Posted on: Tuesday, June 10, 2003

Skies are friendlier for college athletes

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

You can imagine University of Hawai'i coaches practicing their recruiting pitches now ...

"Play for us and we'll get you to Paris, free ..."

"Today Ruston, La., later you get Las Vegas on us..."

"UH, the choice of frequent flyers..."

The NCAA's decision to allow athletes to accumulate and keep frequent flyer points from team travel opens up a whole new recruiting approach for the school that logs more air miles than any other.

"We'll make sure they know they can keep their miles — from their recruiting visit on," said Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach Dave Shoji.

Athletes had been prohibited from using the miles they accumulated on road trips, said Daniel Arakaki, UH compliance director, whose office was responsible for monitoring the situation. "They were considered an extra benefit because the schools paid for the tickets."

As such, Arakaki said, "they were lost miles."

But beginning Aug. 1, athletes at all schools will be able to use them as they choose, said Patrick Hairston, Western Athletic Conference compliance director.

Because UH must travel at least 2,500 miles to its nearest Division I opponent and it plays in a league that stretches 4,035 miles, its teams have more opportunity than most to accumulate mileage.

This past volleyball season, for example, the Rainbow Wahine traveled more than 33,000 miles. Shoji said his teams invariably travel between 25,000 and 40,000 per year although not always on the same carrier. Convenience and price dictate which airlines are used.

The UH football team last year traveled about 33,000 miles, but most of that was on charter flights for which no miles are awarded.

Several airlines offer free domestic flights from Hawai'i for 25,000 to 35,000 miles and international trips for 40,000 to 60,000 miles depending upon destination and dates.

Baseball coach Mike Trapasso said he didn't know how much the enhanced miles might work in UH's favor come recruiting, but "if kids are able to keep those miles, it is something else we can add to the list of reasons for coming to UH."