A year ago, she was the unofficial queen of instant ramen on the Mid-Pacific air riflery team.

Ereyn Iwamoto was an avid eater of Cup Noodle, no different from many high schoolers. She liked it so much that coach Jon Narimatsu got her a six-pack one day.

“He bought me a box of instant ramen as a joke gift,” she recalled. “I did eat it within a week. Six Cup Noodles.”

Iwamoto enjoyed the convenience and taste of her favorite snack.

With a score of 539, she finished tied for third place in the Sporter/HHSAA Air Riflery State Championships last year as a junior. She was the 2022 ILH girls champion with a tally of 271.3. She is a two-time ILH all-star in sporter air riflery and a two-time all-star in precision air riflery.

The senior-heavy squad at Mid-Pacific came in fifth as a team last year. The Owls are picking up momentum with Iwamoto and a current roster that includes 11 seniors.

Cup Noodle is a memory. Toward the end of precision air riflery season last spring, Iwamoto noticed something that was affecting her performance. She talked with Coach Narimatsu and figured it out. There was too much sodium in her diet.

“Now, not so much. I really don’t eat instant ramen as much. Too much sodium makes me dehydrated. In general, I don’t drink that much water. It makes me shaky,” she said. “Coach was telling me about my unhealthy eating habits. Why am I shaky? It’s what you eat and drink. A lot goes into a shot. I found I’ve been a lot more aware of my body’s position. When you breathe, it’s not normally something you think about, but I inhale a certain amount to lower my rifle.”

So that was that. Cup Noodle is long gone from her regular menu. Mostly.

“I’ve become a lot healthier,” Iwamoto said.

Iwamoto subscribes to a lifestyle that fuels excellence. She has a 3.992 grade-point average without grinding out late-night cram sessions. Iwamoto is in bed every night, even on weekends, by 8:15 p.m. The early-to-bed schedule serves multiple purposes. She gets roughly 10 hours of sleep each night. That’s important to her because having a rested mind and body leads to higher scores in her sport.

“I do all my homework at school. Back then, in my earlier high school years, I’d sleep at 10. I just got a lot more tired and I realized when I sleep more, I’m more stable when I shoot. I did a sleep study and teenagers are supposed to sleep a lot more. I don’t like feeling tired,” she said.

The self-control it takes to be a consistent air riflery shooter is completely tied to state of mind. She had an edge from the start because her father, Darren, is a psychologist.

“My dad has taught me a lot about emotional control and being calm. I like talking to my teammates about it. I joined riflery because my team was so welcoming. They put me in a good mindset,” said Iwamoto, whose first name is a play on her mother’s name, Reyna.

“Ereyn is a competitor.” Narimatsu said. “I’m going to miss that when she graduates. She is almost driven to a fault. I’ve had past competitors like her. If her stance isn’t stable, you might be tired one day, stressed out from school. If she can’t reproduce that perfect position, you can see the reaction on the line. That’s one of the things I try to teach them, to move on from the previous shot. She manages. She really wants to do her best in everything.”

It’s a good problem for any athlete, but only when there’s an active methodology to cope with it.

“Being able to let go of past mistakes and moving on to the next shot, I used have a really hard time dwelling on it, but my teammates, coach, my dad and mom helped me understand it’s really unhealthy if I do that,” Iwamoto said. “Every shot is independent. Every shot needs a fresh start. I let go to be grounded. I know even if we’re an individual sport, we rely on each other. Our team score, and everyone’s mental load, carries on to the next person.”

That’s where the power of the mind makes air riflery so powerful. The stillness doesn’t quite convey the tranquility and strength of a team’s connection, but it’s a remarkable weapon when used.

“Shooting makes you really aware of everyone around you. If one teammate gets mad, that kind of energy can carry on to you, so I try to stay calm and look indifferent,” she said.

When Iwamoto embraced the sport, it embraced her back.

“I find that silent support works best. Those characteristics carry over to academics and family life, to building more relationships,” she said.

Finding her niche in the Owls’ air riflery program began with friendships. Narimatsu has a distinct blueprint for consistency and success, and Iwamoto thrives in the Owls’ culture.

“In seventh grade, it was (an air riflery) summer program. She picked up the details of the sport quickly. She really liked Coach Narimatsu’s coaching style and the way that he was teaching her,” Darren Iwamoto said. “She was really disappointed when she found out that she needed to be in the ninth grade to try out for the team. Once she had the opportunity to try out, to everyone’s surprise, she made the varsity as a ninth grader. That was amazing.”

