Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Changing Hawaii
SEPTEMBER signals the start of a significant season. No, not the official school year or the 2000 Olympics, but the University of Hawaii football and women's volleyball games. Sizing up
new identity wear
for universityAs an avid fan of both sports, I take great pains to dress appropriately for every home contest. The most important decision a true-green fan can make -- second only to the tailgating menu or snackbar purchase -- is what to wear while cheering on UH.
So, it was with great anticipation that I joined hundreds of university administrators, athletes, boosters and press people for the unveiling of the new UH logo at the Stan Sheriff Center this past Wednesday.
It was quite a show. First, disco-like spotlights and strobes danced about the darkened arena while a live rock band played. Then, a traditional Hawaiian chanter and two malo-clad male dancers emerged from a cloud of dry-ice smoke.
Next came a highlight film, beamed on the massive overhead scoreboard, featuring last season's most exciting catches, spikes, baskets and tag-outs in major UH sports.
Finally, the big moment. Get ready, folks! Confetti was thrown, tarps were removed and there it was -- ta, daa.
Ladies and gentlemen, the new UH logo.
Goodbye, multi-colored rainbow. Hello, H. More specifically, hello dark-green, block-letter H with Hawaiian kapa design down the sides.
The audience applauded appreciatively, especially for Kauai-born designer Kurt Osaki of Berkeley, Calif., then watched a fashion show of UH athletes and coaches modeling the latest in uniforms and sports attire. They looked mah-ve-lous.
After pep talks from head football Coach June Jones, assistant women's volleyball Coach Charlie Wade and Athletic Director Hugh Yoshida, the crowd really got hyped up because -- yee hah! -- it was time to eat.
Like herded cattle, we made our way through the buffet lines and piled plates high with meatballs, deep-fried chicken and healthy fruits and vegetables. Then we mulled over what we REALLY thought of the new logo, as well as the official name shift of the gridiron team from Rainbows to Warriors.
BOTH changes were initially disconcerting. The rainbow -- and the Rainbows -- have been part of the fabric of island life for decades. They were unique, upbeat and undeniably appropriate symbols of the beauty that can come after a storm (like being 9-4 in football after an 0-12 year), and representative of the main campus being located in misty Manoa Valley.
But, hey, if the professionals in charge say it's going to 1) be more distinctive, 2) sell lots of T-shirts, baseball caps and jackets and 3) generate more money for all UH sports and the entire UH system, more power to it. You go, new logo.
Personally, I couldn't decide whether to be a fan of the redesign or not, until meeting UH women volleyball players Lily Kahumoku, Jessica Sudduth and Veronica Lima. They were munching on pupus, mingling with the throng at the reception and wearing their brand-new, H-powered, freshly minted athletic apparel.
They are such friendly, well-mannered and conscientious young women, such excellent representatives of the UH family of athletes.
Mother was right, I guess. It's not what's outside that counts, but what's on the inside. Which means the most important thing isn't the logo on the clothes but the people wearing 'em. We've got the best.
Readers react to the new logo:
Day 1 | Day 2
Diane Yukihiro Chang's column runs Monday and Friday.
She can be reached by phone at 525-8607, via e-mail at
dchang@starbulletin.com, or by fax at 523-7863.