Hawaii set to host its first ever high school surfing championship
It seems fitting that Hawaii would eventually have a high school surfing state championship and the first one ever is slated to be held at Maui’s Ho’okipa Beach tommorrow and Saturday, according to a Star Advertiser report . The Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) this past season launched the first ever inaugural season of surfing, with around 60 private and public schools participating and close to 600 student-athletes being apart of the first campaign, per the report. [ $19.
99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ] “We had a lot of participation — more participation than what I thought,” Kaimuki athletic director and Oahu Interscholastic Association surf league adviser Reid Yoshikawa said to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser . Though it may seem on the outside looking in as an easy sport to go out and perform, the HHSAA faced many hurdles in trying to get the first-ever season of high school surfing underway. With countless county permits required for surf breaks along with watercraft and experienced safety crews on hand, the journey to making surfing a high school sport in Hawaii wasn’t an easy one whatsoever.
“We’re really excited that so many schools are here and that our young female and male athletes have an opportunity to engage in a sport they have a passion for,” Office of Curriculum and Instructional Design at the state Department of Education assistant superintendent Teri Ushijima said. “And at the same time, like any of our athletics, you know we want them to really develop all their skills — of course their athletic side, but really it’s about teamwork, supporting others and showing good sportsmanship, being a role model to their peers. It’s a journey, and we’re very pleased that we’re making progress.
” Hawaii is the only state in the country that features surfing as a high school sport and now with the HHSAA set to host their state championships this weekend, it’s a culmination of people that have helped make history in the Aloha State. “To all the student athletes, today’s history,” Kauai mayor Derek Kawakami said in a recent Facebook post. “And what this league is about is not about the best surfers and bringing out the folks that are going to go pro.
It’s really a sport for everybody. So, even if you don’t think that you’re ready, paddle out there and do a heat because there’s only one time you can do it for the first time and go down in the history books. ”