HERE today, gone to Maui. Literally. Moving the Hula Bowl
might be goodThat's the Hula Bowl, the all-star college football classic that has had a 51-year association with the city of Honolulu.
The news that the Hula Bowl will change its venue from Aloha Stadium to the War Memorial Stadium in Wailuku came as a football bombshell. What's next? The Pro Bowl going to Orlando?
Suddenly, the 50,000-seat Halawa facility is starting to feel like a jilted suitor. Pardon me. Is my rust showing?
At first glance, I thought Lenny and Marcia Klompus -- the husband and wife duo that administer the Hooters Hula Bowl -- had one mai tai too many. What? Going away from Oahu's 800,000 population base to take the game to a neighbor island?
True, Maui is as glamorous a vacation spot as they come. It's got a lot going for it besides being the nearest thing to golf heaven.
After talking to Lenny -- the guy could sell bikinis in Siberia in the dead of winter -- I came away convinced that he could actually pull off his calculated risk.
After all, he figures, using some food-business logic, "A small restaurant that's busy is better than a large place half filled." And that's exactly what has befallen the Hula Bowl, which has been struggling to make Aloha Stadium even look half-way full. The Hula Bowl had a turnstile count of less than 15,000 the last two years.
Plans call for the War Memorial Stadium, which now seats 6,700 -- to be expanded to 24,500 in time for the 52nd Hula Bowl next Jan. 18.
KLOMPUS is predicting a sellout. "And," he says, "we're only beginning. We're starting with 24,500, but I'm not satisfied with 24,500. We can take it to 40,000 easy. There's unbelievable room for expansion."
Whoa, Nellie, Lenny. Build it, but will the people come?
Klompus thinks so.
He believes Maui itself is an attractive destination and it has shown it can host major events such as the Maui Invitational basketball tournament and the Kapalua International and the Kaanapali Classic, two pro tour golf events.
Still, the idea of moving the game to Maui, which first occurred to Klompus during the week of the last Hula Bowl, wasn't only about big numbers.
Klompus had a lot of people coming to him, saying how they missed the days of the Hula Bowl when it began at the old Honolulu Stadium, which sat around 24,500, by the way.
"The fans were up close and personal," said Klompus, who feels the Maui stadium will come close to matching that kind of friendly ambience. And, yes, he promises that there will be boiled peanuts at the concession stands.
The whole-hearted support of the Maui County and the Valley Island's hotel association convinced Klompus to go for it. That was the overriding factor, according to Klompus.
"The natural grass is also another issue," he said.
NOW that the game has the full backing of the American Football Coaches Association, it has been able to get the top collegiate talent. Fifty-five who played in the last Hula Bowl were drafted or signed as free agents and they're becoming more wary of risking injuries due to playing on artificial turf such as Aloha Stadium.
"Grass field is something that is gaining more and more acceptance," said Grant Teaff, the AFCA's executive director. "I don't think it's a deal-maker or a deal-breaker, but I think artificial turf is becoming a concern."
Ultimately, though, Klompus' main concern is perpetuating the Hula Bowl.
"We want to keep Mackay's dream alive into the 21st century," he said, referring to the Hula Bowl founder, Mackay Yanagisawa.
Klompus feels this is the way to go -- to Maui.