What took so long, Hawaii? Finally, after several years of discussion, planning and navigation through logistical hurdles, official high school team surf competition is expected to become a reality this weekend. Teams from Castle, Kahuku, Kaimuki and Kalaheo High Schools are scheduled to compete this weekend in what is believed to be the first Department of Education-approved surf competition between schools in the Hawaiian Islands.

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, the bureaucracy in Hawaii is notorious for dragging their feet on so many issues that are vital to its communities. With that being said, you would think that a state that so many consider to be the epicenter for surfing would take the lead on providing an opportunity for high-school athletes to compete against one another in the sport they love.

Even though this is a step in the right direction, it is still not quite enough. The upcoming competition is not sanctioned by the O’ahu Interscholastic Association or the Hawai’i High School Athletic Association, so surfing still is not an official high school sport. It is classified as a “club” type extracurricular activity.

While realizing there is quite a bit of ‘red tape’ when it comes to sanctioning high school sports, it is still appalling that the state of Hawaii is so far behind on this issue. I’ve long been impressed with the way California runs their high school surf programs, thus providing a positive outlet for students that would rather let their abilities shine in the water rather than on the field. The positives of high school surfing far outweigh the negatives and hopefully this is the first step of many for Hawaii and they will continue to move toward the sanctioning of surfing as an official sport.

Posted by Shaun on Monday, March 10th, 2008 in Surfing.

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