Posted on: Friday, May 3, 2002

ILH principals to vote May 16 to add sailing

By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer

Fitting for the only state surrounded by water, Hawai'i is poised to become the first state to have a sanctioned high school league championship in sailing.

Athletic directors of the private-school Interscholastic League of Honolulu voted unanimously this week to recommend that principals sanction sailing as a league sport. Principals will consider it at their regular meeting May 16.

While more than 300 sailing teams belong to the national Interscholastic Sailing Association, officials at the National Federation of High School Associations and the California Interscholastic Federation say they are all club teams, not official varsity teams.

Eleven of the ILH's 24 schools "declared" they would have sailing teams if the ILH principals sanction the sport.

Six of those already have club teams that are members of the Pacific Coast Interscholastic Sailing Association.

Punahou finished 12th and Maryknoll 16th in the Pacific Coast double-handed championships April 20-21 on San Francisco Bay.

"The student interest in varsity teams has been impressive," Punahou athletic director Tom Holden said. "More than 30 signed up at an interest meeting at Iolani. We are offering sailing as part of our summer sports program for the first time. Already 30, the maximum we can handle, have signed up and four are on the wait list."

One of the good things about sailing, Holden said, is that "small schools will be able to compete right away. There are two kids in a boat, who can be co-ed or both the same gender. The way the regattas are structured, a school with just four kids could win."

Holden said the proposal grew from a suggestion by Punahou parent Linberg Marzo and his son, Steve, who is a member of the Punahou sailing club.

Athletic directors were taken for sample sails in the 420s (15-foot sailboats with two sails) that will be used in the league.

"We did all right," Holden said.