Homespun Honolulu

University of Hawaii Warriors Football

Did he or didn’t he?  He didn’t.  Wiser and more cautious minds prevailed and Colt Brennan opted not to play last night and to give his ankle a break.  The Warriors won in spite of it all with a final score of 66 to 10.

Aloha Festivals

O’ahu will say aloha to the Aloha Festivals for this year.  With the exception of the 13th Annual Falsetto Contest next Saturday, September 28th in Waikiki, the focus of the Aloha Festivals in October will be on Maui and Moloka’i.

Anyone interested in attending the Falsetto Contest will find it at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel in the Hawai’i Ballroom.  That’s at 7 pm this coming Saturday, doors open at 6 pm.  For more information, call 808-589-1771. 

Hawaii Superferry and Kaua’i

After all of the drama and emotion displayed during the Governor’s visit to Kaua’i to talk about the Superferry and its resumption of service to Maunawili harbor, the Superferry was the one who said, in a nutshell, “Uh, never mind.”  They have decided to suspend service to Kaua’i indefinitely, much to the relief of Kaua’i residents.  Perhaps once the environmental impact study is complete, cooler heads will prevail.

Portuguese Festival

The festival, presented by the Hawaii Council on Portuguese Heritage, continues today at McCoy Pavillion.  Hurry before the malasadas sell out, again!  We’ll talk more about this festival this coming week!

That’s the question of the week and everybody wants to know the answer!  How is that ankle?!?  The Honolulu Advertiser reports this morning that  June Jones, coach of the UH Warriors, says that Colt will start this evening. But, how long will he play and how safe will it be to do so? We can only speculate and keep our fingers crossed.

We all want to see him play and watch him add to his already impressive stats, but we also want to see him stay healthy. We’ll just have to wait until 6pm HST this evening to see what really happens. Keep it together, Colt, only you know what and how you’re feeling!

The Aloha Festivals are under way and just as promised the Oahu Royal Court was present for the Opening Ceremonies at Iolani Palace yesterday. They were hosted by the Royal Hawaiian Band and traditional Hawaiian chant and hula.

What a busy day this Saturday was! The Aloha Week Parade went as scheduled this morning and the Thunderbirds of the US Air Force graced us with their presence and showmanship in the early afternoon.

The Air Force is celebrating its 60th “Heritage to Horizons” anniversary during their Air Force Week. Honolulu is actually one of the six cities that was selected to have Air Force Week festivities and they’re doing it in conjunction with the Aloha Festivals!

This evening was certainly not without activity! The Kapolei Mele went on this evening and the first performance of The Lion King was also this evening at Blaisdell Center.

It actually worked out nicely for us that the Oahu program of the Aloha Festivals started on the 14th. The University of Hawaii Warriors played “away” at the University of Las Vegas this evening so there was no football traffic to collide with the traffic for the Kapolei Mele. People attending the Kapolei Mele must have been walking around with their radios!

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Colt Brennan took yet another step toward that Heisman Trophy as he led the Warriors to a 49-14 win over UNLV!

Mahalo to TheHeismanWinners.com for this picture!

That’s a lot for one Saturday! The weekend’s not done yet!

The Royal Court will also be present at Central Union Church tomorrow (Sunday) morning. Central Union is on the corner of Punahou and Beretania Streets. Whew! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

In its centennial year, the University of Hawaii has a lot to celebrate. It would be great to be able to add a Heisman win to the celebration! Can Colt Brennan bring it home? Only time will tell. It sure looks good from here. It looks even better close to the playing field!

ESPN is keeping track of his stats for us. They’re taking it seriously and keeping an eye on things. It’s nice to have people take our collegiate football program seriously.

Keeping an eye on things is going to make for a lively season!

Game Schedule

• September 1, 2007 - Northern Colorado (at home): W 63/6
• September 8, 2007 - Louisiana Tech (at Louisiana Tech): W (in overtime) 45/44
• September 15, 2007 - UNLV (at UNLV): W 49/14
• September 22, 2007 - Charleston Southern (at home): W 66/10
• September 29, 2007 - Idaho (at Idaho): W 48/20
• October 6, 2007 - Utah State (at home): W 52/37
• October 12, 2007 - San Jose State (at San Jose State) ESPN: W (in overtime) 42/35
• October 27, 2007 - New Mexico State (at home): W 50/13
• November 10, 2007 - Fresno State (at home): W 37/30
• November 16, 2007 - Nevada (at Nevada): W 28/26
• November 26, 2007 - Boise State (at home): W 39/27
• December 1, 2007 - Washington (at home) ESPN or ESPN2

Good luck to the UH Warriors and here’s wishing them a 12-0 season! Hopefully the ESPN games won’t be pay-per-view!

