Sports Update
High school athletic association to consider open meetings
The president of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association said for the first time Friday night that he's prepared to raise the question of how to make the HHSAA more open.He said that will happen when the executive board meets on Aug. 5.
Anthony Ramos's statement came three days after the Star-Bulletin published a survey showing that the HHSAA is the only high school athletic association in the country to close its meetings while both operating in a public school and receiving taxpayer support.
The HHSAA office is housed in the Stevenson Intermediate school rent-free. Ramos said that he misspoke when he stated this week that the association pays custodial fees. He said he discovered the HHSAA cleans its own office.
The HHSAA also receives a $38,000 legislative grant and collects membership dues from public as well as private schools.
"We will bring up the subject of how we can be more open," said Ramos, who is also principal of the secondary school at Kamehameha Schools.
He said the meeting will be held at his Kamehameha Schools office, as usual, and will be closed, as usual.
Ramos has continually insisted there is no need to open HHSAA executive board meetings because the association is a 501(3)(c) tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation. He has said that the "sunshine laws" no more apply to the HHSAA's board meetings than they do to any private corporation.
"On one hand, we may be legally correct, but we may not be politically correct," said Ramos, explaining why he will raise the issue to the executive board.
ISLAND MOVERS BOW: Chris Circuit drove in the tie-breaking run with a ninth-inning single and later scored on a groundout as the Alaska Goldpanners rallied for an 8-6 Alaska League baseball victory over the Hawaii Island Movers last night at Rainbow Stadium.
COMBINED NO-HITTER FOR AIEA: Kurt Murata, Brian Lee and Robert Shimabukuru combined to pitch a seven-inning no-hitter as Aiea trimmed Kahaluu, 11-0, in yesterday's opening game of the Big League State Baseball Tournament at Barbers Point.
Hilo beat Maui, 5-1, behind the strong pitching of Shelby Aburaman.
HAWAII GIRLS 2-3 IN LAS VEGAS: The FILA Hawaii Select basketball team split two games yesterday in Las Vegas to finish The Blue Star Girls Championship with a 2-3 record.
Robynn Afe scored 14 points to lead Hawaii past the Colorado Hoopsters, 47-45. Afe also had 14 as the Philadelphia Belles beat Hawaii, 89-59.
In the Adidas Boys Championship, also at Las Vegas, the Mississippi All-Stars beat FILA Hawaii Select, 73-59, despite Julian Sensley's 19 points.
The Hawaii boys finished pool play at 0-3 and went into the consolation bracket.
ARENA FOR AL NOGA: Lineman Al Noga, the former University of Hawaii All-American who went on to play for Minnesota in the NFL, was activated yesterday by the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena Football League.
KOP AT QUARTERBACK CLUB: Brandan Kop, winner of this year's Manoa Cup, will be one of three guest speakers at the Honolulu Quarterback Club luncheon Monday at the Pagoda Hotel.
Joining Kop will be Dae Sung Lee, director of the USA Tae Kwon Do Association, and Henry Ayau, who will talk on canoe paddling.
Lunch is at 11:30 a.m. and the program starts at noon. The public is invited.
FREAS NEW UH SWIM COACH: Dr. Sam Freas has been appointed head swimming coach at the University of Hawaii, with the approval of the UH Board of Regents.
Freas will leave his post as president of the International Swimming Hall of Fame to succeed Scott Hardman as coach of the UH men's and women's teams. He is now coaching the U.S. team in the Goodwill Games at New York.
The 52-year-old native of Philadelphia has had outstanding coaching records at Arkansas, LSU and Kenyon College, tutoring 25 Olympians and 165 All-Americans along the way.
COACHES NEEDED: Assets School, a member of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, is in need of a boys junior varsity bowling coach and a boys intermediate basketball coaches. If interested, contact athletic director Bill Villa at 423-1356.
KAILUA NIGHT DOUBLES: The entry deadline is Monday for the Kailua Racquet Club's 28th Night Doubles Tennis Tournament, to run from July 26 through Aug. 8 with 48 teams of top professional and amateur players from Hawaii competing for a $5,000 purse.
