Posted on: Friday, January 31, 2003

Skate park event raises parking concerns

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer

HAWAI'I KAI — The O'ahu Inline Hockey League had to get special permission to use lights at the Kamiloiki Community Park rink during a tournament planned for the Memorial Day weekend, but the issue of parking during the event concerns residents.

The city director of Parks and Recreation has given approval for the temporary lights, provided the organizers notify the neighborhood board and residents along Lunalilo Home Road and Hawai'i Kai Drive.

Tournament organizers say they need to play at night as well as during the day to accommodate all the teams expected to participate.

But Lynn Yamaguchi, whose home on Lunalilo Home Road faces the skating facilities, said the bigger issue is parking. Yamaguchi and other residents along Lunalilo Home Road say that cars sometimes park in the cul de sac, hindering trash pickup and residents trying to get in and out.

"The hockey doesn't create too much of a problem," Yamaguchi said. "It's the cars. They even park in front of the fire hydrant and in front of the driveways."

The tournament will probably start at 8 a.m. and run through 8 p.m., said Wayne Giancaterino, a board member of the O'ahu Inline Hockey League. About 80 games will be played during the three-day tournament, the winner of which will go on to the national championships, Giancaterino said.

Inline hockey is among the fastest-growing team sport on O'ahu. The O'ahu Inline Hockey League has mushroomed from 120 kids participating to more than 250, Giancaterino said. The growth is attributed to the hockey rink that opened last year along with a neighboring skateboarding facility.

The game is played on inline roller skates on hardtop, often outdoor basketball courts, with rules similar to ice hockey, except that some divisions use a hard plastic ball instead of a puck and body-checking is not allowed.

In years past skaters traveled to Maui or the Big Island, which have inline rinks, to play in their regional tournaments, Giancaterino said.

"Since the completion of the rink, we can hold them here," Giancaterino said. "It's very important to our league because it gives us a higher prominence and establishes us as the significant league in the area."

The league plans to have representatives talk to neighbors who will be affected by the cars and lights, he said.

"We're concerned about the neighbors and plan to ... talk to them and enlist their support," he said.

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.