ATHERTON, CA – Menlo Wrestling alumnus and 2023 NAIA National Champion Rysan Leong has turned his lifelong passion for the sport into a groundbreaking opportunity for Hawaii's wrestling community. In Summer 2023 as part of Menlo's signature internship program, Leong launched Hawaii Intensive Wrestling Camps (HIWC): the first-ever intensive wrestling camp in Hawaii designed to provide high-level wrestling training locally and eliminating the need for young athletes to travel to the continental states for elite instruction.

The program has quickly become a fixture in Hawaii's wrestling calendar. Each summer, HIWC offers two signature sessions: a technique-focused clinic and an overnight intensive camp hosted at Kamehameha Schools Kapalama on the island of Oahu. This past summer's 10-day overnight camp immersed high school athletes in a rigorous training environment, pushing both their physical and mental limits while building discipline, resilience, and self-reliance. HIWC clinics bring young wrestlers of all ages together to drill the basics and hone their skills while learning new techniques.

For Leong, the vision behind HIWC is deeply personal. Growing up in Hawaii, he and other aspiring wrestlers had to travel long distances, often at great financial sacrifice, to attend premier wrestling camps across the country and gain exposure to college recruiters. As a junior in high school, Leong attended the J. Robinson 14-Day Intensive Camp in Virginia, an experience that tested his limits with four grueling daily workouts. That challenge transformed him as an athlete and inspired a lifelong dream to bring that level of training home.

"Back then, my family had to start a GoFundMe just to get me to camp," Leong recalled. "When I returned, I knew we needed something like this in Hawaii. We have the talent right here, so why send our kids across the ocean when we can build it ourselves with Hawaii grown wrestlers that have competed at the collegiate level?"

That dream became a reality while Leong attended Menlo, where he was required to complete an internship to graduate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he proposed creating his own LLC as his internship project, leveraging his Sports Management major and his wrestling career to launch HIWC. The camp now brings together some of the top Hawaii-grown talent from each island along with elite wrestlers from across the country to train with each other.

Leong created an opportunity for Hawaii's collegiate wrestlers to share their knowledge and experience to lead the way for the next generation of athletes. Learning from wrestlers who have been in their shoes and are now competing at the highest level allows Hawaii's young athletes to envision a future in their sport that spans beyond high school and hone the skills and mindset they need to compete in college. Leong also brought fellow national champions and standout college wrestlers like Jovan Garcia (2x National Champion), Nicolas Aguilar (California State Champion, Rutgers University), and Kyle Parco (California State Champion, 4x NCAA Division I All-American) to share knowledge from their diverse collegiate wrestling experiences. HIWC focuses not just on technical skill but on building a sustainable wrestling culture in Hawaii. It creates opportunities for young athletes to sharpen their skills and provides mentorship from wrestlers who have competed at the highest levels.

After three years of hosting HIWC, Leong has established a foundation for his lifelong dream of growing Hawaii to become a powerhouse in the greater wrestling community.

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