. Thx Lisa!]
[I had
not been formally introduced to Raeceen or her family when I originally wrote
this tribute last November. I had written it because of the very unique and
extremely strong spirit and athleticism that I saw in her weekly during each
season, while following 
the Rainbow Wahine over several years which had encompassed
her career at UH. I’m lucky, my company has a season ticket program (good
company). She will be very much missed by the team, UH, and the fans.]
There
have been many articles
written locally and some nationally about her and unlike with most of the
athletes that I have either known or knew of, her articles reconcile completely
with what I have seen. Having lived down the road from the University of
Michigan while growing up, then graduating from and living 2 miles from the University
of Oklahoma and supporting OU athletics for 20 years, and now living here and
supporting UH athletics, I have seen and known many outstanding division 1A
athletes and several coaches (mostly basketball and football) from top 25
schools. No athlete that I knew was of this caliber, even the ones that I knew
that turned pro (or the two that I knew that became U.S. Congressman out of
Raeceen
played her last home game at the
Alright Bud, I’ve never been to Hawaii
A’’ight!
Ok, I
know what you’re thinking on the mainland, “isn’t the English
translation of wahine woman/female?”
From my
study here though (and learning to understand and know the dynamics and
wonderful indigenous people of
So, give me some specific examples of this ‘concept’.
The two
largest composite qualities of the most famous Hawaiian wahine that I’ve
studied here are, exceptionally strong personal character (including
selflessness off the charts) and an extremely large heart. One doesn’t
have to look any further back than the late 1800’s to find this
definition personified in Hawaiian greatness in publication. H.R.H. Queen
Lili‘uokalani* of
* (“HAWAII'S STORY BY HAWAII'S QUEEN” by
Lili‘uokalani, 1898). If you are not from here, you really need to read this
book! Contemplate the objectivity of the author in light of what happened. I
believe this selflessness to be an intrinsic Hawaiian trait that still lives on
in those who carry the Hawaiian spirit today. I was humbled to my knees by her
selflessness and 
strength of character, as well, while reading her words.
It’s a great start into learning the complex dynamics that are
Ok Joe, I’m feelin’
ya’ on this…but Raeceen, an athlete of legend???
“That’s bold talk for a one-eyed fat man!” (from “True Grit” …and BTW, I have two
good eyes and I’m just big boned, dangit ☻ !).
Without question
or reservation! To me, historically, a “complete” team athlete must
only “have” three qualities and their proofs, to support the claim.
A “legend” is nothing less than exemplary in all 3 qualities
…and then some. For a legend, it is life centric not sport centric. There
is also a pretty neat paradox in “the test”, as the
“legend” or even the “complete” team athlete, by virtue
of possessing one of these qualities, can not claim this for themselves!
…no surprise here, Raeceen shrugs off these types of accolades when made
in the local press.
1.
Strength of
character:
The Hawaiian that I admire most
(sorry, Raeceen’s second [but she’s first living, if that helpsJ]) summed up her own strength of character in one word,
“Onipa`a” (steadfast). Raeceen has exhibited this quality to the
same Hawaiian standard and as mentioned above, in ways that leave one
absolutely and totally humbled in her wake. I am a former 
strikes fast, ferocious, and very late at night when you
are alone. If you don’t defeat it (as my good Bahamian friends from the
other side of the mainland would say), it will eat-your-soul! If one does defeat it though, as Raeceen
did, it changes you forever. You’ll look at life from a changed
perspective and a new position of greater inner strength. It truly is an
awakening or metamorphosis where when complete, you walk a much straighter
path. For most athletes, playing is truly an addiction and has all the inherent
hallmark properties of one, when you really think about it. Playing is what you’ve trained all
of your life to do. It’s the payoff for all the hard work! Most of the
athletes that I have known, have had a LOT of trouble with this transition
(breaking the addiction) and understanding that it will eventually happen in
all athletes’ careers at some point in time (even theirs!). One’s
strength of character is what determines how well one deals with it. i.e.
Whether one just totally caves, crashes, and burns, or whether one has enough
inside to make it to the other side. There are a lot of broken former athletes
out here! We (fans) never saw or
heard a thing during her battle with the demon. All we saw was her strength of
character coming through like a bright beacon in the night. I submit to you, exemplary (and very Hawaiian!).
Let me explain a little further about competitive sport at
this point (for those who know, you may skip to “2. Skills in
sport:”…and you’re welcome).
