• Damien makes the right move Damien makes the right move By Duane Shimogawa – The Garden Island On Sunday, August 21, I wrote a column about the Damien Memorial High School head volleyball coach, who embarrassed both himself and
• Damien makes the right move
Damien makes the right move
By Duane Shimogawa – The Garden Island
On Sunday, August 21, I wrote a column about the Damien Memorial High School head volleyball coach, who embarrassed both himself and his team at the annual Blue-and-White boys volleyball tournament.
Here’s an update on what happened to the coach, who ridiculed his players and even ran onto the court to berate them.
Lots of people who attended the tournament have confronted me with the same type of sentiment and even some individuals have gone as far as to be embarrassed and disgusted by the coach’s actions.
In addition, I have received e-mails and phone calls from numerous individuals, who read my column, like Damien alum and current coach, Gene Saulibio and the Hawai‘i Tribune-Herald’s Sports Editor, Bill O’Rear, who are both highly respected individuals in their respective fields.
As of Friday, Damien’s principal, Michael Weaver notified me in a call that their head coach was relieved of his duties at the school.
Weaver thanked me for writing a column about the issue in the Sunday, August 21 issue of The Garden Island.
The principal also noted that on behalf of Damien Memorial High School, that he is making an apology to the people of Kaua‘i who witnessed the incident at the Waimea Menehune’s gym.
I’m not naming the coach because I think that it would do no justice to the school and to the coach.
Instead, I congratulate Damien and the Monarch athletic program for taking a step in the right direction.
My article on Sunday wasn’t written to get anyone fired or even disciplined.
However, the school’s administration determination to do what is best for the athletes and the other coaches associated with the Monarch program is to be commended.
An associate Monarch’s coach sent me an e-mail earlier this week, explaining that she “is in no way in agreement or responsible for the conduct of the head coach.”
I did see this associate coach at the game at Waimea and I knew that she was trying her best to do the right thing.
She definitely wasn’t in agreement with the head coach, whatsoever.
This situation should teach us all a lesson, especially coaches around the state.
If we act irresponsibly in front of student-athletes, then that attitude will be reflected in how the team plays and conducts itself.
Furthermore, while each coach has their own style of conducting themselves at games, and at practice too, that style must be one that earns the respect of their players; then the coaching will lead to an enriching experience for both the coach and the players.
Recently, I had conversations with all three of Kaua‘i’s high school football coaches (Kapa‘a’s Wes Kaui, Kaua‘i’s Keli‘i Morgado, and Waimea’s Liko Perreira) and what really gave me “chicken skin” was the way they talked about their players and how passionate they were about the process of transforming young men into adults.
Each one mentioned the importance of making it in the game of life, as well as on the sports field. They all said that while football was just a game, they had all learned to be better people from the game.
If we could duplicate Morgado, Kaui, and Perreira and place them at the head of every team we wouldn’t have to worry about our athletes.
Duane Shimogawa, Sports Editor can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 257) and kauaisports@pulitzer.net
