Hula Bowl considers
move back

As Maui waits, the game’s
president eyes Aloha Stadium

The president of Hula Bowl Maui, Mark Salmans, met with Aloha Stadium officials and examined the facility last week, a possible pre-cursor to moving the game back to Oahu.

"Mark did make a courtesy call to the stadium and had a very preliminary meeting (with stadium manager Eddie Hayashi)," stadium spokesman Patrick Leonard said. "He wanted to tour the stadium."

About seven months before its 60th edition, the Hula Bowl's future remains unclear.

Will its owners keep it on Maui, move it back to Oahu or even to the mainland? Or will the 2006 game be played at all?

Dick Schaller, who gives up his 10 percent ownership July 1, said "I don't know."

"It hasn't been decided. They've been talking to people on Oahu and are certainly looking into possibilities," Schaller said.

"They" are CEO Kenny Hansmire of Dallas and Kansas residents Salmans and his wife, vice president Mindy Salmans.

When contacted by phone by the Star-Bulletin on Tuesday, Hansmire agreed to an interview Wednesday. He did not answer his phone at the agreed time and did not return repeated voice mail messages yesterday and Wednesday.

Salmans did not return phone messages yesterday, and several calls to the Hula Bowl office on Maui went unanswered.

Schaller said Salmans was on Maui last week to make arrangements for the 2006 game, but he doesn't know what was done.

A key Maui government official said he is also unclear about the game's status.

"I know there was some discussion this past week, but we haven't received (a proposal for next year's game) yet," Maui County managing director Keith Regan said. "We haven't heard anything. We're kind of waiting. The county supports the game. I know the parks department has gone out of its way to provide all of the requirements to put the game out there. A lot of things have been done to improve the experience for the players, tourists and our local fans. We've worked with (the owners) closely. We see the value of the game."

Lenny and Marcia Klompus -- who moved the Hula Bowl from Oahu to Maui in 1997 -- sold the game to Schaller after the 2002 event. In 2003 and 2004, the Hula Bowl lost $400,000.

During the week before this year's game, Hansmire said the 2005 event was already close to breaking even. The game drew fewer than 8,000 fans despite the presence of two Hawaii stars expected to be drawing cards, record-setting quarterback Tim Chang and second-team All-American Chad Owens. Still, Hansmire said he expected the game would return to Maui in 2006, but stopped short of guaranteeing it.

Late in 2004 the Salmans and Hansmire group bought the game, and secured a five-year, $2.5 million sponsorship agreement with Credit Unions of America. Credit Unions of America officials were unavailable for comment yesterday.

The game is shown annually on ESPN, and the network is contracted to show the next three Hula Bowls.

If the 2006 game is going to be played on Maui, coordination with the county is necessary, Regan said. But he added that officials "scrambled" last year to help the new ownership.

"There is a licensing agreement and various permits to take care of," Regan said. "We've worked with them in the past. Last year's sale was close to the game, so we had to rush some things at the last moment. I'm hoping we won't have to go through that this year."