What will 2012 bring?

The Pro Bowl later this month at Aloha Stadium.

The Summer Olympics in London, where Hawaii’s Bryan Clay looks to defend his decathlon title.

The University of Hawaii splitting its conference affiliations, football moving to the Mountain West and the non-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation sports moving to the Big West, including baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball.

A new year brings a new roles as title defenders for Haleiwa’s John John Florence (Triple Crown of Surfing) and Maui’s Kai Lenny (World Stand-Up Paddle Tour); and new professional careers for Hawaii’s latest LPGA members, Stephanie Kono and Ayaka Kaneko.

Of all the sports figures Hawaii can follow this new year, the Star-Advertiser sports staff picked these three as the "Ones to Watch:"

1. Norm Chow; 2. Carissa Moore; 3. Kolten Wong.

New UH coach Chow brings intensity

In midconversation, Norm Chow paused, his brown eyes filling with emotion.

"I’m sorry," Chow said, softly, of a rare break in focus.

The topic had turned to his recent hiring as head coach of the University of Hawaii football team. It was more than a dream job, or a long-awaited homecoming for a 65-year-old man raised in Palolo.

In the first 142 years of major college football, there had never been an Asian-American head coach. That changed Dec. 22.

"That means a lot to me," said Chow, whose blood is a cocktail of Chinese, Hawaiian and Portuguese, and it would have meant a lot to his late father.

In football parlance, Chow is a grinder, a tireless worker whose admitted addiction is competitiveness. It is why he spent the past week preparing Utah’s offense for Saturday’s Sun Bowl and building the Warriors football team in his vision.

To accomplish both, he skipped some Sun Bowl functions. He cut back on sleep hours, and often had to remind himself to take breaks to shower and shave. One day this past week, he had to recharge his cell phone’s battery four times.

It is that focus that has allowed him to navigate the obstacle course of his career path. Along the way, Chow endured the tinges of racism and typecasting.

It was in a conference room several years ago where Chow fought back rage when a high-powered official used a Chinese slur. Later, the official rationalized he never would have used the phrase in Chow’s presence if he had known of his Chinese ancestry. Chow received a typed apology. It was a form letter.

It was in a Honolulu restaurant in 1995 where Chow realized he was interviewing for a UH coaching job that appeared destined to go to Fred vonAppen.

"It was almost a farce," Chow said, with amusement. "I can say that. I think they had a guy picked already. It was almost a formality. The interview didn’t amount to much."

He added, without bitterness: "That’s life."

And it was at home, where Chow was told, in a telephone call, that he would be dismissed as the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator. It was the first time in his life he had been fired from a coaching job.

Yet, he refused to veer.

Chow’s poker face has drawn the perception that he is, well, cranky. That presumption preceded Chow when he was hired as Utah’s offensive coordinator this year. Instead, the Salt Lake City media learned what others had learned before: Chow’s intensity can be misinterpreted as moodiness.

Chow has been such a delight for Utah reporters he earned the nickname "Hollywood" for his candor.

The respect already was earned.

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said Chow was an easy selection to fill the offensive coordinator’s vacancy.

"He’s one of the best," Whittingham said. "I have a lot of respect for him. He’s going to do a great job over there."

Stephen Tsai, Star-Advertiser

Carissa Moore riding wave of success

The ultimate water baby has grown up to become the ultimate surfer.

At 19, Carissa Moore already has reached the peak of her profession, winning the Association of Surfing Professionals Women’s World Championship last year. She shredded the competition much as she shredded the waves, riding an unprecedented wave of success along the way.

What more can the North Shore-raised Moore do in 2012 that she didn’t during her second year on tour? Plenty, said her father, Chris.

With the title and even more name recognition, "she’ll be going to more of the qualifying events to help out by being there," Chris Moore said. "When you hit the top of any sport, the focus is on that athlete and people want you.

"What we’re looking for is balance. She’ll focus on the main six events, but being in the position as the world champion does carry extra responsibilities."

