Big Island Road Runners gave over $16,000 in scholarships over the years

   BIG ISLAND ROAD RUNNERS $1,000 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER

 

YEAR                 MALE                                          FEMALE

2006         Stefano Barbis – Hilo                 Malia Williams – Hilo

2007        Eamon Harriy – Kona                 Sarah Chitwood – Hilo

                Keoni Ucker – CLA (50%)

2008      Nick Hagemann – Keaau             Jamilia Epping – Keaau

              Nick Ucker- CLA (50%)

2009     Bryce Harada – Waiakea              Amy Eriksson – Keaau

                                                               Kaitlyn Yamamoto-Kamehameha (50%)

2010    Sai Weiss – Hilo                            Kaitlyn Chock – Waiakea

2011   Rogelio Barroga – Keaau                Hana Scully – HPA

2012   Robert Connors – Honokaa           Deann Nishimura-Thornton – Keaau

                                                                   Kelsie Kobayashi – Waiakea (50%)

The money for the BIRR scholarships was provided by Richard and Virginia Alderson.   Each year the BIRR five member scholarship committee reviews the numerous applications to made the awards.

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Car wash to send youngsters to Junior Olympics track & field

Kelsie Kobayashi

               Sunrise Track Club is holding a carwash fundraiser on Sunday, June 24 from 9 am to 2 pm at Just Cruising Coffee Shop.

All donations made from the car wash will help defray the travel cost to the Junior Olympics Track & Field Meet on Oahu.                                                                                                                         

Halford

Sunrise Track Club is coached by Lance and MJ Tominaga

Come out and help some of our youth athletes and in the process have your car or truck washed.

Waiakea Athletic Awards Announced

BOYS AIR RIFLERY	BRANDON LAU
GIRLS AIR RIFLERY	Kellie Iwasaki
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL	KEIRSA PAKANI-TSUKIYAMA
BOYS BOWLING	JACE OKUTSU
GIRLS BOWLING	CHELSEA CAMELLO
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY	Jackson Halford
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY	Kelsie Kobayashi
CHEERLEADING
FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE	JULIAN LEE
FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE	Nu’ulaiti Aiava
BOYS SOCCER	JAMES YAMANE
GIRLS SOCCER	Kiara Torres-AhSing
BOYS CANOE PADDLING	WOODLIN NELSON
GIRLS CANOE PADDLING	KASSIE AZEVEDO
BOYS SWIMMING	REN KUWAYE- TAMANAHA
GIRLS SWIMMING	RACHEL SHIMIZU
BOYS WRESTLING	PAT ENOS
GIRLS WRESTLING	TANALEI LOUIS
BOYS BASKETBALL	RYLAN KAWAZOE
GIRLS BASKETBALL	Alyssa Ferreira
BOYS GOLF	CHAD SUZUKI
GIRLS GOLF	Ciera Min
BOYS TENNIS	ISAIAH BRILHANTE
GIRLS TENNIS	SARAH DVORAK
WATER POLO	LAUREN HILL
BASEBALL	David Camacho
BOYS JUDO	SCOTT MIYAKE
GIRLS JUDO	TANALEI LOUIS
SOFTBALL	SKYLER AGRIGADO-TOGAFAU
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
BOYS TRACK AND FIELD	MICHAEL MORIKAWA
GIRLS TRACK ANDS FIELD	Kelsie Kobayashi
CARLING NABARRO SERVICE AWARD	WARD KANAKAOLE
COACH OF THE YEAR	Bill Sakovich, Lody Switzer, Kevin Yee
MOST INSPIRATIONAL FEMALE	KEIRSA PAKANI-TSUKIYAMA, Lauren Hill
MOST INSPIRATIONAL MALE	JORDAN MAGLINTI
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR	TANALEI LOUIS
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR	Kayed Rodrigues
FEMALE FRANCIS YAP	Megan Kimura
MALE FRANCIS YAP	David Camacho

Excercise at an early age is the Key to a Healthy, Happy Life

L to R: Kobayashi, Connors, Nishimura-Thornton

I’m a firm believer in physical education of our youth.  While we are in a midst of an obesity crisis in this country, bureaucrats look at trimming the educational budget by taking courses like PE out of our schools.

That is why I am in total support of anything that rewards our youth for being active and in continuous movement.

For the past several years the Big Island Road Runners have been awarding two high school harriers, one boy and one girl, with a $1,000 scholarship to apply towards their college education.

The money was a gift from Richard and Virginia Alderson who wanted to help local cross county and/or track runners who are in financial need.

The Alderson’s, along with Corp Counsel attorney Joe Kamelamela, Department of Education Hilo District Office Resource Teacher Dano Bank and the Big Dog sit on the selection committee that determines who will be the recipient.

“This year we had the most applicants and our decision was very difficult,” Banks said.

After many hours of reviewing the applications the committee decided to give Honokaa’s Robert Connors and Keaau’s Deann Nishimura-Thornton each a $1,000.

