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Sidelines Kalani Simpson |
Looking back at 1 more
year of sports highsANOTHER year. It's been three now, which is ridiculous, when you think about it. But it's true. We've passed another anniversary of my employment to write sports columns for the Star-Bulletin.
And the newness is fading, but the fun and highlights haven't stopped.
This year I've entered a coconut-throwing contest and asked the winner if it was her greatest moment in sports.
And gotten kick-returning tips from Dante Hall.
I've had a diver tell me, "Yeah, I do wear Speedos. I don't choose to, but it goes along with the territory."
I saw Damien's entire student body storm a football field to dance and sing and hug each other (and occasionally kiss Ranson DeCosta).
I was there when Michelle Wie made her charge and charmed the world, making 50-foot putts and working the interview room with equal ease.
I was part of a media horde that almost stampeded Kobe Bryant's security guy. I saw Shaq give an L.A. writer the wink and the gun. I heard him utter the immortal Shaq-ism that "no earthlings or group of earthlings can break me."
There was the night on the bus, in the locker room, on the sidelines, watching a team that hadn't won in years refusing to surrender to the pain of loss, when it dawned on me that I was with the toughest team in the state.
I went out on a boat to find the "real story" of Interscholastic League of Honolulu sailing, and one parent said, "Tell him what's happening now," and another countered with, "I haven't quite figured out yet myself."
I heard the great Les Keiter recount Jesse Owens' tears, and had an Olympic gold medal-winner tell me the other side of the tale.
Took a whirlwind tour (made slightly less whirlwind by dragging detours through Oahu traffic, oh, and also by stepping in gum) of four high school championship events in one day.
Sat with Nigerian Nightmare Christian Okoye while he looked out over beautiful Waikiki and said that getting hit hurts and all kids are good.
Watched a redheaded backup beat Alabama, and you could see it in his eyes afterward, it was the greatest night of his life.
I pulled off the writer's double -- one reader e-mailed in that a column I did about the run-and-shoot offense being filled with success stories of underdog QBs was one of the more fun things he'd read. And another called the very same story yet another example of "something negative."
My favorite letter all year was when a child and adolescent psychologist wrote in to say that despite my objections to the Wie saga, "doing her homework in the car" is really not such a bad thing for a kid. I loved that of all the people who have called me an idiot, this person was actually academically qualified to do so.
And I watched the UH swim team deal with agonizing loss, only to come back a few days later with an emotional effort that made you feel all the good things about sports.
There was more, of course. And not all good. But that's what I'm looking for. That's what I want to remember. The emotional efforts, the fun stuff, all the good things about sports.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com