LIHU’E – The beautiful thing about natural ability is that it will flow out on accident. That’s why some pint-sized running backs can already stop on a dime, cut back and slice through the defense for extra yards. It’s why
LIHU’E – The beautiful thing about natural ability is that it will flow out on accident.
That’s why some pint-sized running backs can already stop on a dime, cut back and slice through the defense for extra yards. It’s why some of the huskier youths can already sweep through the opposing linemen in pursuit of the quarterback.
More importantly, however, discovering that diamond in the rough is not the crucial aspect of the current Kaua’i Pop Warner Flag Football season.
Instead, the cultivation of life skills is the meat of the operation.
“We want to get these kids involved in organized sports at a young age,” Kaua’i Pop Warner Commissioner Leon Gonsalves said. “We’re working on a lot of life skills out here.”
That’s why there wasn’t a scoreboard in sight on Saturday at North Vidinha Field.
“There is more to life than winning and losing,” Gonsalves said. “We’re not playing for the big bucks out here.”
Potential paydays lay in the distant future for the kids duking it out in the flag football league. The two age divisions being contested are 5-7 and 8-10.
“We just want to introduce them to the sport,” Gonsalves said. “And get them active. Organized sports are very important for keeping kids on the right path.”
The flag football league is in its fourth year. It was the brainchild of Gonsalves, who works as an investigator in the district attorney’s office, and has been a policeman for 31 years. There are 10 teams in this year’s league. Five in the Cubs (5-7 year olds) and five in the Bobcats (8-10 year olds). Games are played on 80-yard fields over two 15-minute halfs.
In the past, divisions were formed for 11-13 year olds and 14-16 year olds, but, according to Gonsalves, many of the those participants have chosen to focus on baseball, also mid-season right now.
“I liked having the older kids playing because you can teach them some other things about football, passing and blocking,” Gonsalves said. “But the Pony League baseball season is being played now.”
Gonsalves shrugged his shoulders. On Kaua’i, there are only so many youngsters in their prime (11-15) to choose from. And Gonsalves is more than happy to be impacting the youngest generation.
“We get these kids in here at five or six years old and we can start them down the right path,” Gonsalves said. “At that age, it’s just important to keep them busy, anyway.”
Half the time Gonsalves, who coached Pop Warner for 21 years before taking over as Kaua’i’s commissioner, chuckles at the kids’ hierarchy of needs.
“It was funny when I was coaching,” he said. “I’d be in the middle of trying to instruct a kid, tell him where to stand and what to do, and one of his teammates would come up and tug on my shorts. ‘Coach,’ he’d say, ‘When do we get snacks?’
“I still see that all the time today.”
Despite the interest in snacks or the life-skills mantra stressed by Pop Warner, nurturing football skill is still a high priority.
Saturday’s loudest voices came not from the interested parents lining the North Vidinha sidelines, but from coaches constantly instructing.
“Stay in front of your man!” they yell at linemen.
“Tuck the ball, tuck the ball!” they shout at running backs.
“They’re all volunteers, out here because they love kids and love football,” Gonsalves said. “As long as they don’t get too crazy about trying to win, everything’s fine.”
Just before the end of Saturday’s late-morning game, a Lihu’e running back took a pitch from his QB and began scooting around defenders. As he neared the sideline, it appeared the pursuit would force him out of bounds. Instead, the back stopped, allowed a couple of defenders to carry by and then cut across the grain. He dodged and weaved to a hearty gain before losing his flag.
He isn’t even 10 yet.
“The most amazing thing is to watch these kids just flow into a natural position because that’s what they have talent for,” Gonsalves said. “They’re so young, but the ability is already there. They’ve already got it.
“Which makes the life skills we’re teaching even more important. Pop Warner is built on staying in school, getting good grades, staying away from the drugs and alcohol. We’re trying to do it all.”
Many of Kaua’i’s youth do so in Pop Warner Flag Football, where life skills are key