In any team sport, just like a career, there is always
someone right over your shoulder looking to take your place. It’s been
going on since your first day of practice at 5-10 years old when one starts
into competition and it does not stop until you are done! In sports, as with
any other competitive endeavor, every level one ascends from youth increases
the competitive level exponentially…or more and shrinks the gaps in skill
levels between competitors by just as much! In the
Sometimes, because of the exponentially increased parity at
each level of ascendance, when it finally gets to division 1A, the differences
in skills per position are miniscule (but still significant) and an athlete
selection on a team just boils down to a coach’s subjective judgment, as
no two players in the same position have exactly the same skill set and
strengths to evaluate side by side (but all have exemplary base skills of their
sport and position). There are also intangibles to consider like, “Do I
bench the senior to develop someone for this and future years?”
“What are my overall risks?” Logically, you can only play one per
position, and you must choose one person, to start building first team
cohesiveness for the season ahead (It’s a team and must function as one
entity). Sometimes selection becomes just a non-personal, best guess, decision.
Raeceen went from playing every game in a season, to getting very little
playing time in her last year. Instead of self destructing (like I know I sure
would have at that stage of my life), she became the heart and soul of the
team, lending her experience and spirituality to the players and making them a much
stronger and a more cohesive group. Her coach was lucky to have her as she is
the definition of selflessness and character and a highly motivational example.
2.
Skills in sport:
Raeceen is a member of one of the top 10 teams, in her sport,
in the country. She has the best vertical jump (36+”) in the history of
this multiple NCAA championship program. When she is on the court, she is the
quickest to the ball and can get to just about any point on the floor, at any
time. I have also heard that she is the fastest in sprints at practice and
“hyper flexible” (I got a big kick out of hearing that, speaking to
her practicing yoga! It was the first time I ever heard the phrase “hyper
flexible”.) She is the best in multiple categories of skills and they
even invented a new phrase for her! I submit to you, exemplary.
3.
Physical
strength:
Raeceen is 5’7” and squats 275 Lbs!
That’d be me +45 and as stated above, is the quickest in sprints and on
the floor. She is the complete package. She did a publicity shot (the one just
above that I “cockroached” from our local newspaper) demonstrating
her yoga skills. Zoom in on the leg she’s using for support. In
particular, the calf area to the upper thigh (Sorry if it sounds a little
dehumanizing, I’m making a point though) It could have been sculpted
marble, every muscle in perfect line and definition. This SCREAMS physical
strength, discipline, and conditioning! Again, I submit to you, exemplary.
So Joe, that’s a lot of information about someone
that you have not formally met. What are you, some kind of “Paparazzi
Stalker”? How did this story come about?
☻
No, it’s the accumulation of over 5 years of published information and
going to the games (and use proper Italian, it’d be “Paparazzo [eg:1] Stalker” anyway☻) I do imagine that one of the
reasons that this became such an interesting story for me was how it
exemplifies the traditional Hawaiian traits and values that I have come to
learn, respect, admire, and even envy!
She’s
actually been a really interesting person and story (to me anyway and since
this is my page and you’re reading this, apparently…to you too!).
She reminds me a lot of one of my nieces who just graduated Wake Forrest last
year. I am absolutely convinced (as with my niece) that this wahine is headed
for very great things after college when she hangs up her sneakers. As I stated
above, my company has a commitment to this wonderful community and also
supports UH and other athletics as well. Through my company’s benevolence
(mostly), I attend Winter Baseball, UH volleyball, basketball, and football,
all the bowls here, some high school sporting events, and a BUNCH of the
wonderful cultural events. For sports, I typically go for the
“social” aspects while the sport being played gives the group a
common point of communicative reference.
This
story started a few years back, at a UH volleyball game, I remember that I was
talking to some friends (I’m an extravert, surprised J!) and saw a white/black
flash from the back court out of the corner of my eye, after the other team had
spiked the ball to an open place in the middle on the other side from Raeceen,
where another UH player had been drawn out of position by the prior action of
the opponent, (BTW, that took a lot longer time to write than to actually
happen!). It was a dig opportunity that my brain had already categorized as
“missed” or “point them” ☻. When I turned to
check the scoreboard, the ball was still in play and being set by UH. It took
me a while to figure out how that happened and who “dug” it, but I
eventually tracked it back to Raeceen’s phenomenal ability and range on
the floor. It compensated for a teammate’s mental error. It wasn’t
a real big deal to me at the time (after all, it was Raeceen’s knees and
elbows, not mine☻[kidding!]),
just one of those standout “Hmmm” with a little touch of
“Wow” moments!
