This weekend, the University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team is spending time in a cell block.

The Rainbow Warriors are training at Joint Base Pearl Harbor/Hickam through Monday afternoon. As part of the sequestration, their cell phones were confiscated for most of their stay, although they are allowed 15 minutes after each dinner to check messages.

"That’s an easy and simple — but yet powerful — thing to do," opposite attacker Brook Sedore said of the cell lockdown. "There were people who were a little riled, but they’ll have a lot more time to bond just because they won’t have those things. It’s a good thing for our team to get away from that."

Disclosure: Sedore lost his cell phone while snowboarding in his native Canada last week.

"No wonder Brook was on board quickly," coach Charlie Wade said, laughing.

Wade said the cell ban is one method to create team bonding.

"I’m part of it, too," Wade said. "It’s a sacrifice. Can you put (the cell) aside and have your thoughts — whether it’s between practices or at night preparing for practice — and focus more on what you need to do for the team instead of texting friends or checking the scores of some football game?"

Wade, a lifetime fan of the Chicago Bears, admitted: "It won’t be easy. I will be curious on Sunday afternoon what happens in the Bears-Packers football game."

The idea to train on base spawned from a conversation between Wade and retired Lt. Col. Tracee Saiki following a Lions Club luncheon. Saiki, the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii’s director of the military affairs program, suggested the Warriors train for a few days at Pearl Harbor/Hickam. UH’s football team had spent parts of the past two training camps on base.

At the time, Wade was considering having the Warriors stay at Camp Erdman for "some team-bonding getaway." Wade had noted that during UH’s holiday break, the dorms and meal services are closed, and it is difficult to schedule practice time in the gyms.

"She’s been unbelievable," Wade said of Saiki. "She did so much of the legwork to make it happen. It would not have taken place if not for her efforts."

The Warriors are living in air-conditioned rooms on Hickam property. Their meals are at Hale Ali’i, and their twice-daily practices are at the Hickam Fitness Center.

On Saturday night, they had a "peer session" in which the players and military personnel shared stories.

"We wanted them to understand that freedom is not free," Wade said. "There are people who are the same demographic, the same age group, who are making pretty significant sacrifices all over the world every day to allow us to live the lives that we do and to be in the best place on the planet to live."

Sedore, who is a Canadian citizen, marveled at how the U.S. military "shows us what freedom in America is all about."

Wade added: "The consequences of missing your serve or screwing up (in volleyball) are significantly different than the consequences of when you’re out in live-fire combat with people trying to kill you."

Wade said there will be time for fun activities, such as watching movies and bowling competitions.

"Chemistry-building is huge for every team," Sedore said. "If you’re cohesive as a unit, you’ll all be on the same page. That’s a powerful aspect in a team. I’ve seen teams win championships based on their team chemistry and not just on their team physicality."