LIHU‘E — Teddy Arroyo, the Kaua‘i Pop Warner Football Association commissioner, was elated beyond words Saturday. More than 240 young athletes, up from the 90 who participated last year, were treated to a free Chad Owens football clinic sponsored by
LIHU‘E — Teddy Arroyo, the Kaua‘i Pop Warner Football Association commissioner, was elated beyond words Saturday.
More than 240 young athletes, up from the 90 who participated last year, were treated to a free Chad Owens football clinic sponsored by Davone Bess of the Miami Dolphins and the Bess Route Foundation at the Vidinha Stadium.
The clinic offered a one-day opportunity for participants, ages seven to 17, to be coached by professional athletes including Darnell Arceneaux, Chris Brown, Michael Carter, La‘anui Correa, Nate Ilaoa, Jeremy Inferrea, Nate Jackson, Eddie Klineski, David Maeva, Vince Manuwai, Chad Owens, Ma‘a Tanuvasa and Gerard Welch.
“What a proud day,” Arroyo said. “How often do our children get to play with professional athletes?”
The morning session was sold out with 150 younger players and the afternoon session, geared to high school aged players, had about a hundred players. Some of the high school coaches noted the lack of attendance due to the Kapa‘a High School Green-White game and Waimea High School hosting its May Day on the same date.
“You can learn valuable lessons in life by listening to your family members and your mentors such as coaches and community supporters,” said Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. “These are the people who will encourage and support you throughout your life.”
Arroyo said in addition to the professional football players and staff, the children also had a lesson in drug awareness when Theresa Koki and Brenda Jose held sessions for both the younger and older players, being joined by a visit from Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. and Kaua‘i County Council members Mel Rapozo and Dickie Chang.
“Saturday was a fantastic opportunity to provide outreach to our community on a very important subject,” said Jose. “I ran into a few of the kids over the weekend and ‘quizzed’ them on what they learned. Thankfully, they remembered the most important information from the presentation.”
Arroyo said while O‘ahu children pay premium rates to attend a camp of this nature, he is grateful to the community and the numerous people who stepped forward to allow this camp to be free to participants, including a lunch for younger players and a Hawaiian dinner for the high school players.
This included contribution and cooking of a pig, as well as a steer which allowed for all the food, Teddy said.
“Words cannot express the gratitude and appreciation for all of everyone’s willingness and hard work to make this happen,” said Pam Arroyo, registrar and volunteer coordinator for the event.
Kelvin Moniz, an official with the Kaua‘i Officials Association and the Food Resources director for the Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank, said about 150 pounds of food were collected through the efforts of the Lihu‘e and Kapa‘a Pop Warner Associations.
“Everyone played a part, and without people’s help and dedication for the children of Kaua‘i, we could not have made it happen,” said Lilane Corpuz, president of the Lihu‘e Pop Warner Association, ovewhelmed by the response. “It took a lot of planning and preparation, but together, we did it.”
The list of people and organizations who contributed to the success of this Chad Owens football camp keeps growing, but the Lihu‘e Pop Warner Association and the Arroyo family want to acknowledge the contributions of Davone Bess, Chad, Rena and Chad Owens Jr., Island Athletic T’s, Bryan and Akala Aiwohi, Dean and Mary Pigao, Popo’s Cookies, Wa‘alani Enterprises, Lilane and Rafael Corpuz, Alida and Nerio Lazaro, Tina and Al Albao, Layton and Be’val Tani, Shereen Ho‘opi‘i, Zach Octavio and the American Medical Response paramedic Ioane Lopes, Brick Oven Pizza, Menehune Water, Aston Kaua‘i Beach Resort, Lenny Rapozo, John Martin, Hoku Cup Choy, Daryl Kaneshiro, Sean Andrade, Billy DeCosta, Jeff Visitation, Sueoka’s, Willie Sanchez, Charlie Wong, Sherry Kaluahine-Cacal and Pomai Kane.
“Managers manage for tomorrow, leaders lead for the future,” Teddy said. “This is ground work for tomorow.”
