Fun and football was the message Saturday as the Kaua‘i Police Activities League wrapped up its 2008 flag football season. Mark Ozaki, one of the K-PAL coordinators, got a lot of help from officers in setting up the North Vidinha
Fun and football was the message Saturday as the Kaua‘i Police Activities League wrapped up its 2008 flag football season.
Mark Ozaki, one of the K-PAL coordinators, got a lot of help from officers in setting up the North Vidinha soccer fields late Friday afternoon in preparation for the final day.
Brenda Sameshima of the Kukui‘ula Development Company, a K-PAL board member, was one of the guests who joined Bernard Carvalho, Kaua‘i Police Chief Darryl Perry, Derek Kawakami and other dignitaries in congratulating the budding football players and cheer squad members on a successful season.
Sameshima retired from the formal program to help serve up hot dogs to players and their families on the final day of play while Kawakami excused himself to spend some quality time with his own family.
Several hundred players from all parts of the island took part in this year’s season which played on Saturday mornings.
Trent Shimabukuro and Mike Tresler, coaches for the Kaua‘i High School football program, interrupted their stint at the Red Raiders’ huli huli chicken sale so that the players in the Enforcers division, 17 and under age group, could have their final moment in the sun.
Similarly, Luther Yam of the Kapa‘a High School program had his hands full with both coaching and referee duty on the final outing.
The Enforcer division was one of the highlight age groups this year with Kaua‘i High School fielding two teams and Kapa‘a ending up with three teams which also included girls who wanted to play football.
Ozaki said the final day is always filled with rides, food and inflatables that families of K-PAL players can enjoy, and for this year, the final day was also coordinated to coincide with the Kaua‘i Police Department’s Family Fun Day.
That meant that in addition to the police awareness equipment and personnel that were on hand to work with the flag football players, other beneficiaries included families and children of the department’s staff and police officers.
“It was kind of a late start, but once the department’s people have lunch served, the lines will come down and everybody gets to share the rides and exhibits,” Ozaki said. “Next year, hopefully we can coordinate this even better.”
