Random photos of the Kamehameha X-C meet

C

Click any photo to enlarge.  Thank you Faith Nance for bringing Brain Cancer awareness to the BIIF through the wearing of grey ribbons

Advertisement

100 percent pure BIIF tee shirts go on Sale for State Track and Field Meet

Thanks to Faith Nance for designing the BIIF State Shirts.

The BIIF is the only league to come together at States.  This is the 3rd time that the BIIF has worn BIIF shirts. It was in 2008, 2010 and this year… every 2 years.

The back of the shirts will include all the participating schools in track & field.

    Kudos to Faith Nance for once again designing a unique BIIF shirt for the state track meet to be held at Keaau High School on May 11 and 12

Big Dog’s Veteran’s Day 5K run/walk results from 11-11-11

Due to the heavy rain some of the ink on the finish sheets ran…………..making it difficult to read the spelling and some times in the official results.   Corrections will be made if you email the change to me at waiakeabigdog@aol.com  Congratulations to all that braved the rain, especially to our volunteers, Kari Sato and the Waiakea Key Club who put up and took down the tents and banners, Paul Okubo for timing  Faith Nance for writing down the finishers names during the heavy downpour and Jerry Chang and his crew for supplying the post race refreshments.   To the participants who came out despite the rain – a big, warm MAHALO!   Two PAWS UP to all of you, including my lovely wife Randee –    Related link:  https://waynejoseph.wordpress.com/2011/11/11/random-photos-from-big-dogs-veterans-day-5k-on-11-11-11/

