Takayama memorial paddle-out is Nov. 10
Family and friends of surfer and surfboard shaper Donald Takayama will celebrate his life with a memorial paddle-out event Nov. 10 off Waikiki.
The event will start at 9 a.m. on Kuhio Beach near the Duke Kahanamoku statue with remembrances, followed by the paddle-out at 10 a.m. The memorial will coincide with a similar event in Oceanside, Calif., where the Hawaii-born Takayama resided. There will also be a memorial paddle-out Sunday in Kugenuma, Japan.
Born and raised on Oahu, Takayama moved to California and became one of the country’s top competitive surfers. But it was his surfboard designs that made him a legend in the surf community. He founded Hawaiian Pro Designs in Oceanside in the 1970s, outfitting some of the world’s top pros.
Takayama died on Oct. 22 from complications due to surgery. He was 68. He is survived by his wife, Diane, three daughters, and grandchildren.
Dvorak falls just short in USTA Regional
Top-seeded Sarah Dvorak, from Kurtistown on the Big Island fell in a three-set girls singles final at the USTA Regional, Monday at Patsy T. Mink CORP Tennis Complex.
Dvorak, one of 37 Hawaii juniors in the national tournament, lost to Annika Ringblom of Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., 6-4, 2-6, 7-5. Ringblom, 16, won the 110th annual Southern California Junior Sectional last year.
The third-seeded team of Ashley Ishimura and Alyssa Tobita won the doubles title 8-5 over Berg and Daphne De Chatellus, from California. Dvorak and Kareen Manji took third, defeating Hawaii’s Lani Rae Green and Scout Shutter, 8-4. Hawaii’s David Lam, a state high school doubles champ, lost 8-2 in the boys doubles final with partner Jeffrey Liang. Kamehameha’s Marcel Chan, the state singles champ, reached the final round of the boys consolation draw. Chan, 16, is ranked 112th in USTA Boys 18s.
Cooper Bridge, from Irvine, Calif., beat Tanner Smith of Long Beach, 6-1, 6-1 to win boys singles.
BYUH’s Chen best in PacWest
Brigham Young-Hawaii sophomore outside hitter Shih Ting Chen was selected as the PacWest player of the week on Wednesday.
Chen had 52 kills on 88 attempts with just seven errors in four matches to lead the Seasiders to an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.
Pro wrestling show has star power
Hawaii’s independent pro wrestling organization has roped in star power for its November show.
Three of the wrestling industry’s biggest personalities — "M-Dogg 20" Matt Cross, El Generico and Colt Cabana — will appear in Action Zone Wrestling’s "Fallout" show, which gets under way at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at New Hope Leeward in Waipahu.
The high-flying Cross and El Generico are making return trips to the islands, while Cabana — who rose to fame in Ring of Honor, wrestling alongside current World Wrestling Entertainment stars CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, and also had a stint in WWE — is coming to Hawaii for the first time.
Early ticket sales have been going well, AZW founder Daryl Bonilla said, adding that he hopes "a lot of fans will come out and support their local talent" in addition to seeing the international stars.
Presale tickets are $9 until Nov. 11; after that, tickets are $20 adults and $12 children. For more information, go to www.actionzonewrestling.com.