Posted on: Monday, April 16, 2001
State tournaments could feel effects of strike
By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer
If the statewide public school teachers' strike lingers into next month, eight state high-school championship tournaments could be threatened, a top official said yesterday.
"If the strike goes into May, there is going to be talk about canceling all the state tournaments," said Keith Amemiya, executive director of the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association. "You can already you see the red flags."
In some cases, venues where the championships are scheduled would not be available at later dates. And wholesale postponements would conflict with final examinations and graduation ceremonies, he explained.
Golf tournaments, set for May 2-4 for girls and May 9-11 for boys, both on Maui, were scheduled a year in advance in order to secure courses. "The courses have already made big sacrifices in reserving three days for each tournament," Amemiya said.
Boys and girls tennis championships are scheduled for May 10-12 on Kaua'i.
Boys and girls track and field championships are set for May 10 and 12 on Maui.
The girls basketball tournament is scheduled for May 15-18 at Stan Sheriff Center and baseball for May 16-19 at Aloha Stadium.
Most spring sports were less than halfway through their seasons when the strike started April 5. The only team to secure a state berth so far is Baldwin's girls basketball team.
Aloha Stadium would not be available for baseball May 26 because Mililani High's graduation is scheduled there. Unless the ceremony was held between games. Mililani is one of the leading contenders in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association.
'Aiea, the OIA West's only unbeaten team before the strike, also graduates that night.
Rainbow Stadium at University of Hawai'i is unavailable the last weekend in May because the Special Olympics will be held there.
"The facilities are secondary. The big thing is for the kids to get the opportunity to play," said Roy Fujimoto, executive secretary of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation. "We can find a place (for baseball and girls basketball) if they need one," he said.
But moving a tournament off O'ahu at the last minute causes other problems, Amemiya pointed out. "The 14 teams from O'ahu that go to the girls basketball and baseball tournaments were not expecting to travel. They would have to come up with the funds."
None of the league or state executives appear to favor going past graduations into June to complete championships. "People may already have plans for June — travel, summer school or summer jobs," Amemiya said, "and legal issues need to be clarified, such as whether our catastrophic insurance applies to graduated seniors.
"We want to preserve as many state championships as possible, under the current schedule . . . but if push comes to shove and we have to hold several state tournaments over one weekend, that is a possibility. I hope it doesn't come to that," he said.
The final decision on postponing or canceling or moving tournaments would be made by the executive board of the association, which is made up of a principal from each of the state's five leagues.
Teachers in the private-school Interscholastic League of Honolulu are not on strike, but executive secretary Clay Benham said the ILH does not want to be in a state championship by itself, without the public schools.
Since the HHSAA was founded in 1956, no state championship event has ever been canceled.
