Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
Do you believe in coincidences? I still do, a little bit. But over the years I’ve become more of a “things happen for a reason” guy. I guess because the older you get the more you see proof of it.
About two weeks ago I received a text from a friend, Lisa Fujiwara, asking if I’d like to join her and some old softball buddies, including her husband, Jon, and her brother, Vince Acohido, for some exercise walking, followed by dinner.
Knowing the Fujiwaras’ great taste in restaurants, I instantly agreed without knowing where we’d be going to eat, or walk. Plus, I had started walking to shed my COVID-29 pounds (yeah, I’m exaggerating, but not much) a couple of weeks prior with another friend, Rod Aldridge, and learned that it’s a great opportunity to talk story with friends while getting that cardio work in.
Here is the fortuitous coincidence, kismet, serendipity, whatever you want to call it: The walking route that Lisa had chosen was from LaCiccia Italian Fusion and Brunch Bar at Puck’s Alley up to Maile Way, around the northern end of the University of Hawaii campus to the East-West Center, and then down through lower campus and back to the restaurant.
I’m a big fan of LaCiccia — to steal a line from “The Godfather,” have the veal, it’s the best in the city. I was even happier about our walking route, because it included … you guessed it … Ching field. If you missed the news, the City and County of Honolulu announced last week that no spectators will be allowed there when UH plays its first home football game Sept. 4 and indefinitely thereafter. The same holds true for other UH sports, including women’s volleyball and soccer.
It’s no surprise because our COVID-19 numbers have been bad for more than a month now, but it’s still a bummer.
However, our walk confirmed that there are many places on lower campus that are outside of the stadium from where you can see the field.
But if you can’t get onto lower campus and are desperate to see the game live, find someone whose window at the dorm towers faces the field and lives on a high floor. Don’t forget your binoculars.
I hope UH officials don’t think I’m giving away any secrets, because I’m really not.
But I wonder what the plan is going to be regarding who will be allowed on campus during the game.
Will all access points to lower campus be guarded? Would it be breaking the rules to allow some fans on that top floor of the parking structure, which has one of the best views of the field? As mentioned in a previous column, that’s a great area to turn into a VIP zone where you can tailgate AND watch the game.
“Don’t forget about the coaches’ offices,” Acohido said. “They could turn those into luxury boxes.”
That is very true. If you’ve been to those offices you know the view of the field from them is superb. Makes sense, right? The coaches can see who is putting in extra work just by looking up from working on their practice plan.
Acohido knows this because he was a Rainbow Warrior quarterback in 1983 and ’84. He had the good fortune of being on some of Dick Tomey’s good teams. He had the misfortune of being stuck behind Raphel Cherry on the depth chart.
Seeing Ching field and the track around it reminded him of 1984, when June Jones coached the UH quarterbacks.
“One of the things he did was require that we run a mile in six minutes.” Acohido said. “I could never get under 6:30 while training for it.”
Acohido said he convinced Jones to change the required time to 6:15. “We start and Ralph sprinted off and was gone. I came in second, William Bell third, and Ken Niumatalolo just made it in 6:15.”
Although he didn’t play much as backup to Cherry, Acohido, who is now a teacher at Kamehameha, said he learned a lot from Jones that he has passed on to Hawaii high school quarterbacks for 30 years as a coach at Kapalama, and previously at ‘Iolani and Farrington.
I’m sure many of you who went to UH (and some who didn’t, wink-wink) remember playing intramural sports on what is now called Ching field. It was so long ago, I had to double-check and ask Vince if we really did play softball there. He confirmed it.
The field is beautiful now, and although the stadium is still a work in progress, it looks to be very close to fully functional. It really is a shame that the lucky 9,000 won’t get to be there to cheer on the Warriors in person against Portland State — and who knows for how long after that.
76