Soccer tourney at Waipi'o called 'rousing success'

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

WAIPAHU — Forget Disneyland.

Melissa Kawana of the Mililani Ho'okela team is off and running as she shields the ball from Josalyn Simpson of the Chula Vista Spirit in an under-12 girls game. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

"I had a great time," said David Goeres, 16, of the Salt Lake City-based Under-16 Gamecocks. "We played well, and even though we lost today (4-2, to Kaua'i), it's something we can take with us. For me, it's definitely a positive. It was a great thing for me to come here, because outside of this, I don't know if I'll ever get the chance to come to Hawai'i again."

For 160 of the 192 teams participating in the AYSO National Games this week, the tournament ended with pool play and quarterfinal matches yesterday. But that didn't put a damper on things — for some, it meant more time to have fun in Hawai'i.

"I think there were some mixed emotions among our parents," Gamecocks coach Bill Barton said. "They wanted us to advance, but they also wouldn't mind having a free day to go out and do other things."

The Games were meant to be a fun experience for all, but they also represented a huge test for the Waipi'o Complex in particular and Hawai'i's soccer community as a whole. From local grass roots AYSO volunteers to Mayor Jeremy Harris, the tournament was to be a proving ground for their ability to serve as deserving host on a national stage.

And with only 24 of the scheduled 536 games remaining, the consensus is in.

"I would say it was a rousing success," AYSO national president Joel Mark said last night. "This is one of the best Games we've ever had, and one of most well-run. The local volunteers were terrific, and they showed us all a good time. The opening ceremony was fabulous — our best ever — and this facility is as good as I've seen anywhere in the country.

"It was just great, exciting soccer all week, a great way to enjoy the game."

Comments like those put smiles on the faces of Harris and Max Sword, the Games chairman.

"There was some anxiety putting this together; I'd be lying if I said there wasn't," Sword said. "But we had 1,000 volunteers who made my job easier, and they really came through. I think everything went fabulous, and we've had almost nothing but compliments all week."

For Harris, the tournament was a key showcase in his effort to establish Honolulu as a center for sports tourism.

"I think it's gone flawlessly," Harris said Friday afternoon. "We've had incredible response, and the word is going back to the Mainland that we have the finest facility for something like this. We have such a natural advantage to be a leader in sports tourism, but we'd never been able to fully develop it because we never had the venues."

Now Honolulu does for soccer, and the feedback from all 21 fields at Waipi'o was resounding.

"These fields are very nice, very even," said Goeres, a goalkeeper. "They don't have holes like on the fields where we come from. The goal boxes especially are real nice."

The Saugus (Calif.) U-16 girls were one of the lucky teams to play a game in the complex's 4,200-seat stadium on Thursday.

"The stadium was sweet," said Saugus' Amanda Hernandez, 14. "All the fields were great."

Saugus also was one of the lucky teams to advance into today's semifinals, following a 1-0 overtime victory over Downey (Calif.). Saugus and 31 other teams will be playing soccer today, but most of them already got in their share of tourist activities during the week.

"I've definitely got my tan on; we spent a lot of time at the beach," Hernandez said. "We went snorkeling (at Hanauma Bay). And did I say we shopped (at Ala Moana and International Market Place)? Every girl had at least one bag; I had seven."

Goeres and his teammates also spent quality time away from the soccer fields.

"We went to Pearl Harbor, that was a lot of fun," Goeres said. "And the Polynesian Cultural Center was really great — that's something everybody should do."

Barton said other players hiked Diamond Head. He added that the hospitality extended to the playing field.

"We played West O'ahu, and that was a fun team to play," Barton said. "It's been a fun tournament. We were worried about the humidity, but it's 107 degrees back home, so we can't complain."

Saugus coach Joseph Wenthur agreed.

"There's not a single complaint anywhere," Wenthur said. "This is a great tournament; we were well-taken care of."

For Harris and tourism officials, that kind of experience could translate into return visits. An example was displayed on a personalized banner from a thoughtful husband at the complex entrance: "Lori, No better way to spend the 26th anniversary of our honeymoon in Hawai'i ... than at the 2002 AYSO National Games."

AYSO National Games

• Today's games:

Boys

Under 12 — Semifinals, 10 a.m.; Final, 2 p.m.; Third place, 2 p.m.

Under 14 — Semifinals, 9:15 a.m.; Final, 1 p.m.; Third place, 1 p.m.

Under 16 — Semifinals, 10 a.m.; Final, 2 p.m.; Third place, 2 p.m.

Under 19 — Semifinals, 9:30 a.m.; Final, 2:30 p.m.; Third place, 2:30 p.m.

Girls

Under 12 — Semifinals, 10:30 a.m.; Final, 2:30 p.m.; Third place, 2:30 p.m.

Under 14 — Semifinals, 9:45 a.m.; Final, 1:30 p.m.; Third place, 1:30 p.m.

Under 16 — Semifinals, 10:30 a.m.; Final, 3 p.m. Third place, 3 p.m.

Under 19 — Semifinals, 9 a.m.; Final, 12:30 p.m. Third place,12:30 p.m.

• WHERE: Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Complex, in Waipahu

• Admission: Free

• Information: nationalgameshawaii.org