THIS and that to chew on over lunch: Think big by
accentuating the
positivePositive thinking is a powerful tool, whether you are trying to run that first mile of a new fitness program or trying to stage a major sporting event, the likes of which isn't often seen in these parts.
Without it, how do you take the first step, let alone reach your goals?
When I heard there was going to be a big-time auto race in Hawaii this year, I admit I was selfishly enthusiastic. After all, the forthcoming Hawaiian Super Prix will give this section another premiere event to cover, which means our customers will turn to the sports pages.
It's not surprising, I've found, that the more people actually know about the Super Prix, the more optimistic they are about the race, the details of which will be announced at a press conference in Waikiki tomorrow.
Chris McEvoy is a representative for Frontier Insurance Group's bond department in Nashville, Tenn. He underwrote the performance bond for the Super Prix, which will be run at Barbers Point in November.
"I put my paper out there (to the race's sanctioning body), guaranteeing the event will take place," McEvoy said yesterday. "So, I'm committed."
McEvoy said he worked closely with David Grayson, president of the Super Prix, in putting the bond deal together.
"They've got a good team," McEvoy said. "I think it's going to be a successful race. I'm very confident I signed up with the right people."
Russ Francis is the sports liaison for the Hawaii Tourism Authority. It's his job to shed positive light on sporting events that come to the islands. But it's also his job to sort out bogus proposals from those with merit.
The Super Prix group, Francis has told me on a number of occasions, has answered every concern, met every criterion and has the right stuff to run an internationally recognized event that should put Hawaii squarely on the auto racing map.
Others I've talked to in state and city government, including City & County Council Chairman Mufi Hannemann, have been equally positive.
Francis emphasizes that race co-founder Richard Rutherford has not asked the state to help fund this race.
That's about as low-risk as you can get. On the surface and beneath, it seems this is a winning proposition for racing fans, and for the state.
At the risk of sounding a bit like former Rainbow football coach Bob Wagner, that's a positive.
Rainbow fans who like to talk sports -- or listen to those who do -- will have to change their radio habits a bit, come Monday.
Bobby Curran's "Rainbow Sports Page" on KCCN 1420-AM will move from its 3 p.m. time slot to 6 a.m.
That's a tough slot, going against Perry & Price and Rick Hamada.
But Curran said the move will give him a better opportunity to have local and national guests on the show, which should make it an even better product.
Not all local boys who make it in pro football play at Division I universities.
Vince Mene is a 1992 graduate of McKinley High School. He played two seasons of junior college ball before moving on to Division II Henderson State in Arkansas.
Mene will take his first shot at pro ball this weekend when he attends a minicamp run by the Houston Outlaws of the upstart Regional Football League.
Mene said he should find out by next week if the Outlaws are willing to sign him to a contract.
He said the league pays a minimum of $30,000 a season, but that his agent might be able to negotiate for more. It's not the NFL yet, but you have to start somewhere.
Think positive, Vince.
