Saturday, April 25, 2015

Punahou Relays 2015

I spent most of the day assisting with the officiating of the long and triple jump events at the Punahou Relays. The track season started in Feb 16th and has 3 weeks before it wraps up with the Hawaii State Finals on The Big Island.

The jump events involve "running the boards" (briefing the competitors, calling out the names, calling the fouls, measuring and recording the jumps), marking the jumps and raking to smooth out the pit.

Pictured below is Paul Nuha (Iolani Class  '56) who volunteered from week to week to mark the jumps. Also in the picture is his granddaughter, Kelly, one of the qualifying jumpers, from the Iolani Class of '16.



Being an  Iolani alumnus, I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a photo shoot with some of the Iolani coaches and qualifying jumpers. Pictured below are Rachel Dunn ('16), Chrislyn DeMattos ('15) and Kelly Watanabe ('16).  The  long and triple jump coaches are Grant Muroda (Iolani '81) and Maureen Dunn-Anzai who in 1988 was the Hawaii state champion and record holder  in the triple jump when she was a student at Our Redeemer Lutheran.


It has been a wonderful experience working with the army of volunteers such as the coaches, the people who set up and take down the tents, computers and finish line cameras, the officials, the people who organize the competitors before they go onto the track, the volunteers who assist at the finish line,  volunteers who set up and take down the hurdles, and  the volunteers who work the field events (horizontal jumps, high jump, pole vault, discuss and shot put).

Watching the running events has certainly brought back old memories when I was a miler in the late '50 struggling to keep from being the first runner lapped or struggling to keep from finishing last.
I can certainly identify with those runners bringing up the rear in their events.

I take pride in being the 2d fastest marathoner out of Iolani with a time of 2:47:01 in the Honolulu Marathon in 1979. The only problem was that I was 20 years too late. Well, what are you going to do?

My goal now is to try to shuffle 2 miles in 40  minutes,  five days a week .  The knees are rusty and the hips are stiff. After a 90 minute movie, I'm often the last one to leave the theatre....I wait until ever one has left so that no one will see me hobbling out of the theatre.

Our classmates who are fit, flexible and agile are not the guys who ran high milage or participated in old man  (over 35) soccer. Now, our fit and flexible classmates are the guys who participate in ball room dancing....Mike Uechi, Mike Chun and Elliott Chun readily come to mind. And of course there's Francis Wong, our super senior tennis player who has made it to a national  senior quarter finals as noted in an earlier post. You have to be fit and agile to do what he does.




Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Mike Uechi '61....Sounding off on Rail

In case you missed this mornings Star-Adveriser 3-31-15

http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20150331__CITIZENS_SOUND_OFF_AGAINST_RAIL.html?id=298106881

At the town hall meeting Monday, Aiea resident Mike Uechi expressed skepticism that a 2008 referendum vote reflected popular support for the rail project. “You say that we voted on this project … (but) the people didn’t have a chance to vote on the alternative,” he said when his turn at the microphone came.



Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Super Fit Seniors

Francis Wong ('61), Walter Fo ('64) and  Cary Ono ('63) brother of Miles Ono (61), are on the team Cataract & Vision Center of Hawaii that competed on March 2015 in the United States Tennis Association Nationals Tournament in Surprise, Arizona.

The team competed against teams whose players are 65 years old and over at the 7.0 (intermediate) level of skill. The team did quite well, placing second in its Division. Cataract and Vision Center represented the Hawaii Pacific Section.  Teams from 15 other Sections, such as Midwest, New England, California, and Southwest, also sent teams. One more individual match win and the team would have made the Final Four. The team is looking forward to next years competition.




Tuesday, March 10, 2015

The Archives


Hey Guys.....if you're able to visit the Iolani campus, be sure to check out  The Archives Room at The Sullivan Center  that was gifted to Iolani School By Ken Lee '61 and his wife Jennifer Lee. Ken and Jennifer  continue to step up and support Iolani School with their 
generous contributions.