Youth soccer to reach feverish pitch in Hawai'i

By Leila Wai
Special to The Advertiser

Soccer fever isn't over yet.

Kazuya Lathrop, left, and Gavin Sugita — both on Diamond Head region teams — practice for the nationals. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

Following the excitement of the World Cup, 3,000 or so ball-kicking, uniform-clad youngsters will be strapping on shinguards and tying laces at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Complex in Waipahu this week.

"We get to play people from different places, and there is more competition," said 15-year-old Reid Arakaki, a member of an under-16 boys team from Diamond Head. "Over here we keep playing against the same people, now we get to face someone different."

The festivities begin Tuesday with Opening Day ceremonies. Games, in pool-play format, will run from Thursday through next Sunday.

Teams from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawai'i, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah will compete.

"It allows Hawai'i to showcase the aloha spirit and let visitors enjoy the scenery and people and the things that make Hawai'i great," said Max Sword, AYSO National Games chair. "People are really looking forward to coming to Hawai'i. We are inviting them to share in the warmth of the people here."

Good exposure

The games also expose players from Hawai'i to players from across the nation, allowing youngsters to compare and evaluate their own skills against one another.

"It's pretty exciting," said Micah Kikuta, 16, a teammate of Arakaki. "I don't know what to expect. This tournament will let me compare my soccer playing ability with the best of the best."

For many — like Arakaki and Kikuta — this will be their first National Games.

"I think it is a great experience for them," said Roy Takekawa, coach of an under-16 girls team from Kailua.

"You get to interact and meet teams from all other parts of the country," he said. "I think it is good for the local kids to see how soccer is played elsewhere and how they measure up to other teams. A lot of these kids won't get to travel. This is a pretty big opportunity for them."

Takekawa is no stranger to the games. He coached an under-12 team that traveled to Michigan in 1996.

Teams were selected through a lottery process, with each region — about 1,500 across the nation — given a chance to receive a bid. Twenty-four teams were selected from each division and gender. A total of 95 boys and 92 girls teams received bids and will compete.

"It allows teams from across the Mainland to compete against teams from other regions," Sword said. "They come for the competition as well as the camaraderie."

Sportsmanship important

Sticking to AYSO tradition, sportsmanship will be recognized. Teams will be awarded points based on attitude, behavior, cooperation, courtesy and support of the players, coaches, spectators and referees before, during and after each game.

"The fact that we emphasize sportsmanship and not winning brings out playing for the love of the game," Takekawa said. "It bases the player's worth on effort rather than on winning or losing. These are the principles that we all look for in team sports but don't often find, except in AYSO, where they emphasize it."

An example of AYSO's dedication to sportsmanship and participation is "Soccerfest," a unique addition to the games that will be held Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Players are mixed randomly with other players from their division to form teams for a "mini-tournament" before the "real" tournament begins. This allows players a chance to get to know players from others teams.

"Soccerfest is unique to our tournament," Sword said. "The players get to make new friends and meet people from all over the country. The kids seem to like that."

And even if you're not a player, you'll find something to like during the week-long tournament, according to Conrad Shiroma, coach of an under-16 girls team from 'Aiea.

"It is exciting because if you are a soccer fan you can see the games, the events, the different things going on, you can meet new people with similar interests, it's all very enjoyable," Shiroma said. "Most of the tournaments in Hawai'i are fun."

First time in Hawai'i

The National Games, which started in 1988, is being hosted by Hawai'i for the first time.

"This will go against the stereotype that we are just a little rock in the middle of the ocean," said Chelsie Samuels, who played on an under-12 girls team from Diamond Head that won the national championship in 1992 in Torrance, Calif. "For us to pull off something as big as a national tournament will prove that people in Hawai'i can do something this big.

"In the same sense, when we won the championship it proved that kids from Hawai'i could do something that big. Just having a chance to do something like that will give kids hope."