ByJOHN ROSCOESpecial to The Garden Island LIHU`E—Despite a weekend filled with basketball tournament, softball clinics, and a high profile coaching clinic, about eighty parents and children turned out to hear Olympic swimming gold medalist Bill Smith at a swimmers’ clinic
ByJOHN ROSCOESpecial to The Garden Island
LIHU`E—Despite a weekend filled with basketball tournament, softball clinics,
and a high profile coaching clinic, about eighty parents and children turned
out to hear Olympic swimming gold medalist Bill Smith at a swimmers’ clinic
hosted by the Mokihana Aquatics in preparation for their “Fun Meet” which will
be held on August 5-6 at the Kaua`i High School Pool.
Head coach, and club
founder Orlando Anaya exclaimed, “I expected, and would have counted half that
many people as a success.”
Mokihana Aquatics presented the swimmers’ clinic
and officials’ clinic for parents for the first time on Kaua`i since 1988.
United States Swimming Local Swim Committee supported the event by preparing
special information packets for interested families and sent co-chairman of the
Officials Committee, Bret Toba from Maui, and Dave Coleman from Honolulu to
help with the sessions.
But, the main star-appeal came from “medal man”
Bill Smith, whom Ed Pickop, a state agricultural specials from Kapa`a was
inspired upon hearing Smith talk about his former coach.
Pickop’s daughter,
11-year-old Nani, agreed, adding, “I thought it was a lot of fun, and it was
good for me.”
Mokihana Aquatics has been in the vanguard of support for
high-caliber competitive age-group swimming and training, and is the only
Kaua`i swim club with national affiliations that allow them to compete in
sanctioned meets.
Kaua`i resident and recent Iolani School graduate Mariah
Farley, played for her school’s water polo team, and was on hand with her
younger brother Robert to participate in the clinic.
“Listening to Bill
Smith was really inspiring to the kids,” Mariah said, “to actually hear and see
someone who has actually been there.”
Robert was more to the point, “It was
good, and I will be joining the team.”
For more information on the “Fun
Meet,” or Mokihana Aquatics, contact Coach “O” at 821-0587.