Peace at Life

Pomele at peace with life
Mark Janssenmjanssen@themercury.com
Staff photo by Rod MikinskiKansas State’s Ulla Pomele sacks Montana State’s quarterback last Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The name "Ulla" carries a definition of "necklace" in Samoan, and the eight-inch woven braid of black hair that hangs from beneath his Powercat helmet further helps in defining Ulla Pomele's heritage.
The Kansas State inside linebacker is quick to say he's only visited Samoa where his father, Ula — with just one L — and mother Alofasau were born, but he's most proud of his culture of "... caring, love of family and respect." As he says, "The basic fundamentals of life."
While playing the game of football with a nasty disposition, Pomele is proud to carry on the relaxing Samoan traits, combined with his California upbringing.

In recruiting Pomele out of Santa Rosa Community College, Wildcat coach Ron Prince said, "You checked both boxes. He was a great player and a great person. He's a kid who focuses on others ahead of himself. He's very conscious of his part in the bigger world."
As crazy as it sounds, Pomele's years in football number only five.
"I was overweight for Pop Warner, and when I tried to play on my brother's team, they said I was too young," Pomele laughed.
Pomele put on a for-real football uniform for the first time as a sophomore at Elsie Allen High School where he immediately won defensive MVP honors, and later was MVP as a senior at both quarterback and linebacker.
"The game has always come natural to me," Pomele said. "I guess I was always chubby, but it always hurt that I couldn't play when I was younger."
Pomele is the third youngest in a cast of 10 Pomele children — four brothers and five sisters — of which two are adopted.
Giving a warm reflective smile, Pomele said, "It was a family in chaos. That's a lot of kids, but I admire how my parents attended to our needs."
And, Ula and Alofasau are proud of Ulla, who is the first of the Pomele's to expand on his/her education past the community college level.
"I'm breaking the family cycle of not being content with just a junior college education," said Pomele, who plans to get an education in family studies with an emphasis on individual counseling. "God-willing, I want to play in the NFL, but some day I just want to help others."
That's exactly what Pomele did out of high school when he went on a Christian-related mission trip to locations in the United States, plus Tijuana, Mexico.
"It was a time to put your life on hold and begin a true relationship with God," said Pomele, who's father is a pastor of the multi-cultured Life In the Word Church in Vellejo. "We built playgrounds and basically got to know kids at an orphanage who had been abandoned by parents.
"I really felt for them. They had no parents at all," Pomele said. "There was no way for them to identify who their mother and father were. It was a great year to make a difference and develop a relationship with Christ. I definitely had that opportunity to do that at a younger age, but I wasn't mature enough to have God in my big picture."
Now, with wife Elizabeth of eight months, the Pomele's are continuing their growth in Manhattan.
"My folks asked, 'Where are you going?' but we looked at it as stepping out of our comfort zone and relying on each other instead of depending on our parents," Pomele said of his K-State decision.
In part, sliding out of their comfort zone meant being introduced to things like — well, winter.
"It was cold, man, but beautiful," Pomele said. "It's the first time I've ever seen snow falling down. I'd seen snow in Tahoe, but never falling down. It was beautiful. I really liked it."
And, Pomele really likes playing for the Wildcats.
From his inside linebacker spot, Pomele has a team-high 11 tackles, plus a fumble recovery.
Out of junior college, Prince said, "He's a kid where his highlight tape wasn't that much difference than the regular game tape. He was always around the ball and knew where he fit."
Today, that fit is with the Wildcats.