As time went on, I went to more games, more articles came
out, more stats racked up (including “The famous 4-0 service run with a
back court kill and I think there was also a 14-0 service run stuck in there
too”!), and I started paying more attention to the phenomenal
athleticism. She really “brought it” all game AND every game. If I
had to describe how my fascination with her story developed over her career
here, I’d have to say it was just like any good book that you’ve
ever read, you look at the cover (the white/black flash☻), if it
interests you a little, you read the author’s comments, if you’re
still interested, the preface, then the first chapter, and eventually
you’re hooked and (several years later in this case) at the end of the
book, contemplating the meaning of the story. It was a lot like that. I was
absolutely hooked in the chapter where Raeceen transitioned from playing
nightly to sparsely and when she emerged from a tribulation that would have
crippled most in 1A who have worked so hard to hone their craft for such a long
period of time, to near perfection, and had also been successful at this level.
She emerged a leader, stronger, confident, with the heart of a lion, and as the
heart and soul of the team. I have served with people like this in the Army.
It’s really easy in retrospect now to understand her heritage and just
say, “Duh, what did you expect from her? It’s who she was always destined
to be!” Maybe true, but an incredible and inspirational story and person,
none the less. This is a person and story that I’ll reference for the
rest of my life, when I need an example of strength of character and heart.
Thanks for sharing this testimonial, Joe! You did
it. I am highly wowed, what’s next?
Well,
this is the close of this chapter in her life and perhaps the end of the story
of her public life. God knows she deserves some time to herself to reflect on
her many accomplishments! Her legend will most definitely live on here at UH
for a long, long, time. I expect, as some articles have said, she will complete
some graduate work in the sciences (majoring in health science) and then attend
medical school. I was hoping she’d go 
into “geezeratrics”,
“geratology” or cardiology (IE: something
I would eventually use in 10 or 20 years so I could continue the story ☻)
but it looks like pediatrics (Keiki-Kare…eh, I
should go see if that domain is taken☻)! I would bet the house (and
that’s a LOT of money here in
**Not so fast—Check Hot News**
Hey, if you could say anything you wanted to
Raeceen, What would you say?
You don’t think I’ve
said enough???
Seriously though, in
life, best advice as I told my niece…as da’
local kine say at the Waimea Bay rock,
”Give ‘em”!
…and follow your dreams. You will amaze yourself as you have amazed us!
Secondly, that keiki
pic I “cockroached” from The Star Bulletin article just tugs the
heart every time one sees it ☻!
Thirdly, I’d also
be happy to help you with any IT issues and setting up your office IT stuff when
you’re done with med school and residency, oh…in about 8 years from now ± (and maybe you’ll
be able to recommend a good “Geezeratric-Geratologist”
by then ☻! I do have stellar IT references and outstanding credentials
nationally!
Lastly…
… if you ever want this
domain name for yourself or for a business you do (Raeceen.com) just ask and
it’s yours (I will require proper ID or proof it’s you though to
transfer the domain!☻ -AND- This was such a pleasure and honor to do). I
thought this last picture (below) was the best (not cockroached)!
Joe, this was a wonderful
tribute to an outstanding athlete. Ok, “she down, she’s in”,
we are convinced. She’s officially a legend in collegiate team sports.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
It was an amazing story to actually watch unfold over her career!
Hey, I would also like to
contribute to the content of this page. How can I help?
Ok,
if you notice any errors or misstatements, hit me up with the corrections,
I’m human (contact info bottom of page). Remember that I will only post
or publish game or officially released pictures and public information without
absolute proof of Raeceen’s (or an immediate family member’s) prior
approval. It’s an issue of the highest respect. If you have additional
action shots of her play, I would LOVE to post them.
If you are Raeceen (or a
member of the Woolford ohana) and find anything that you would like
removed (or added), I will do so with absolutely no hesitation or question.
This is a living gift and was created and given out of immense honor and
respect for Raeceen, her career at UH, and the entire Woolford ohana.
Thank you for sharing your
“Anuenue”
with us!
|
|
It’s not often that one gets to witness the
pure and true heart of the lion.
It beats here!
[Perhaps
twice???]
Raeceen, Mahalo nui
loa!
Aloha ‘oe
|
-AND-
Dr.
Woolford (in 8 or so years),
E komo mai
!
Contact Information:
HomeyHNL (AOL and
Yahoo IM)
If you got game pics, send me a note and I’ll give you a
different email address with unlimited space!