The taste, I imagine, is akin to that left by drinking too much milk and forgetting to brush your teeth that evening. When you awake, the pastiness runs down from the roof of your mouth and leaves a film at
The taste, I imagine, is akin to that left by drinking too much milk and forgetting to brush your teeth that evening. When you awake, the pastiness runs down from the roof of your mouth and leaves a film at the back of your throat.
Akin to the ongoing strike between the public school teachers and the state of Hawai’i, that is. Today marks two full weeks that students have been kept from running the halls, a full 14 days of unexpected vacation. The farther it’s dragged, the less people have shown to care about the athletic aspects of the strike.
Initially, those tied to high school sports were up in arms about how seasons would be resolved and whether round-robin tournaments would have to be substituted for regular-season games. The issue even graced the front pages of both Honolulu daily newspapers. Then there was a lull, as officials understood the potential time wasted in drawing up a bunch of athletic contingencies when the end was nowhere in sight.
But now, I offer, it’s time to show some concern again. The state tournaments are in jeopardy. And so is the money that goes with them.
That’s one place where the bad taste lies: in the mouths of Chevron, Hawaiian Airlines, Island Movers and other sponsors of state tourneys. These corporations put up big dollars to link their names to various sports’ state tournaments all year.
Last week, the Hawai’i High School Athletic Association amended dates for nearly all of the spring state tournaments. That was done with the thought that negotiations would lead to a deal by Sunday, putting kids in classrooms as early as Monday morning. It’s now been said that schools will not re-open until at least Thursday, and possibly later.
The state tournaments are in legitimate jeopardy. There may be a resolution, and officials may find a way to piecemeal a “season” together and determine respective conference representatives. But there will be asterix marks all over the place. That doesn’t bode well for the companies involved financially or for the kids involved physically.
On a ‘lighter’ note, a few professional football players were in town Sunday for the 6th Annual State of Hawai’i Organization of Police Officers charity softball game.
The mixture of San Francisco 49ers — both former and current — and Los Angeles Raiders duked it out against members of the Kaua’i Police Department as the last function of an island-wide SHOPO tour that this year raised $100,000 for the police officers’ union.
The team of NFL players was led by retired 49er Jesse Sapolu, a name that, based on crowd response at Vidinha Stadium, truly means something in Hawai’i.
People of the islands carry a fascination and genuine respect for the former University of Hawai’i standout. You can tell it in the way they cheer his name and in the way his face shows up on local television advertising.
I can only imagine the Hawaiian media frenzy during Sapolu’s playing days, when the Western Samoa native was blocking for names like Joe Montana and Roger Craig, pacing the 49ers to four Super Bowl titles. But I can guess. Because I see the way Benny Agbayani and Anthony Carter dominate local sports’ broadcasts on television.
I see how an Agbayani home run graces the front pages of Honolulu sports sections.
There is an obvious torch being carried by athletes who either call Hawai’i home or once did. For the people of this state it’s an impassioned claim: Hey, residents, look what our sons are doing.
When I first arrived in Hawai’i, I’ll admit, seeing the same gentlemen lead every sports telecast grated on me a bit. I didn’t understand why Agbayani’s two singles in a relatively meaningless Mets loss to Pittsburgh superseded the other sporting events of the day.
But eight months in the state have shown me the athletic passion of its long-standing residents. When somebody ascends to the highest levels of sport, the people of this state want to be a part of it.
And the men, too, are honored. Sapolu beamed with pride when discussing the chances he’s been given to do charity work in this state.
“I love traveling around Hawai’i doing these things,” he said. “I love getting out and seeing the people and giving back to those who have given so much to me.”