“The applicants were all outstanding so we decided to give an additional $500 to Waiakea’s Kelsie Kobayashi,” Richard Alderson said.

All three wowed the selection committee with their years of experience and love for running.

“I started distance running in the fifth grade,” Nishimura-Thornton said.  “My love for running has shaped me to be the person I am today, literally and figuratively.”

Nishimura-Thornton often ran in community events over the past six years and regularly placed in the Big Island Marathon’s 5K races.

“Running is therapeutic and gives me a chance to decompress from my day,” she said.  “The sport has taught me to have confidence in myself.”

While Nishimura-Thornton is one of a long line of Cougar runners to be selected for the
BIRR scholarship over the past several years, Connors becomes the first Dragon to win the award.

“Long distance running has taught me to overcome adversity and has made me mentally strong,” Connors said.

During this year’s Big Island Interscholastic Federation season Connors was bitten on his foot by

a centipede just before the championship race and not wanting to let his team down still ran the race, helping Honokaa to win another team title.

“To me, long distance running is not for the weak minded; it is for those who know what it takes to give it everything you got and more to accomplish your goals,” Connors said.

Connors transferred to Honokaa during his sophomore year and in his attempt to fit in tried some inappropriate classroom behavior.

“I didn’t know many people so I would make jokes in class,” he wrote in his application.  “I had a hard time adjusting to the surrounding and behaviors in class but as my sophomore year ended I decided to make a change.”

In his junior and senior years Connors became a role model that the underclassmen could look up to and as a result he helped put in motion the Honokaa Max Out 212 Degree.

“It primarily works because volunteer upperclassmen choose to sacrifice their lunch recess to help 9^th graders feel welcome in high school,” he said.

Besides Nishimura-Thornton and Connors the selection committee wanted to add an additional half scholarship to Waiakea’s Kelsie Kobayashi.

Kobayashi has participated on the Warriors varsity track and cross country teams all four years as one of the top distance runners on the Big Island.

Kobayashi points to the discipline of distance running which helped her to become successful in the classroom.

“I’ve learned discipline, motivation and commitment through my schools career in track and cross country,” she said.  “These traits have encouraged me to integrate the same disciplinary actions into my everyday life.”

Through her four years of prep competition Kobayashi has learned the secret to long distance running.

“Running pushes me beyond reasonable limits of physical endurance and I have realized that the toughest form of competition is self-competition,” she said.  “I am demanding more of myself, battling my own strength, my own body and my own mind.”

Kobayashi has decided to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa and enter into the nursing program

Nishimura-Thornton plans on attending Northern Arizona University with hopes of majoring in Environmental Science.

Connors has been accepted to Colorado Mesa University where he will major in kinesiology.

“The dedication and commitment to running and staying in shape has influenced me to pursue a career in kinesiology,” he said. 

All three of these young people were on hand Sunday to participate in the Big island Road Runners 5K (3.1 mile) race.  Following the event a formal ceremony took place and each were awarded with their scholarship checks.

The 5K event was won by Chris Gregory in 17 minutes and 27.

“I went to the state track meet yesterday and saw some of them competing,” Gregory said.  “I wanted to come out today in support of them.”

The women’s division saw Kobayashi take first place, even though the gritty senior ran the 3K in the state championships on Friday and Saturday where she finished fourth in the State.

Despite a foot injury Connors also participated in the 5K and the day before helped the Honokaa relay team finish 7^th in the State.

“I am very grateful to the Road Runners Club in granting me this scholarship,” Connors said.  “It will go a long way in helping with my college tuition.”

Each of the awardees journey began with their physical education teachers in middle school who provided them with the tools to stay healthy and fit. 

And someday should you happen to see a lifelong runner being gratified by the many successes of young people, remember to smile, say “woof” and never shy away from “Running with the Big Dog.”

Scholarship 5K run/walk on Sunday, May 13, 7:30 am, Coconut Island

The Big Island Road Runners in partnership with Wayne Joseph and Big Dog Productions will be holding its 2012 Scholarship 5K run on Sunday, May 13, 2012.  The run starts and ends at the Moku Ola or Coconut Island Parking Lot.  The run starts at 7:30 am with on-site registration starting at 7:00am 

The run is free and open to the public, however donations to the scholarship fund are greatly appreciated.  This event is a run/walk and all are welcome. 

Each year the Big Island Road Runners awards two promising high school seniors a $1,000.00 scholarship.  This year’s recipients are Keaau’s Deann Nishimura-Thornton and Honokaa’s Robert Connors, full $1000 each and a half scholarship to Waiakea’s Kelsie Kobayashi.

L to R, Big Dog, Connors, Nishimura-Thornton, Kobayashi

The scholarship fund was created through the generous donation from Richard and Virginia Alderson and is sustained through donations from participants and members of the Big Island Road Runners.  There will be post run refreshments.   Any questions can be directed to Steve Pavao at 430-0267

Come out and support our young runners and in the process do a 3.1 mile run/walk and keep yourself healthy.

Congratulations to the Road Runners for once again supporting the youth in our community.