Strong athletics program
helps energize campus life

Songs from the heart

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By Kyle Galdeira
Kamehameha Schools

A combination of hard work, dedication and talent is required to run one of the largest athletic programs in the country. Kamehameha Schools has found the recipe for success and manages to produce winners both on the field and in the classroom.

"The ultimate goal for (the Athletics Department) at Kamehameha is to assist and develop, through participation in (sports), the overall growth and development of our young people," said co-athletic director Blane Gaison. "We want them to take the lessons learned on the field, the court, the gym and be able to carry that over into the classroom, at home and in their personal life."

Kamehameha offers 39 sports and fielded 115 athletic teams during the 2001-2002 year. The Athletic Department has 22 full-time employees and 240 coaches who are temporary hires, fewer than 20 of whom are Kamehameha teachers, according to Athletics Department secretary Dede Clark.

"Our school has a long tradition of having some great student athletes," Gaison said. "Having resources that support our programs and good coaches gives us an edge."

In addition to a large number of athletes, Kamehameha also has numerous athletic venues in which to train and compete. On the 600-acre campus, there are three multifunctional gymnasiums, two weight rooms, two football and soccer fields, one baseball and softball field, an Olympic-size pool and the newly opened Kunuiakea Stadium, which has a practice field and a regulation track.

"The facilities at Kamehameha are top notch, the best in the state," said Chris Blake, a former girls volleyball coach for the Warriors who is now a physics teacher at the school. "There is lots of gym space for all the different teams, and everything is always well maintained."

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