Senior Logan Lau defines his success as a student athlete at Mid-Pacific with attributes such as consistency, resilience, courage, calm, focus, strength, and drive. His impressive achievements include titles as a three-time Judo State Champion and a Wrestling State Champion, exclusively in Hawai‘i. Since he began competing on the national level in sixth grade, Logan has consistently placed in the top ten, won a national tournament, and during his last tournament, secured second place.
The attribute that stands out the most in Lau is his unassuming personality. One of the most memorable moments of his senior year was spending time with his teammates at the Senior Aloha night celebration.
“My highlight comes from team bonding more than my matches,” shares Lau. “Our Senior Aloha night was so much fun! We had speeches and games. The friendships and relationships I formed with my teammates are very special to me.”
Lau began practicing judo at six as an introduction to sports and started wrestling at eight. Initially, he pursued these activities to stay active and fit. However, with his father’s support and guidance—a former high school wrestler himself—opportunities began to unfold for Lau.
When Lau entered middle school, he started traveling to the mainland for national tournaments and joined Mid-Pacific as a student athlete in wrestling and judo. The pandemic disrupted his first state championships in both sports. However, Lau viewed this not as a setback but as an opportunity to concentrate more on wrestling, conditioning, and training.
To become a State Champion in Wrestling and Judo, Lau had to maintain discipline and consistency in both his training and academic schedules. For Judo, he practiced with his Mid-Pacific team four days a week, often adding double training sessions on the same nights due to three weekly dojo sessions. His strength and conditioning workouts were reserved for weekends.
Lau credits his ability to manage the high demands of both sports consistently to his biggest advocates—his parents. “My biggest supporters are definitely my parents,” says Lau. “My mom helps manage my gear and cooks healthy meals to keep my diet in check, while my dad travels with me. He pushes me to train harder and provides a lot of motivation. I would like to thank them for that.”
Lau reflected on the motivation and encouragement he received from his wrestling and judo coaches, especially his human anatomy teacher and former judo head coach, Michael Valentine. Lau continues to receive guidance from Valentine, who also trains at the same dojo.
Coach Valentine expressed his admiration for Lau, sharing his insights into Lau’s character and success:
“I truly believe you base a person on their character and not on what they try to pretend who or what they are. There is a quote by John Wooden that explains it perfectly… “The true test of a person’s character is what he/she does when no one is watching”. This explains Logan perfectly. Champions are never born, they are made through hard work and effort. Being his previous Judo Coach, Human Anatomy Teacher, and current Sensei at Tenri Dojo I have been blessed to work with a determined and humble student. Logan has always strived to constantly improve himself. From asking the right questions, but most importantly, having the humility to accept those suggestions and answers. Logan is always working, not focusing on his past mistakes, always moving forward slowly becoming better one day at a time. This work ethic and drive are attributes of what makes a true champion. Congratulations Logan.”
Lau graduates this year, leaving behind a legacy of unparalleled success in judo and wrestling that many high school athletes aspire to. He offers solid advice for rising student athletes, including his two sisters.
“If you want to win, you have to outwork everybody,” shares Lau.” “You have to be willing to put in a lot of training even off the mat, especially strength training. And during training, you have to put in the work. Stay consistent and have a plan to stay disciplined.”
Lau will attend the University of Oregon this fall, pursuing a degree in Business and Finance. With his strong work ethic and mindset, there is no limit to what he can achieve.