I'M not the first -- and I won't be the last -- to make this plea to the state Legislature. High school sports
a good investmentPlease don't cut the education budget. Please don't take away some of the most positive experiences our children can have by representing their schools in athletics and other extra-curricular activities.
If our youth do not have after-school activities to channel their energies, it will have far-reaching, disastrous social consequences. It doesn't take an advanced math degree to figure out that bored kids plus free time equals trouble.
The teen years are the at-risk years. That "Be Cool. Stay in School" message being preached will fall on deaf ears if the incentive to stay is taken away from those who need to listen.
No, athletics are not the cure-all for society's problems. But sports are one way of keeping borderline kids from falling off the fence and into foul territory.
WHERE are our priorities?
Why spend millions to renovate the Natatorium when it's our school system that is crumbling? Preserving the past is admirable but should it be at the expense of our future?
I think not. For personal reasons.
My son turned 13 yesterday. And I'm scared.
He's a good kid, but I can't take all of the credit. His strength of character has had a sound base built on athletics, a foundation influenced by the men and women he has called "Coach."
Discipline, teamwork, patience, honor and humility ... these are just some of the things he has learned on the court and on the field. Participation has been a privilege earned with good grades and good conduct.
What will happen if that cornerstone is taken away? We truly do not want to know.
Sports not only encourages good athletes, it encourages good citizens. Young players learn about giving back to their communities and about healthy lifestyles.
So many times, an athlete will tell me of how being involved in sports saved him or her from becoming a negative statistic. They avoided drugs, gangs and jail because there was a positive alternative.
I've seen so many kids find a way out of a bad situation because of athletics. The road they took didn't necessarily lead to a college scholarship; sometimes it was just enough to get them their high school diploma.
But at least they stayed in school. And out of trouble.
All they needed was the opportunity.
KIDS just want to belong and be accepted. That doesn't change from generation to generation.
What has changed are our children's choices.
They don't have Ozzie & Harriet, they have Beavis & Butthead. Instead of Donna Reed, it's Judge Judy.
And what will be the alternative for sports? It won't be as simple as changing the channel.
I was at Ilima Intermediate School for their Career Day last week. The 80-plus eighth graders in my sessions were exploring their futures, from sports writing to lifesaving; from criminal justice to cosmetology.
At that age, everything is possible. As it should be.
They were excited about going on to high school, about being part of everything. Many of these eighth-graders were athletes, with dreams of being a Wahine volleyball player or a Rainbow baseball player. Even the next Michael Jordan.
I don't want to be the one to take away their dreams. Do you?
The Hawaii High School Athletic Association's executive board meets tomorrow. On the agenda is gender equity.
While that is an important issue, I'm more concerned about giving opportunities to all of our high school students.
Sports, band, chorus, speech ... whatever.
We need to find the money.
Or it will cost us dearly.
Cindy Luis is a Star-Bulletin sportswriter.
Her column appears weekly.