HAVE you had enough of Fuzzy Footinhismouth? Tired of Dennis Rodman, the self-absorbed freak who now wants to be known as "Orgasm"? Does ice skating still bring to mind Oksuna Baiul's driving habits or the general trashiness of Tonya Harding? These three epitomize
sportsmanshipCome, then. Let's take a break from all that mess.
Meet some good people in golf, basketball and ice skating.
We're lucky they live in Hawaii.
First let's visit with Mark Kalilikane, a guy whose friends laughed at him when he said he was going to become a golf professional when he took up the game in his 20s.
Having achieved his dream, now he's giving kids the chance to learn and play golf year round through his Golf Team Hawaii program set to kick off July 1.
"All the kids will be certified, and all the parents who want to help coach will also be certified," Kalilikane said. "That way we'll all be working off the same sheet of music."
Kalilikane said he is getting scholarship funding for needy kids through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and other social and civic groups.
He also has put $3,000 of his own into the project.
"I'm not really looking at making money, at least not right away," Kalilikane said. "I just noticed that a lot of kids playing high school golf weren't even gripping the clubs correctly and thought there was a major need for direction."
There are other junior golf programs that do a good job, but they're not year-round.
"They go five weeks or so," he said. "You just get the kids hungry for golf and then it's 'see you next year.' With this, we're gonna get them hungry and feed them."
Call 678-2777 for more information on Golf Team Hawaii.
MEET Michael Kai, organizer of this weekend's Windward Mall 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament.
Kai is a pastor at Hope Chapel in Kaneohe. As a leader in No Na Keiki O Kaneohe, a group that is attempting to raise $1 million over five years for Kaneohe's public schools, Kai decided last year to hold a tournament to bring in funds for this worthy cause.
The first event made $9,000, to be divided equally among the 10 public schools in Kaneohe. And with more teams entered and minus initial expenses, Kai is shooting for $15,000 this year.
Another positive about the Windward Mall 3-on-3 is the emphasis on sportsmanship. "We've seen how it can set the tone for the whole event," Kai said. "It's a big family event and the worst thing that can happen is profanity and violence in front of the very kids we're raising money to help. So we take steps to prevent that ahead of time."
Teams are still being registered until tomorrow. For information call 235-5814.
NOW say hello to Lt. Col. Terry Walters, the Skating Surgeon.
Walters isn't organizing a program or event. But she's showing lots of young athletes that an ice skater who lives and trains in Hawaii can succeed at high levels of competition. Who knows? She may be inspiring a future Olympian from here.
Walters recently returned from Lake Placid, N.Y., where she won the overall U.S. adult championship and successfully defended her age group title.
Walters is much more than a skater, however. She's also one of the first women to graduate from West Point, and will soon be the Division Surgeon of the 25th Infantry at Schofield Barracks -- making her the second woman in the history of the Army to hold such a post, which entails responsibility for the health of the entire unit.
I hope you enjoyed meeting these three truly outstanding people as much as I did. They are great ambassadors for their sports.
Dave Reardon is a magazine editor and freelance
writer who has covered Hawaii sports since 1977.
He can be reached via the Star-Bulletin or
by email at reardon@aloha.com.
Text Site Directory:
[News] [Business] [Features] [Sports] [Editorial] [Community]
[Info] [Letter to Editor] [Stylebook] [Feedback]
© 1997 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
http://archives.starbulletin.com
