Surf and turf entertain

Isle fans party as the Giants play spoilers

From where Ruth Zabelle watched Super Bowl XLII, she could see a cluster of swimmers playing in the ocean less than 100 feet away.

"It's wonderful," said Zabelle, who was attending an outdoor Super Bowl party behind the Fort DeRussy racquetball courts. "Everybody gets to enjoy it."

Locals and tourists gathered in Waikiki to catch the matchup between the New York Giants and New England Patriots, which was expected to be the most-watched Super Bowl in the National Football League's 42-year championship game history.

The Waikiki beachside party was the fourth consecutive Super Bowl party by "Big" Rod Felton, a regular at the racquetball courts despite his 6-foot-5-inch, 360-pound frame.

Felton woke up at 4 a.m. yesterday to begin preparations and said most of the people in attendance were friends with the World Outdoor Racquetball organization, which is holding its annual Waikiki tournament this weekend.

"It couldn't get any better," Felton said, "to come down and play the game we play ... and to watch the Super Bowl on the beach."

He continued, "If there's a better party, I want somebody to show me."

More than 25 people sat on folding chairs or at concrete tables under a shaded terrace by the sand, watching a 36-inch Panasonic TV or a smaller one. They cooked chicken, pork ribs, hot dogs and hamburgers on the beach grill.

Huntington Beach resident Son Nguyen, 36, joined the party as a tournament contestant, but he was busier watching his three sons on the beach than the game.

Still, he added, "Big Rod puts on a good show. He does everything big. He's a showman."

A short walk away, hundreds of people jammed into Yard House restaurant at Waikiki Beach Walk for the game.

Patrons surrounded the bar, with 110 kinds of beer on tap, and watched the game on the restaurant's 17 flat-screen televisions.

Restaurant manager Jeni Nikoletich said that by noon some 400 people filled the establishment for the 1:17 p.m. kickoff.

New York City resident Andrew Jacoby wore his running shoes because he knew he would be one of those left standing. He watched the game near the bar and appeared to enjoy himself.

"It's a great season for New York," said Jacoby, who came to Hawaii for business. "The team is electric."

Also in the crowd was Jenny Grier, an Army lieutenant who recently returned from Iraq. Grier, a Mililani resident, and her friends chose the restaurant for its big and numerous TVs.

She arrived at 11 a.m. to get a table but was standing by the second half to give her backside a rest.

"The best thing about it, you can actually see the commercials here," she said. "When you're deployed, there's no commercials."