When Ryan Hirokawa goes back to school in two weeks, he'll have a "pretty cool" story to share when he tells his friends what he did this summer.

Hirokawa and about 70 others took part in a judo clinic yesterday at 'Iolani School's Father Bray Athletic Complex that was hosted by Taylor Takata, who will represent the U.S. in next month's Beijing Olympics.

Takata, a 26-year-old from Wahiawa, is a 2000 'Iolani graduate who will compete at 145.5 pounds in his first Olympiad.

The clinic included a morning session for children 12 and under and an afternoon session for those 13 and older.

Hirokawa, who will be a fourth-grader at Koko Head Elementary, enjoyed learning new grip fighting techniques from Takata.

"We learned a lot of really cool stuff," Hirokawa said. "Some of it was kind of a review, but some stuff I never learned before."

Nine-year-old Jolene Siu, of Liliha, agreed: "He taught us new techniques that were fun. It was exciting to learn from (Takata)."

Brandon Oshiro, who won a state judo title at 121 pounds last season, jumped at the opportunity to participate in the clinic.

"I wanted to support Taylor and I wanted to learn from a world-class competitor," said Oshiro, who will be a senior at Maryknoll this year. "He showed us some techniques that work against top-level competition and how he adjusted it for his height and weight."

Takata organized the clinic — which also featured U.S. coach Todd Brede, senior-level competitor Jeff Sato and two-time world medalist Danieska Carrion — as a way to "give back to the community.

"I wanted to share my knowledge and that of my coaches' and teammates because I believe we have a lot to give to the people as far as technique and experience in judo in general," Takata said.

However, the most important message Takata hoped to convey was about more than just judo: "Dream big because nothing is impossible.

"To have technique and everything is good, but I want to get across to the kids that it's not impossible to get where I am, anyone can do it," Takata said. "What's hard is getting there and the sacrifice, but it's not an impossible dream."

Takata's sensei, Lloyd Migita, said the young judoka at Liliha's Shobukan Judo Club could hardly contain their joy when Takata made a recent appearance.

"When they see any person from Hawai'i that they recognize, in this case Taylor, and they see that he can make it, he just becomes a role model," Migita said. "When he got in Friday, he came straight from the airport to (Shobukan) and all the kids just filled up with excitement and that was just fantastic because it's always great to see a child who has dreams, just like Taylor did."

For Takata, seeing the world as a judoka has been costly.

"We need to pay for all our own training, competitions, food, hotel ... we don't have a lot of support from USA Judo, so it's hard to be able to travel and be worried about money," he said.

The financial strain is just part of the sacrifices the Takata family has had to make over the years.

"We live in Wahiawa and all of his life we've had to drive into town for judo practice or to school," said Mae Takata, Taylor's mom.

Gary Takata, Taylor's dad, said the family tries to attend some of the larger tournaments like the World Championships, but cannot fly to most, though they will travel to Beijing for the Olympics.

"We've been fortunate that he's done well so he's had partial funding, but not enough to cover everything," Gary Takata said.

Takata has made his own share of personal sacrifices that began long before he moved to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., as a 20-year-old in 2002.

"In high school, he hardly ever went to a football game, he hardly went to a basketball game, because every Friday night he would be at judo," Mae Takata said. "He didn't have as much of a social life as everybody else, but that was his choice and he never grumbled about it. He just made that commitment in his heart."

'Iolani co-athletic director Carl Schroers, who coached Takata in wrestling, saw the same drive and dedication.

"He started wrestling as a freshman and was OK, but he didn't crack the starting lineup very often," Schroers recalled. "By his senior year he was pretty untouchable. He scored well over a hundred takedowns and he didn't give up any. We've had some talented wrestlers here like Patrick Higa and they all gave up takedowns every now and then; he gave up none. That's a lot of focus, a lot of ability and a lot of intensity."

Takata won three Interscholastic League of Honolulu wrestling titles and won state championships as a junior and senior.

FUNDRAISER ON SUNDAY

A fundraising dinner for Takata will be held Sunday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the 'Iolani School Student Center.

Tickets are $40 for adults, $20 for children (18-under) and free for those under 6. Checks can be made to the Friends of Taylor Takata.

For more information, e-mail Nicholas Lee at nicholasklee@gmail.com.