Oahu Interscholastic Association principals said this week they doubt the soundness of a plan by league referees to do just that. They say they will discuss it when they meet Aug. 26.
OIA president Norman Minehira, principal of Leilehua High School, said the issue is not yet on the agenda, but it's likely to be taken up.
At the annual preseason meeting of OIA football coaches Aug. 5, OIA chief of referees Roy Chong said his officials will enforce the no-swearing rule across the board this season. He said that OIA executive secretary Ted Fukushima had urged that the unsportsmanlike conduct rule be thoroughly enforced.
Chong said that included a player castigating himself with a swear word.
There seems to be no opposition to levying 15-yard penalties against teams whose coaches swear at referees or their players, or whose players swear at referees or at each other.
But principals seem leery about penalizing self-castigation.
"I think we're moving into an area that might be indefensible," said Aiea High principal Gary Griffiths. "I think that sometimes in an effort to teach good sportsmanship, we might be overzealous. I agree kids shouldn't taunt each other or swear at each other or the referee. But if a kid misses a play, or a pass and says something under his breath, I wonder if we're not taking the game away from the kids and changing the whole reason we're supposed to be there."
Kahuku principal Lea Albert said she's anxious to talk about it.
"I think it will be discussed because it's an interesting question," she said.
"I kind of empathize with the refs because how will they distinguish between a player castigating himself and swearing at another player?"
Kaiser principal Gail Sugita said she'd like to hear what her fellow principals have to say about the rule.
"I'd like more clarification about this rule," said Sugita. "Frankly, I'd like to see eliminating profanity as a goal for every athletic program on campus. But I'd like to see how they're going to enforce this. Will the games go on until midnight because each call will be challenged? And how good is the hearing of each ref?"
Sugita also wondered how the referees will detect infractions when some players cuss in a second language.
"I'm not in favor of swearing but it will be difficult to enforce something like this across the board," said Farrington principal Catherine Payne. "How can you be consistent? Sometimes a word of caution to a player is all it takes."
Spencer was an assistant to Hallums for two seasons and had also helped coach junior varsity basketball at Iolani.
He played on the 1983 Iolani state championship basketball team that defeated Leilehua in the title game.
Buzz Vaspar has been named girls' varsity basketball head coach at Leilehua.
Vaspar, who was the junior varsity head coach, is a teacher at Highlands Intermediate.