I always thought of the 4th of July as being a day for baseball and barbecues, but for the first time in a long time we decided to go fishing. My husband’s family hasn’t done this for a while and it’s been even longer for us.

The weather people and the surfers were expecting a swell on Wednesday and the surfers were waiting. But, the surf didn’t materialize when and where it was expected. The surfers weren’t happy. But we were! Nice, flat water is great for reef fishing!

We were a mile or two from Yokohama where the under-toe can be very nasty; as long as you’re not swimming in it you’re fine. That didn’t sound good. You would still be fine if you’re swimming in it… you just need to be a strong swimmer. Of course there’s always those reef sharks.

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I am of the opinion that anyone contemplating attempting a full marathon might want to try a half marathon first. On Sunday I attempted and completed a half marathon, the first annual Hibiscus half marathon, but not without a lot of thinking and decision making. Am I glad I did it? Yes. Will I do it again? Probably. Am I going to attempt the Honolulu Marathon? Hell no!

I like joining in the fight for a worthy cause. This one was for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Hawaii. I am very proud of them for taking on this challenge! Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, I know some of you are looking for this and things are down to the wire.

The last pick-up is from 10 am to 5 pm today, Saturday, June16th, at Runners HI in Aiea. They are located at 98-390A Kamehameha Hwy, next to Dixie Grill.

If you’re coming from town or the East side, i.e., if you’re Ewa bound, this is that little area on the right when you get off of Moanalua freeway like you’re going to Pearlridge. There is a tattoo place, some used auto shops, etc. If you get to KFC, you’ve gone too far. If you get lost, call the store and they will help you find them, 488-6588.

I believe you can still register with them there but you can no longer register online. It’s too late for that. This run is to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society so it’s a worthy cause.

Again, I am not part of the organization committee for this; I am just trying to help you guys find your way! Enjoy the run!

Summer has started and, for Honolulu at least, summer usually means the beach! So, for June and July we will talk about aquatic things and other events that pop up.

Summer also brings sporting events and other outdoor activities. Active.com provides us with a list of runs and/or walks that are coming up and that lead up to the Honolulu Marathon in December.

Most of the walks are charitable fund raisers but the organizers have tried to keep them interesting for participants so, for the most part, they make them a little challenging. The others are put on by clubs and other groups for health and fitness reasons.

Whatever the catalyst is for these events, they help build a sense of community and that in itself makes it worth the effort.

• Iroquois Point Island Club Patriot 5k Run/Walk, Ewa Beach, HI 6/16/07
• Hibiscus Half Marathon, Honolulu, HI 6/17/07 - This one is my focus right now! It’ll be a first for me but it should be interesting, as long as I don’t finish last!
• Hawaii Youth Triathlon, Kalaeloa, HI 7/01/07
• Epilepsy Foundation of Hawaii’s Freedom Run/Walk 2007, Kailua, HI 7/04/07
• Lanikai Bike Path 8K Run — in Memory of Daniel Levey, Kailua, HI 7/15/07
• Kailua Beach Run, Kailua, HI 7/22/07
• 27th Annual Tinman Triathlon, Honolulu, HI 7/29/07
• 5th Annual Mango Days 5K Run/Walk/Stroller, Honolulu, HI 7/29/07
• MPRRC Marathon Readiness Series, Honolulu, HI (8/19/07 - 11/04/07)
• 4th Annual June Jones Foundation Hawaiian Telcom 5K Run & Walk, Honolulu, HI 8/25/07
• Windward Half Marathon, Kailua, HI 9/09/07
• Maui Marathon & Half Marathon, Kahului, HI (9/15/07 - 9/16/07)
• Na Wahine Sprint Triathlon/Duathlon, Waikiki, HI 9/16/07
• Survivor Stride II ‘07 Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (9/29/07 - 9/30/07)
• XTERRA Makena Beach Trail Run (5k), Makena, HI 10/27/07
• TERRA Makena Beach Trail Run (10k), Makena, HI 10/27/07
• Old Sugar Mill Run, Koloa, HI 11/03/07
• Friends of Kailua High 5K/10K Run, Kailua, HI 11/11/07
• Honolulu Marathon Clinic’s 33rd Annual Turkey Trot, Honolulu, HI 11/22/07
• TEAM TSA Tourette Syndrome Association Honolulu Marathon, Honolulu, HI 12/09/07
• Honolulu Marathon, Honolulu, HI 12/09/07

For links to look at any of these further or more in depth, you can go here to Active.com

Starting at 4:00 am, the buses, both tour buses and school buses, begin loading up the participants who have chosen to park their cars at Aloha Stadium. Before 7:00 am, these buses will take several thousand people downtown for the start of the 23rd annual Great Aloha Run.

