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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, June 18, 2003

Surf clubs to appeal to BOE

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

Despite years of being turned down, dozens of surfing advocates will rally tomorrow before the Board of Education to make the case that surfing should be an official school sport.

A handful of schools have surf clubs, which participate in National Scholastic Surfing Association competitions. But because the state Department of Education doesn't recognize them as official clubs, they are not allowed to even use their school names in competition.

Perhaps the most compelling argument for official school recognition is surfing's cultural significance in Hawai'i — birthplace of the sport — where casual participation numbers thousands of students in middle and high schools statewide. But it's also about physical fitness, self-esteem and reaching at-risk students, advocates say.

"It would be so great" to make surfing a recognized school sport, said Bobbi Lee, director of the Hawai'i region of NSSA, which has nearly 200 student competitors statewide. "It has been a motivator to keep our kids in school ... Not only is (surfing) a great thing for them physically, but it builds up their self-confidence, which is really important."

Public meeting

• What: Board of Education

• When: Tomorrow. Meeting begins at 3:30 p.m. Public comment period — when the surfing advocates will be heard — begins at 7 p.m.

• Where: Queen Lili'uokalani Building, boardroom, 1390 Miller St., Honolulu

The DOE has for years refused to elevate the club sport to a varsity one, citing concerns about liability and costs.

But coaches, surfers and others say this could be their year.

Hopes are high because the BOE's Student Activities Committee has agreed to research the feasibility of making surfing a varsity sport, according to chairman Sherwood Hara. That action follows a BOE meeting on Maui last month, where surfers and coaches requested that the sport be made part of the Maui Interscholastic League.

The committee's findings will be presented at its July meeting.

Last year the DOE looked into allowing surf clubs to be chartered clubs in public schools. It determined that chartering surf clubs could result in "potential economic liability" in the form of lawsuits the state says it cannot afford, stated DOE Superintendent Pat Hamamoto in a Nov. 4, 2002, memo.

"Given the current state of the law, and because of the high risk of this activity, accidents will happen and litigation is inevitable," Hamamoto wrote. "There is no way to reasonably supervise surfing; the risks outweigh the benefits."

Lack of predictability of surf and control over the environment — surf height and sharks — are risk factors, the memo said.

"Surfing is a recreational activity that does not have to be done in school," Hamamoto wrote.

But advocates disagree, saying surf contests are done in a safe, controlled environment. If the surf is too big, contest organizers postpone the event. Lifeguards are on site, and competitors are trained for contest conditions.

In fact, at Wai'anae High, students had to pass a series of conditions and certification tests to compete for its team, called the Surf Club, said teacher and former surf coach Beth Matsuda.

"If surfing is such a liability, there shouldn't be any sports (in the schools)," said Iris Gonzales, surf coach and biology teacher at Kahuku High, who is helping to organize tomorrow's rally. "The whole thing about this is they want to be recognized as any other sport, have a banquet, get in the media, to represent their school, their sport. They learn limits. We wouldn't just throw them out there in a contest. We make sure they're trained."

NSSA boasts it hasn't had an insurance claim in its 25 years of existence, officials said. And its membership covers every student who competes in its surf meets.

Advocates also point to California's example. While Hawai'i may be the recognized birthplace of the sport, California has adopted surfing into its schools, with official teams and credited physical education classes.

But Hawai'i state officials see the sport as an opportunity for huge insurance claims and expensive lawsuits.

"The liability questions are too great, there's too many uncontrollables," said DOE spokesman Greg Knudsen. "We can't support it ... Surf events happen all the time; we're not saying this is a reckless activity at all. But when it comes down to it, there's no real control over everything that might happen."

Advocates compare surfing to football, which leads all sports with number and intensity of injuries, according to data from the O'ahu Interscholastic Association.

But in football coaches have more control over the situation, with athletes taking every precaution possible with padding and helmets, Greg Knudsen said.

"Football is a dangerous sport, but you can immediately stop (the game)," said BOE member Karen Knudsen. "You have some sense of control. (But in surfing) you don't have control over the environment."

Keith Amemiya, president of the Hawai'i High School Athletics Association, said if surfing became a state tournament, it would be covered under its insurance policy.

He added that running a state meet would probably not cost as much as organizing any other sporting event. And it might be cheaper. To use Aloha Stadium for post-season games, for example, cost upwards of $10,000, he said.

"It's about school pride, just like any other sport," Amemiya said. "To say, 'We're Kahuku High School and we're the state champs in surfing,' that's big."

Tina Handley competed on Kalaheo High's surf team, called the Eastside Amateur Surf Team, before she graduated three years ago. Now she competes as a longboarder around the world. Going to college, however, is still her top priority.

"It satisfies the other part of learning," said Handley, who will attend Point Loma College in San Diego in the fall to study sports medicine. "When I surf, I think better. It clears my mind ... If it were a sport, it would keep surfers in school."

Surf coaches envision teams that would meet regularly for practice, train athletes in ocean safety and bolster school pride in students who may not have participated in any other sport or extra-curricular activity.

"People have a preconceived idea, a stereotype, a mental block against the sport," said Linda Robb, former Hawai'i region NSSA director and longtime advocate of surfing as a sanctioned sport. "There's a lack of understanding of what it can do for the kids. (Opponents) have failed to even attempt to see the benefits."

To compete in competitions sponsored by the NSSA, surfers have to maintain a minimum 2.0 grade-point average.

Reis Harney, a 16-year-old junior at Kahuku High School, sees the benefit in making surfing a recognized school sport.

"If surfing became a sport, it would be so great for all schools," said Reis, who maintains a GPA over 4.0 and competes on Kahuku's Ko'olauloa Surf Club. "It would definitely be a sense of pride for all of us ... It would be so cool if we could be the Kahuku Red Raiders. It's a sport like any other sport. It takes as much talent, and there's definitely just as much unity as on any other team ..."

Advocates hope their quest for recognition will succeed this time.

"We just need to educate the educators," Robb said. "They need to look beyond the stereotypes and see the real thing. Then we could move in the right direction."

Reach Catherine E. Toth at 535-8103 or ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.