FL MORRIS / FMORRIS @STARBULLETIN.COM
Zack Fonoimoana, a member of the Kahuku High School surf club, gets some air while surfing at Alii Beach Park in May. A Board of Education committee met yesterday, discussing whether surfing should be a sanctioned sport in public schools.
BOE considers
cost of surfingA committee estimates
that establishing it as a sport
could carry a $2.6 million price tag
If surfing were to become a sanctioned sport in Hawaii's public schools, the cash-strapped Department of Education estimates it would cost between $1.2 million and $2.67 million for one season.
But surfing advocates who showed up at a Board of Education committee meeting yesterday said the department's estimate is inflated.
"It's almost laughable what they've come up with," said Kim Ball, a Maui surf contest organizer, adding that "$2.5 million is probably bigger than the budget for the whole Triple Crown (of Surfing professional competition)."
The board's Student Services Committee is considering whether to recommend a policy on surfing and whether surfing should be sanctioned as an official school sport. Currently, student surfers can belong to surfing clubs, but they cannot wear their school colors or use the school's name when they surf in competitions.
No decision was reached yesterday. Chairman Sherwood Hara said his committee will accept written testimony until a Sept. 16 hearing, when it will take up the issue again.
At yesterday's meeting, Oahu Interscholastic Association Executive Secretary Dwight Toyama said at least eight coaches -- a coach and assistant coach for boys, girls, junior varsity girls and junior varsity boys teams -- plus a lifeguard are needed at each practice for safety reasons.
The department estimates the cost could be as high as $2.67 million per season if lifeguards with Jet Skis are needed for every meet and practice.
Toyama said the same level of safety is needed at both practices and meets. He estimates the cost of the lifeguards at six practice days a week for a 12-week season for 44 public high schools and for six surf meets to be about $170,000 without Jet Skis and $1.6 million with Jet Skis. The cost of the coaches would be about $467,000.
Toyama said the schools have an obligation to provide equipment for those who do not have surfboards and estimates buying 24 surfboards, uniforms, wax and leashes for all public high schools at a cost of $475,000. The cost of transportation is estimated at about $118,000.
Linda Robb, the former Hawaii director for the National Scholastic Surfing Association, said currently, coaches at unofficial surf clubs at public schools are not paid and that the association is able to find corporate sponsors to cover the costs of the high school and middle school surf meets that it holds.
She said most student surfers have their own equipment, and she believes other equipment can be donated.
Board members Sharon Ajifu and Herbert Watanabe raised concerns about adding a sport at a time the board is considering budget cuts to athletics.
The Lingle administration recently told the department to prepare for up to $20 million in budget cuts for the current fiscal year.
The department officials and other board members are also concerned about liability.
"We only had a handful of lawsuits over playground equipment, but it was enough to close playgrounds," said board member Karen Knudsen.
Iris Gonzales, the surf club coach at Kahuku High School, told the committee that it is not uncommon for scholastic surf meets to be postponed because conditions are not safe and that sanctioning surfing would mean students would get training in safety.
Gonzales said that if nothing else, the board should allow student surf clubs to be recognized by the school.