It may be hard to repeat the magical ride that was 2010. Carissa Moore was an unprecedented 6-for-6 in reaching the finals of the first six tour events. She won three and placed second in the others, en route to becoming the ASP’s youngest female champion at age 18 and first from Hawaii since Margo Oberg in 1981.

Moore also was voted the top female surfer in the 41st SURFER Magazine Poll Awards, picking up her miniature surfboard trophy at last month’s ceremony at Turtle Bay.

Moore was the first female to be given a wild-card entry into two of the men’s Triple Crown of Surfing events last month on the North Shore. Her hope, however, is that the ASP Women’s Tour will find the sponsorship to bring back the its Triple Crown series after a year’s absence.

Moore is used to making history. As a junior surfer, she won an unprecedented 11 National Scholastic Surfing Association titles; was the youngest female (16) — and fourth overall — to make the cover of Surfer Magazine; and earned $50,000, the highest first-place prize in women’s surfing, for her 2010 U.S. Open win.

Repeating as world champion is a goal, but, her father said, it’s not the destination.

"I think now it’s more about performance," Chris Moore said. "It’s just the art of it. Surfing is such a difficult sport, doing the moves, dealing with each wave being different.

"She’s still learning. The neat part for her is she’s going to bring new things to the tour. She’s really in the driver’s seat, but what I tell her is to respect it — enjoy the excitement now but don’t take it for granted."

Carissa Moore, with the perfect middle name for a water baby — Kainani, Hawaiian for "beautiful sea" — doesn’t.

"Every day is a gift," she wrote on her blog last month.

Cindy Luis, Star-Advertiser

Motivated Wong ramps up workouts

In Kolten Wong’s world, the offseason is no time for taking days off.

Wong’s mornings in Hilo start with fielding grounders at Walter Victor Field, followed by 20 to 40 laps in the pool. After lunch, it’s off to the weight room to lift and an afternoon session in the batting cage.

And after that …

"Wake up the next day and do it again."

Wong’s adherence to the daily regimen is fueled by the anticipation of his first full season of professional baseball after a successful debut last summer.

Wong’s left-handed swing — equal parts silky and explosive — has produced at every level to date, and just how far it can carry the former Kamehameha-Hawaii and University of Hawaii standout this season is among the intriguing stories to watch in 2012.

"I’m so excited. I’ve been training non-stop every day. Putting my body through the works, just trying to push so when I go up there I can show these guys I’m ready to play," Wong said.

Coming off a junior season in which he led UH in batting average (.378), home runs (seven), RBIs (53) and stolen bases (23), Wong was selected by the eventual World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals with the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the June draft.

Wong played in 47 games with the Quad Cities River Bandits, the Cardinals’ low-A affiliate, and continued to produce while playing a solid second base. He hit .335 with five home runs and 25 RBIs while helping Quad Cities win its first Midwest League title since 1990.

"That’s something a lot of people can’t do in their entire life in baseball," Wong said of earning a championship ring. "So to do that my first year was just an awesome experience and it made me want to win more."

At season’s end, he was rated fifth among the Cardinals’ 2012 minor league prospects by Baseball America.

Wong said the Cardinals indicated he could start the season at a higher level, "but how high depends on how good of a spring training I’ll have."

With that in mind, Wong is adding some muscle to his frame to better withstand the grind of a full professional schedule, which begins in February when spring training opens in Jupiter, Fla.

"I knew it was going to be hard work, but being there made be realize how much in shape I need to be for next season," Wong said.

With the Cardinals investing a first-round pick and a hefty signing bonus on Wong, he can count on his progress within the organization being closely monitored. Just another morsel of motivation to keep him focused on each day’s workout.

"Now it’s more looking at it as a job," Wong said. "That’s why I think my work ethic now is a little better. I’ve been pushing myself more and more because I know right now, I need to perform."

Jason Kaneshiro, Star-Advertiser