When surfing was announced as a new state-championship sport by Gov. Neil Abercrombie and Keith Amemiya of the Board of Education, it caught leagues off balance.
That in itself isn’t bad news, though. Hawaii High School Athletic Association executive director Chris Chun is optimistic about the time frame — surfing as a state tournament by spring 2013. He’s just not privy to any details just yet.
“I’m looking forward to it. It could be the greatest thing ever,” Chun said during a break at yesterday’s HHSAA executive board meeting. “I look forward to working with the Board.”
The infrastructure of introducing a new sport — the Big Island Interscholastic Federation doesn’t participate in surfing at all, while the Oahu Interscholastic Association permits school club competition — takes plenty of groundwork. Amemiya, the former HHSAA chief and master fundraiser, took the initiative and was pleased to get immediate help in the form of community long-timers such as Bernie Baker of the Triple Crown of Surfing. That kind of grass-roots help, Amemiya said, would be key, the way that local canoe clubs stepped in to help make high school paddling a reality.
Internally, the leagues got their chance to discuss the matter yesterday.
“I think it’s great. It’s a chance to have a first state champion on a national level, to have individual surf teams,” Chun said. “We’re going to follow the (school) club guidelines. I have concerns about some things like the weather. You can’t control the waves. There’s state (tournament) travel costs.”
The factor that matters on the bottom line, a $150,000 cost, will be covered by contributions from the community, according to Amemiya. In fact, Chun has already fielded calls from interested sponsors.
On the Big Island, it’s a task that begins from the bottom.
“I’ve got to find more info. It just hit us,” said BIIF executive director Lyle Crozier.
Like other league administrators, Crozier didn’t know about the new sport until he saw the news through the media.
“The safety is one of our concerns,” he said. “But it might help student-athletes with their grades. Anything that gives them an opportunity to succeed is good.”
Crozier noted that one of the BIIF’s schools, Hawaii Academy of Arts and Sciences, already has a club team.
“I’m going to talk to their athletic director (Steve Hirakami). I have to pick his brain.”
