“I know Shannon stayed in the water
only to make sure we got out safely.
He could have swam to shore
at any time.”
Coach Fred vonAppen
The head football coach said this morning that Smith was part of a hiking party that included not only several members of vonAppen's family, but Hawaii players Tim Carey and Chris Shinnick as well.
According to Kauai police reports, Smith and the vonAppens were swimming at Waipahee Slippery Slide, which is located in the Kawaihau District just north of Kapaa.
Smith, 20, and vonAppen's 6-year-old son, Cody, went down the natural slide together, but once in the water, the two got into trouble.
"It probably lasted only two minutes, but it was the most chaotic and frightening experience of our lives," vonAppen said today. "There were about 11 of us hiking into this remote area Shannon wanted to show us.
"It took about 30 minutes because it was very rough and difficult terrain. The trail was muddy, so we were arriving at this spot at different intervals. When Shannon got there, he just dove in.
"He and Cody got there first, so when he came out, they went down the slide together. I don't think Shannon knew how dangerous the water was because he was used to it, but it was rough and swirling, with a vicious current that sucked you under."
"Shannon passed off Cody to Thea," vonAppen said. "She's a very strong swimmer, but I could tell that something was wrong. She yelled out that they were in trouble down there.
"So I tore off my jacket and jumped in. I was immediately sucked under. I looked up and all I could see was swirling murky water, and some light up above me."
After the coach fought his way to the surface, he saw Smith hand off Cody to Thea, who was beginning to tire from trying to stay above water. She turned and gave Cody to vonAppen, who eventually gave him to Tim Carey, who was near the shore.
"I'll never forget the fear in his eyes or my wife's," vonAppen said. "The water was rushing all around us. I was beginning to tire and so was Thea. I wasn't sure if any of us would get out alive."
By this time, other members of the party had arrived to help. Smith was still above water and refused to get out until everyone was safe. Fred vonAppen managed to get ahold of a rock, while his wife was helped out of the water by her daughter, Kristan.
"She found a branch that was more like a twig," vonAppen said. "But it was green, and strong enough to drag Thea out. About this time, Chris yells out from shore that Shannon is gone. He's about to jump in, but I tell him not to because the current is too strong.
"I know Shannon stayed in the water only to make sure we got out safely. He could have swam to shore at any time. I don't know how he stayed up as long as he did because he was in the center of the whirlpool. He is a hero. You can't say enough about what he did."
Officers and paramedics arrived on the scene as quickly as they could. Kauai police Sgt. Cecil Baliaris said yesterday morning that the Waipahee Slippery Slide was once a tourist attraction, but is now on private property and is closed to the public.
"There are signs posted that you aren't supposed to trespass, but they've been shot full of holes by hunters," Baliaris said. "It's usually OK to go down the slide, but this time of year it can be dangerous because of the heavy rains.
Shannon Smith's brother, Ryan, said last night that the medical examiner believes Shannon hit his head on a rock and was knocked unconscious. His body was found 90 minutes after he was pulled under. He was pronounced dead at 1:02 p.m. Saturday.
"We're going to have a team meeting this afternoon and probably postpone tomorrow's first day of spring practice in honor of Shannon," vonAppen said. "We told the team about it after conditioning this morning. Obviously, they are in shock at losing a teammate and friend."
Smith played football at Southern Oregon State after graduating from Kapaa High in 1994. He stayed for one year before going to the UH program in 1995.
The junior figured to battle Eric Hannum for the place-kicking duties this spring. Smith, who would have been 21 tomorrow, almost was pressed into duty last fall after starting place-kicker Carlton Oswalt injured his leg late in the season.
Oswalt recently said he was going to help Smith work on his techniques this spring and believed he had a good shot to see some playing time.
"One of my dreams has always been to play for Hawaii," Shannon Smith said last fall when it appeared Oswalt might not be able to handle kickoffs. "If Coach (vonAppen) calls on me, I'll be there. The reason I came back from Oregon was so I could be closer to home."
"My mom wanted to say how many lives that he touched and she didn't realize it until today," Ryan Smith said last night. "We haven't really said anything to anybody.
"Sunday Mass was held here for Easter all over the island. And pretty much the entire island found out from preachers giving sermons about it.
"We've had calls from all over, from everywhere, saying how sorry they were to hear the news. He touched so many lives. It made our family feel a little better knowing that Shannon was knocked unconscious and didn't suffer."
While in high school, Smith played football and soccer for one year. He made the Kauai Interscholastic Federation all-league team in football, but credited former Kapaa High soccer coach Tom Powers for developing his kicking skills.
"He was a real nice kid," Powers said last night. "He wasn't mixed up in any kind of drug problem. He was well-traveled. He had been to a lot of soccer camps, so he was a little more worldly.
"I'd had him in different soccer camps since he was 8 years old. He was a definite all-star player. I was a little surprised he decided to play football, but he had a leg like a cannon.
"One of my assistants called me today and let me know. I was really disturbed by it because he was so young. He was always trying to do good for other people. We're devastated as a family."
Ryan Smith said that the funeral service is tentatively scheduled for Saturday at St. Catherine's Church in Kapaa.
"Coach vonAppen said the team would try to all be there for the service," Ryan Smith said. "All the family members know except my sister (Colleen). She's only 14 and visiting Australia. The flight will take 31 hours, so we didn't want her to have to come home thinking about it all the way here."
Other survivors are his parents, Norbert and Rosemary; three other brothers, Christopher, Gregory and Shawn, and another sister, Terri Spiriti-Cordell. The family asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to scholarships in Shannon Smith's name.
"I know his mother wants him to be remembered as a young man who was a staff person at the Winners' Camp," close family friend Ardyth Brock said. "Shannon was a leader among his peers. I know she (his mother) already has spoken with the foundation and that one of the scholarships would be the Shannon Smith Winners' Camp scholarship. The number in Kailua is 263-0177."
VonAppen told the family that a Shannon Smith football scholarship would be set up as soon as possible by UH.
"We want to get the scholarship in place as quickly as we can. This has been very difficult for everyone. When Shannon's mother found out, she had been out shopping for a birthday present for him. He was a great kid who saved our child's life. I still can't believe what happened. It's something my family will never forget."