Roosevelt to get
new scoreboard

The Roosevelt High School football stadium will have a new scoreboard in place by either next season or 2006, thanks to a $20,000 private donation.

Hawaii High School Athletic Association executive director Keith Amemiya and his wife, Bonny, decided to make the donation because Roosevelt's field is used by many different football and soccer teams, Keith Amemiya said.

"It's the home football field for Roosevelt, McKinley and Farrington. We live and work in Roosevelt's district, so we also have a personal stake. Now, more than ever, our public schools need the support of the entire community," Keith Amemiya said. "The days of relying on state government to totally support our public schools are over."

The Amemiyas are also donating $5,000 to the University of Hawaii athletic department to go toward last year's bowl-game bonuses the football assistant coaches never received. That donation is on the heels of a $5,000 gift from the Ed Wong Foundation for the same purpose.

"A lot of times the assistant coaches' efforts slip under the radar. Like Mrs. (Rie) Wong (Ed Wong's widow), we feel they deserve credit and recognition for the team's success," Amemiya said. "Also, most of the coaches have had long-time ties with our high school football programs. We appreciate what they've done for Hawaii high school football."

Last year, the Amemiyas donated $20,000 to the HHSAA to offset travel costs for girls basketball and softball state tournaments, and also pledged to personally make up for any financial losses the HHSAA's first Division II football tournament might incur (there were none).

Amemiya said he has "mixed feelings" about their donations being made public.

"Others have been much more generous, and we don't want people to think we're rich," he said. "But if it encourages others to assist, it's for the better. I sympathize with the UH athletic department because the HHSAA faces similar financial challenges as do they. We support the efforts of Herman Frazier and his staff."

Around $80,000 would cover all of last year's bonuses, which the coaches were to receive for their work in preparing the Warriors for the 2003 Hawaii Bowl. They did get bonuses for the 2002 Hawaii Bowl.

UH plays in its third-consecutive Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24 when it meets Alabama-Birmingham at Aloha Stadium.