Big Dog’s Veterans Day 5K Results – read from left column first

Barnett	Billy	16:23		Carvalho	Erin	26:24:00
Gregory	Chris	16:52		Tanouie	Mark	26:27:00
Halford	Jackson	17:40		Matiaas	Lowell	26:40:00
Barcia	Joe	18:35		Jirir	AJ	27:01:00
Pang	Justin	18:42		Dusek	Deb	27:06:00
Panoff	Max	18:51		LaBrie	Colby	27:15:00
Perry	Louie	19:04		Auth	Tim	27:24:00
Hunter	Stephen	19:17		Grothmann	Kalai	27:37:00
Daly	Michael	19:21		Eckart	Kanai Pono	27:43:00
Allan	Ryan	19:29		Eckart	Lawrence	27:44:00
Olson	Kevin	19:54		Truesdell	Joel	27:56:00
Wozniak	Michael	20:09		Ongais	Kayla	28:10:00
Villena	Linden	20:34		Wong Yuen	Donna	28:17:00
Kobayashi	Kelsie	20:36		Valera	Jarvis	29:01:00
Irysen	Galigo	20:59		Camero	Ryan	29:33:00
Harbor	Jin	21:04		Desa	Kanani	29:44:00
Hill	Adam	21:08				29:52:00
Matuura	Sam	21:31		Rhyss	Joyi	29:56:00
Bako	Patrick	21:35		Darling	Kristen	30:05:00
Matsuyama	Amy	21:39		Hulten	Kaliko	30:05:12
Wedeman	Joe	21:48		Javier	Stella	30:06:00
Ibarra	Ray	21:54		Wilson	Harold	30:27:00
Cafier	Nicholas	22:15		Hammer	Jerelyn	30:48:00
Uyeda	Garret	22:16		Newman	Allen	30:59:00
Pavao	Steve	22:20		Pacheco	Lauren	31:00:00
Matias	Greg	22:29		Faulkner-Inouye	Lisa	31:07:00
Stayhorn	Vishu	22:35		Domingo	Sky	31:33:00
Shumoff	Nikolai	22:58		Domingo	Stacy	31:34:00
Rhyss	Dorian	23:00		Fulton	Jim	31:41:00
Nishimura	Neon	23:06		Subica	Raynelle	31:52:00
Langtry	Andrew M.	23:08		Inata	Ben	32:06:00
Hunter	Lory	23:12		Shigeoka	Dennis	32:08:00
Myhre	Lucas	23:14		Newman	Dixie	32:31:00
Rapoza	Kaylee	23:20		Mair Lates	Molly	32:56:00
Jedinsky	Jennifer	23:24		Baldwin	David	33:17:00
Hunter	Stuart	23:33				33:19:00
Willis	Christine	23:35		Nakasone	Harvey	34:04:00
Pavao	Wayne	23:38		Barbas	Bonita	34:32:00
Okimaka	Vandey	23:40		Fulton	Allison	34:37:00
Ho	Josen	23:44		Eckart	Tennille	34:41:00
Barcia	Sage	23:48		England	Stacy	34:58:00
Ombac	Skye	23:50		England	Charlie	34:59:00
Grothmann	Rihei	23:52		Rosorio	Naomi	35:00:00
Rosario	Heather	23:59		Daly	Mykelah	35:36:00
Kim	Corrin	24:06:00		Harbour	Haruko	35:38:00
Taaroa	Emily	24:12:00		Tana	Lisa	36:30:00
Ignacio	Vanessa	24:17:00		Aktorg	Josette	36:31:00
Tominaga	MJ	24:20:00		Sakarias	Suzette	36:32:00
		24:24:00		Auth	Jean	36:34:00
Rosario	Josiah	24:26:00		Chang	Jerry	36:50:00
Subica	Wayne	24:46:00		Hanson	Paul	37:03:00
Jones	Tehani	25:11:00		Hammer	Felicia	37:11:00
Grothmann	Richard	25:14:00		Rapoza	Kylyn	37:35:00
Chun	Matt	25:45:00		Ostrowski	Cheryl	37:48:00
Masuyama	Mark	25:50:00		Rapoza	Sossity	37:53:00
Hagemann	Natalie	26:00:00		Sherlock	Braxton	37:59:00
Strayhorn	Govardano	26:12:00		Rosene	Ken	38:15:00
Bostwick	Charles	26:13:00		McKinley	Shaun	38:24:00
Agams	Phil	26:17:00		Sugioka-Kai	Samantha	38:41:00
		26:19:00		Kingery	Emily	38:58:00
				Brown	Barbara	39:02:00
				Mauga	Kehau	39:44:00
				Mauga	Russell	39:45:00
				Kiefer	Cheryl	40:04:00
				Soares	Carl	40:05:00
				Kagawa	Edwin	40:06:00
				Lum	Mah	40:44:00
				Ellazar Hernandez	Emmy	40:56:00
				Hernandez	Sam	54:00:00
				Kaalakea	Brianna	1:04
				Kekipi	Kayla	1:04
				Anguay	Gail	1:08:54
				Anguay	Coco	1:08:55
				Meek	Lucy	54:15

Grassroot support growing to save UHH cross country program

Some members of the UHH women’s cross country team

“It is a sad day when UH Hilo cuts the only sport that has a connection to traditional Hawaiian culture (makahiki),” Kamehameha chemistry teacher Joel Truesdell said.

Truesdell is referring to the latest announcement from the Vulcan athletic department to cut both the men’s and women’s cross country programs in order to meet the projected 10 percent budget deficit.

“It shows a lack of sensitivity or awareness to the cultural basis of sport in our Hawaiian community,” Truesdell said.  “All we are left with are imported games.”

Along with being a teacher at the Kamehameha-Keaau campus Truesdell is also the head women’s cross country coach for the Warriors and an advocate for distance running.

The UHH cross country program is a non revenue generating sport and, like most business decisions, found itself at the bottom of the priority list and at the top of the chopping block of UHH Athletic Director Dexter Irvine.

“Our kids are devastated,” UHH cross country coach Jaime Guerpo said.  “I broke the news to them a few days ago and since that time we’ve been looking at ways to try to come up with the $100,000 needed each year to keep us going.”