The downtown businesses that were smart enough to be open that early made a small killing I’m sure! Looks like Starbucks had a nice morning!

This annual event has become something that a lot of us look forward to each year. The theme for this event was “ke kukini me ke aloha pau’ole” (the race with compassionate love). It is a way to join the community in supporting the community, and a way of achieving a sense of accomplishment after completing an 8.15-mile foot race. Not all race, some join in the event to socialize and just to be a part of things.

Over the last 22 years this event has raised $6.8 million for 26 local charities.

There are walkers, wheelchairs, strollers and, of course, the runners. It may say, “Run” in the title, but the event is open to all who want to participate. Some people walk, some run, some do a little of both. Some people run or walk with family or friends and some go it alone. I, for one, am a loner. It’s my time to be alone with me.

At 6:50 am, ten minutes before the official start of the run, the branches of the military start the show as they begin to run with banners, etc. The “Sounds of Freedom” as this kick-start of the run is called, brings more cheers from the crowd than I’ve heard in a long time. I guess there’s nothing like a war and having troops away from home to bring cohesion and unity to a country. The Fire Boat in Honolulu Harbor sits spraying its support for the participants as we sing the Star-Spangled Banner and Hawai’i Pono’i before the start.

But, Why Run?

The runners can be timed if they choose to be. They will pay a little bit more for the technology and paperwork involved. Some will run just because it’s what they do. People look at runners and shake their heads wondering why they do what they do. I can’t talk too loud; I look at marathon runners and shake my head too!

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On Wednesday, February 7, the kick-off rally for the Pro Bowl took place in Downtown Honolulu. People looking out their office windows couldn’t miss the giant NFL football that had been placed just behind the stage area. While Honolulu’s Mayor, Mufi Hannemann, and the Royal Hawaiian Band were there to welcome the NFL in style, the real crowd pleasers were the team mascots and the cheerleaders who were also in attendance, and doing what they do best! Even though it was still early in the week, we did manage to have a few of the players present – the ones who had already touched down at Honolulu International Airport.
It started to rain but people still pressed forward to get a good view of the sexy beauties, the likes of which are rarely seen in this usually mundane business district. Everyone stayed put and the people with cameras had to fight the rain, dripping umbrellas and the surrounding pools of water to get pictures of the young beauties that kept smiling through it all. Fortunately for me, the rain and I get along quite nicely and I really don’t mind getting drenched. Unfortunately for me, soaking wet business attire and air conditioning do not get along quite so well.

All of this fuss is just for the NFL’s All-Star game? Yes, Super Bowl XLI, the highlight of the football season, has come and gone but we’re not ready to say farewell to the season just yet. Selected Players from the NFC (National Football Conference) and the AFC (American Football Conference) will hit the turf just one more time on February 10th at Aloha Stadium. Banners like the one to the left are flying from the light posts along King Street through downtown Honolulu and portent the start of just one more football event. The votes of fans, coaches and other NFL football players create the team rosters that list the players who will grace our presence in the Pro Bowl this year.

While the Indianapolis Colts are, of course, the stars of the NFL and will be represented nicely by five of their players: Harrison, Wayne, Manning, Saturday and Glenn, the San Diego Chargers lead the league with a record-breaking ten players in attendance!

Mahalo NFL!

While Honolulu welcomed the NFL with open arms, the NFL had a nice surprise announcement of its own. NFL Charities granted $100,000 made up of various amounts to a selection of sixteen Hawaii-based, non-profit organizations. Even more surprising, for me, was the fact that the NFL has been doing this for over ten years now. NFL Charities focuses its grant-making on youth, education and sports-related medical research. It’s always an admirable thing to see such a large for-profit organization giving back to the communities they touch in the course of their activities.

Mahalo to the NFL for giving football fans just one more week of gridiron entertainment, and a very big aloha and mahalo for the generous grants provided to the members of our non-profit community!