A year later, as a sophomore, Iwamoto finished 17th overall in the state championships with a score of 522.

“She truly hears everything that Coach Narimatsu says and experiments with modifications on her own. He will always try to find ways to improve and become more consistent,” Darren Iwamoto said.

She didn’t have any experience with shooting until she was at Mid-Pacific, but there is a family tradition in shooting.

“My family’s pretty happy about (my choice of sport) because my grandfather was in the military. My uncle (Lance Sugimoto) does a lot of riflery stuff with my cousin. That helped me a lot. I can talk to him. He has a bunch of ranges,” Iwamoto said.

The daily routine, setting up in the school’s dining hall, being a leader, are encoded in Iwamoto’s life. Her closest friend on the team, Alissa Jow, helps with setup.

“Alissa and I are captains for the girls team. I just found out we were cousins. We were already friends. I had no idea. We did cross country in middle school,” Iwamoto said

Jow remembers running with Iwamoto one day, going in the wrong direction.

“My favorite memory with Ereyn is when we got lost running in Manoa and had a search party sent out for us. We at the time, we’re just enjoying each other’s company as we jogged the path we thought we were supposed to be on,” Jow said. “At the time we were very remorseful for causing so much confusion and inconvenience, but now it’s a funny story to tell. We like to joke about how slow we were.”

In the classroom, Iwamoto has enjoyed Japanese language and psychology.

“I’ve taken Japanese since eighth grade. My great-grandma used to speak Japanese fluently. I did it to feel more connected with her,” she said. “I want go into psychology. I was really inspired by my dad. I used to do a lot of research about it in seventh grade, write papers about it. When I took the class last year, my interest really bloomed.”

The process takes maturity. Iwamoto is so close to a 4.0 GPA. She craves it, yet endures because she has grit.

“Zanshin. A state of awareness, being relaxed and still concentrating. Riflery has taught me a lot about that kind of appreciation. Taking into account how much commitment it takes to perfect that.”

Darren Iwamoto isn’t counting the days until Ereyn leaves, probably to the East Coast, for college.

“Ereyn is a thoughtful, empathic and generous daughter. She is also a self-motivator, so we never had to worry about her academics,” he said. “Above all, she cares deeply about her family and friends.”

Ereyn Iwamoto’s favorites

Top 3 movies/shows

1. Zombie shows

“I watch all of them. ‘Last of Us.’ I’ve been into that since middle school. My dad (Darren) was watching it with me.”

2. “Suicide Squad”

3. “Teen Beach Movie”

Top 3 food/snacks/drinks

1. Karai Crab.

“We went in December when I got accepted into National Honor Society. Cracking all the crabs together is a good bonding thing.”

2. Kimchi miso stew, Chodang Restaurant

3. Yung Yee Kee Dim Sum, Ala Moana lanai food court

Top 3 homemade foods

1. Kimchi stew by mom (Reyna)

2. Strawberries with condensed milk, or with sour cream and brown sugar

3. Shoyu mango

“I make it. Shoyu, vinegar, sugar, crunch garlic.”

College major

Psychology

“I have to do my applications. I want to go to the East Coast. There’s a few schools out there that stand out to me and I want to challenge myself to go far away. I feel like now is the time to do that.”

How to stay hydrated?

1. “Sometimes I will add the Ultima electrolyte powder into my water if I want something sweet.”

2. “I eat a lot of fruits like strawberries and watermelon to keep me hydrated if I want something of substance.”

3. “I like cold water, so I have a mini-fridge in my room.”

Top 3 music artists (and favorite song)

1. Bruno Mars — “It Will Rain”

2. Faye Webster – “Right Side of My Neck”

3. Clairo – “Sofia”

Favorite teacher

Mr. (Michael) Valentine, junior year, Human Anatomy.

Funniest teammate

“Alissa Jow, my cousin. I have a lot of fun talking to her.”

Youth sports

“Gymnastics. I was 7. I did swimming, volleyball, softball. I did martial arts. I did karate for seven years, but I stopped when I did cross country and judo.”

If you could go back in time, what would you tell you younger self?

“I would tell her to have better time management skills. I kind of just developed those recently.”

Time machine

“I would go to the future. Maybe like 2030 when I’m already graduated from college, see where I’m at. I’m willing to accept if I’m not there.”

New life skill

“I’m working on getting a driver’s license. Charvis Bush is my behind-the-wheel instructor, and my parents.”

Shoutouts

“I’d like to shout out my family and friends, and Alissa, my co-captain. She’s been really helpful helping me. It’s really hard doing it alone.”