Guerpo has been coaching the cross country program at UHH since 1999 and has taken a budget cut ever year.

“I feel it’s my duty to keep the program going,” Guerpo said.  “I understand that the administration had to make the cuts to keep the athletic program going and we’ve always made do with what we got and have produced a very successful program.”

Guerpo is even willing to coach the team without compensation if it would help salvage the program.

“I’d give up my pay in a heartbeat if that is what it would take to keep this program going,” he said.  “We’re looking at all sorts of ways to help keep cross country alive at UHH.”

Over the years Guerpo had heavily recruited local athletes from around the state to run on his men’s and women’s teams.

Currently Christian Liberty’s Justin Pang, Keoni and Nick Ucker, Keaau’s Nick Hagemann and Liliana DeSmither, Kau’s Kapua Lapera, Waiakea’s James Imai, and Hilo’s Stefano Barbis are members of the team.

Several of the current and former UHH cross country runners were winners of the Big Island Road Runners scholarship.

“We were all in shock when Coach Jaime broke the news to us a few days ago,” Imai said.  “We’re still hoping we can find a way to keep the programs alive.”

The BIRR, along with the Big Island International Marathon, Honolulu Marathon, and Big Island Running Company have all been contacted to lend their support towards helping to keep running alive at UHH.

These UHH runners have also been highly visible in the community, often found at the finish lines of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation cross country and track and field finish lines as they help give back to the sport in which they love dearly.

Guerpo and his runners have also been strong support/volunteers at Hawai’i Island Special Olympics and numerous County Parks and Recreation track and field meets as they serve as strong role models for our community.

“We also help out with the Big Island Marathon each year by setting up hundreds of cones and barricades along the 26.2 mile course at 3:00 a.m. and then collecting and returning them when the event is over,” Guerpo said.

“The UHH cross country team are not self-promoters, but are contributors in ways that are not always recognized in public forums,” Faith Nance, the cross country representative on the Vulcan Athletic Club said.

“Many of the talented high school runners who choose to remain at home have the opportunity to continue to participate in a sport that can become a lifelong avocation and a strong foundation for a healthy lifestyle,” Nance said.

Dozens of emails poured into the Big Dog’s mail box in support of looking at ways of keeping the cross country program alive at UH Hilo.

 “At least UH Manoa gets it,” Truesdell said.  “They have a full complement of the sports that are traditionally based such as cross country, track and field, swimming and sailing.”  

The UHH athletic department made their decision to cut cross country without getting community input which has many local residents upset because they feel they are stake holders in higher education.

“It seems to me that UH Hilo should reach out to the community before making this decision,” Truesdell said.  “The people here will take care of their own if given the opportunity or challenge.”

Guerpo continues to look over a variety of scenarios to see if something can be salvaged.

Vulcan runners support many local community races

“If we have to give something up then I’d like to see the women’s team saved as this would at least come into Title 9 compliance of gender equity, “Guerpo said.

 If the UHH decision makers were to come to BIIF cross country meet they would see the connections.  Keeping a sport like this will maintain and strengthen ties to the community that are priceless.

“A University’s cross country program provides a valuable benefit not only to the team members, but also to the entire university and surrounding community by inspiring everyone to get more active,” Jason Braswell, owner of the Big Island Running Company said.

“Collegiate cross country is particularly inspirational to middle school and high school students who get to see where their running can lead them,” Braswell said.

With the continued growth of the Big Island International Marathon and BIIF cross county programs the continuation of a university running team would be responding to the interest of a growing segment of our community.

We all hope that Athletic Director Dexter Irvin will reconsider his decision to cut an important sports program and instead become part of the solution in promoting something that has deep seeded roots in our culturally based community.

If anyone in the community would like to help save the UHH cross country program please contact the Big Dog at waiakeabigdog@aol.com or call 969-7400.

Related link:  https://waynejoseph.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/uhh-athletics-suspends-cross-country-cheerleading-press-release/