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Monday
Evening QB
WHEN you're a top-notch high school track and field athlete in Hawaii, there's only one good reason for missing the Punahou Relays -- and even getting ready for the prom is a pretty sketchy excuse. Vandalism gives
preps black eyeBut it's a much better one than being suspended for sneaking onto a rival campus and vandalizing it.
And it's pretty embarrassing that the top two boys' tennis players in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu double-forfeited their league championship match for alleged involvement in the same incident.
While details are still sketchy about what exactly happened on Easter Sunday, 12 Punahou track and field and tennis athletes allegedly defaced athletic facilities at Iolani.
I've spoken with several Punahou alumni over the weekend. All of them were athletes or involved with athletics as students. Some are now coaches and officials. All are bewildered.
I'm disappointed. Not in Punahou (it could have been any school). Not in the specific individuals involved (I've never met any of them personally). But I'm bummed that things like this still happen in high school sports after so much progress.
IT seems we've come so far in recent years. Coaches and officials have put extra emphasis on sportsmanship over the past 15 years or so, and the results are quite visible.
The vast majority of prep athletes now display respect not only for their own teammates and coaches, but for their opponents, too.
On Thursday night I covered two girls' high school basketball playoff games at Nanakuli.
In one, Kahuku and Pearl City battled in a rough-and-tumble double-overtime game, which would be the last of the season for the losing team.
The fouls were hard and many, but no one lost their temper. People helped each other up, regardless of jersey color. Several Kahuku players fouled out, but when they did they ran over and shook the Pearl City coach's hand -- with sincerity -- before returning to their bench.
To think that the last time I covered a Kahuku-Pearl City story, it had to do with a bus stoning after a football game more than 10 years ago.
I bring that up not to open old wounds, but to make a point about the more recent Punahou-Iolani incident.
LIKE Kahuku and Pearl City did then, hopefully Punahou and Iolani will start the healing process quickly. I'm certain most of the Buffanblu and Raider athletes and other students respect each other. Everyone knows they have a lot of positive common ground.
Punahou and Iolani athletic directors Tom Holden and Carl Schroers offered no official comments when contacted last night. But Holden did say decisions would be made early this week regarding punishment.
One rumor is that the offending student-athletes will be expelled. Presumably, they could also be charged and prosecuted by the criminal justice system.
Sounds harsh, but destruction of property is serious.
Still, it's important to remember the vandalism didn't happen in a vacuum. Leading up to it, teams in various sports representing the schools played each other in several tense competitions. Seemingly trivial words, posters and actions from both sides escalated to the Easter incident.
The challenge for all involved -- which is all who care about high school sports in Hawaii -- is to put this behind us quickly -- but not before learning from it.
Dave Reardon, who covered sports in Hawaii from 1977 to 1998,
moved to the the Gainesville Sun, then returned to
the Star-Bulletin in Jan. 2000.
E-mail dreardon@starbulletin.com