Qualifying matches are scheduled for July 26-31, with the main draw to begin on Aug. 2. There will be matches at 6 and 7:30 each evening. The final is set for 6 p.m., Aug. 8.
HILO HOOPS SCHOOL BACK ON: The University of Hawaii at Hilo has reinstated its Vulcan Basketball School, to be held the week of July 27-31.
The camp was called off last month when UH-Hilo head coach Jim Forkum resigned.
There will be afternoon and evening clinics and evening games. The cost is $35.
For more information, call 1-808-974-7520.
MAUI BASKETBALL MATCHUPS: Host Chaminade will take on Syracuse in the 9 a.m. opening game of the 15th annual Maui Invitational Preseason Basketball Tournament on Monday, Nov. 23, at Lahaina Civic Center.
After the opener, Clemson plays Michigan at 11 a.m., Indiana goes against Kansas State at 4:30 p.m. and Utah meets Arizona State at 7 p.m.
ESPN and/or ESPN2 will televise three of the first-round games, both Tuesday semifinals and the Wednesday title game.
TOP YACHTS IN KENWOOD CUP: Five national teams and 32 of the Pacific Basin's top international offshore racing yachts will sail in the 11th running of the Royal Hawaiian Ocean Racing Club's biennial competition for the Kenwood Cup starting on Aug. 3.
The event consists of four ocean triangles and four windward-leeward courses off Waikiki, a Honolulu-to-Maui event and a longer race from Oahu to Maui and Kauai.
HOOTERS FISH FEST: The Hooters Big Game Fishing Tournament is scheduled for Aug. 14-15, starting at 6 a.m. each day, off Keehi Small Boat Harbor, with a $40,000 prize for the biggest fish over two days.
Other prizes include $10,000 per day for the most total weight and $1,000 per day for each qualifying fish (ahi, marlin, mahi mahi, ono).
Weigh-ins will be at Hooters Restaurant in the Aloha Tower Marketplace.
Entry fees are $475 per team until July 31, $525 thereafter.
The captains' meeting will be at 7 p.m., Aug. 12, at Hooters.
For entry forms and more information, call Lori Young at 524-4668 or visit the Hooters website at http://www.hootershawaii.com.
The Kaneohe Community Family Center is looking for 40 golfers to play 100 or more holes in its Aug. 14 Golf Marathon at Bay View Golf Park.
The dawn-to-dusk event will raise funds for the family center through per-hole pledges by the participants. Each golfer or fundraising partner who raises at least $2,500 will get a three-day stay at one of 18 U.S. and Canadian vacation destinations.
For more information, call 235-7747.
BASEBALL MEETING: Baseball players interested in playing for the University of Hawaii team are invited to an Aug. 26 meeting at 3:30 p.m. at Rainbow Stadium. They must be full-time registered students at the UH-Manoa campus.
For more information, call the baseball office, 956-6247, before Aug. 19.
WOMEN'S PRO BILLIARDS MEET: The Women's Professional Billiards Association's Honolulu Classic will be contested Nov. 5-8 at Hawaiian Brian's Billiards, 1680 Kapiolani Blvd.
Top pros expected to play include national champion Allison Fisher, the winner in 1996, when the tournament was last held, Jeanette "The Black Widow" Lee; Jennifer Chen, Gerda Hostatter, Ewa Laurance and Loree Jon Jones.
STUMPF GIRLS' 18's COACH: Richard Stumpf, director of tennis for the Orchid at Mauna Lani resort, has been named coach of the USTA-Hawaii Girls' 18's National Intersectional team that will compete Aug. 4-7 at the Marin Tennis Club in San Fafael, Calif.
Members of the Hawaii team are Jodie Sato and Erin Hoe of Mililani, Charyl Watanabe of Honolulu, Lauren Atitake of Wailuku, Maui, and Jodi Nagata of Pearl City.
See expanded coverage in Saturday's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
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