The HHSAA's Executive Board voted on Monday to bring about the changes a year earlier than it had previously announced.

"We got a lot of scrambling to do," said McKinley High Athletic Director Neal Takamori, who also played and coached at McKinley.

But he added, "As administrators, we'll make it work. We'll do our best to maximize opportunities of our student-athletes and our coaches."

The sports affected are:

Girls basketball—Moving from spring to winter, the same time as boys basketball.

Softball—Moving from winter to spring, the same time as baseball.

Boys volleyball—Moving from fall to spring. Girls volleyball will remain in the fall.

The timetable for the above changes was moved up, in part, due to the board's desire to not wait a year and to thus immediately comply with any new Title IX (gender equity) requirements that might result from the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Communities for Equity vs. Michigan High School Athletic Association.

Additionally, the board desired to reinforce the HHSAA's and member schools' full commitment to gender equity and to forestall any lawsuits that may arise in light of the recent court decision.

"Some of our athletes will have to make tough decisions," Takamori said. "(But) like anything else, that's what you do in life."

Girls who play soccer will face a conflict if they also play girls basketball since now both will be played during the same season. Boys who play volleyball will have a conflict if they also play golf, tennis or baseball.

Punahou School junior Erik Shoji, a three-time All-State volleyball first-team selection and recent league tennis champion in doubles, hopes to continue to play volleyball and tennis.

"I don't think it's going to affect me too much," he said from the state tennis tournament in Maui.

"I've been hearing rumors, so I've prepared myself," for Wednesday's announcement, he said.

Shoji said the only change he anticipates is that "usually I can focus on one or the other, but now it will have to be double time."

"I would want them to find a way to do both, but it also depends on the other coach," said McKinley boys and girls basketball coach Bob Morikuni, who said he has some girls on his team who play both soccer and basketball.

Coaches also will have to make a choice, with Morikuni being a prime example.

"I consider him one of the top coaches," Takamori said. "He'll have to decide which way he wants to go."

Said Morikuni, whose girls' team is in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association playoffs: "I'll finish out the girls season and think about that other stuff later."

With girls basketball moving to the same time as boys, gym space and referees will be at a premium.

"A lot will depend on how creative the scheduling will be," said Thomas Yoshida, a referee for 24 years and president of the O'ahu Basketball Referees Association, which does all OIA games. "It hasn't been decided whether to move JV (games) to spring or have the boys play on one night and the girls on another, or have all teams play one night."

But, he added, "we're (the referees) prepared to do the best we can despite these challenges."

Moving the JV season would solve some of the gym-space issues.

"If it's two varsity teams, I don't see any problem with running it together at the same time," Morikuni said.