AFTER DEADLINE

By Curtis Murayama
Advertiser Sports Editor

A few months ago, our Friday Outside page in the Sports section was transformed into the Total Rec page.

We decided to start reporting about you, the recreational athlete.

Hence, the name Total Rec, for a page totally dedicated to recreation.

There are a lot of you out there. Heck, you're probably living next to one.

You're out there, having fun in organized tennis, honing your game in basketball, refining your skills in gymnastics or martial arts, working up a sweat so you can run, swim or cycle faster, jump higher or endure longer.

Figuring an elite athlete will almost always receive recognition, we decided to make sure we didn't neglect those continuing their athletic exploits despite still stressing over school, or experiencing a lifestyle change because of work or family.

So we decided to feature the everyday-type athlete and also provide an area for standout performances in competition that we call "Our Neighborhood Athletes."

Besides the philosophical change, the name change was functional.

Doing away with the Outside title allowed us the opportunity to focus on people or sports regardless of whether the sport happened indoors or out.

After all, why shouldn't we recognize the successes of our gymnasts or martial artists? Why shouldn't we write about the very basic fitness activities, such as weightlifting? Why shouldn't we mention basketball clinics?

Now, we can.

And we have.

Since the change, we have written about the following in our "Our Neighborhood Athletes" section:

I Gymnasts heading to nationals.

I A taekwondo team that kicked it up a notch at nationals.

I The exploits of a boxer.

I A standout trampolinist.

I Figure skaters who won a national title.

I A youth basketball team that won a title in California.

We even wrote about a 91-year-old who bowled a 285 game.

We've run team pictures, which is a change from our previous policy.

In the past, stories such as these might have gone unreported, or would have run only if we had the available space.

Now, there's a vehicle for their appearance in The Advertiser.

Don't fret, we still will pursue stories for the athlete or the parent of an athlete.

Want to teach your child how to swim? This page provided a list of places and schools for swimming lessons.

Want to know the importance of keeping your child hydrated? This page provided that.

Want to get started in kayaking, or get involved in trail running? We've covered that.

Long-time runner writer Jonathan Lyau, who has contributed articles to the Sports section in the past, said the page provides "good variety" and it is important because of Hawai'i's active lifestyle.

"Every time you read sports, it's about the elite, the guys who get paid for it, not the people who do it for fun or for health," said Lyau, 40, a runner for 25 years. "When people read it, it sets a good example and encourages other people to do it."

That's the way we see it, and that's why we changed it.

After all, it's all about you now.

Curtis Murayama is The Advertiser's sports editor.