The Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas area boasts a population of just over 2 million. In every way, a place of such girth is light years removed from Koloa, Kaua’i. After last Saturday evening (Feb. 10), I think I can guarantee, having
The Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas area boasts a population of just over 2 million. In every way, a place of such girth is light years removed from Koloa, Kaua’i.
After last Saturday evening (Feb. 10), I think I can guarantee, having only driven through Dallas/Ft. Worth twice in my life, that the social fabric is knit much tighter on the southside of our island.
It seems Ryan Baniaga might guarantee something similar. He returned to his native home from his new one, in Texas, for the kind of reunion that — considering all of the places I’ve been, and I’m a military brat — would only be possible here.
Through the vision of Bruce Sakimae — he began work on the project last May — the Koloa Pop Warner Association hosted a reuniting of 37 years of youth football Saturday at Koloa Park. The program included food, entertainment and the imparted wisdom of St. Louis School football coach Cal Lee. Under cloudy skies and circus-sized big-top tents, an estimated 2,300 people, all with some association to pop warner, skimmed photocopies of every team assembled from 2000 back to 1963.
But more important for Baniaga and 1,000 others was the chance to shake some hands of people to whom they were bonded through sport — commonly observed the strongest adhesive around.
“I can’t tell you how good it is to see some of these guys again,” Baniaga said. “These were the guys I suited up with, went to war with, dropped sweat with.
“I came back specifically for this event . . . yeah, I still have family here, but this was my reason for coming back.”
Baniaga played in the Koloa Pop Warner system from 1977 to 1982, but it was the recollection of that final year that sprang to his tongue with the clarity of a cloudless morning.
“That was my most memorable year,” he said. “And the most memorable year, I’m sure, for my teammates.”
In 1982, Baniaga and those mates played for the Koloa Packers of the Bantam league, which included the oldest pop warner kids, ages 14-16.
“It was to be the final year of the bantam league,” Baniaga said. “There had a been a decision island wide to shut it down because the high schools couldn’t get anybody to come out and play for their programs.
“We all wanted to play pop warner. We all wanted to represent the places we were from. It was more important to win that league than [the Kaua’i Interscholastic Federation] championship.”
With that in mind, Baniaga and his teammates understood that the 1982 bantam winner would be a sort of eternal pop warner champion.
“Nobody could take that from us, ever,” Baniaga said.
The Packers won title. You’d think Baniaga was talking Super Bowl or at least high school state title the way he beams, today, 19 years later.
Sakimae guessed that over 3,000 people would have shown up if not for the inclement weather. But the tents were stuffed just the same. Past pop warner performers linked with progressively newer generations of players, delivering bits of wisdom. But mostly, folks just talked story about families, careers, memories and the marvel associated with Koloa. It was a place on Saturday night where shoulder pads and helmets, despite the year they were worn, provided plenty of adhesive for the forming of a bond.
Sports editor Jason Gallic at 245-3681 or mailto:kauaisports@pulitzer.net
