Terrorist attacks put sports in perspective Most afternoons by 3 p.m., the field behind the Kaua’i High School is ripe with young bodies in pads and uniforms. Coaches bark orders and alignments are reviewed. Thursday, those bodies sat in study
Terrorist attacks put sports in perspective
Most afternoons by 3 p.m., the field behind the Kaua’i High School is ripe with young bodies in pads and uniforms. Coaches bark orders and alignments are reviewed.
Thursday, those bodies sat in study hall, ordered off the field by the Department of Education.
Wednesday, the DOE announced that out of respect for those impacted by Tuesday’s terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington D.C., all co-curricular activities involving public schools would be canceled from Thursday, Sept. 13 through Sunday, Sept. 16.
The Kaua’i Interscholastic Federation football game between Kapa’a and Kaua’i, originally scheduled for September 14, has been moved to Friday, Sept. 21.
“We are in total agreement with what has been decided,” Kaua’i head coach Keli’i Morgado said. “It’s what I’ve felt should have happened since I learned about this at 4:30 in the morning Tuesday.”
Instead of playing football, coaches and players will join the rest of the nation on Friday in recognizing what President Bush has called a national day of prayer.
“It’s absolutely the right thing,” Kapa’a athletic director Dwight Fujii said. “It’s a time to get everyone home and spending time with their family and loved ones.”
In the interest of rescheduling, athletic directors from Waimea, Kaua’i and Kapa’a met Thursday morning. They decided to shift the entire KIF football schedule back one week.
“It made sense,” Fujii said. “Let’s just hope there’s no need for a playoff.”
Fujii’s sentiment was only partly in jest. The new schedule ends the KIF season November 9 when Waimea hosts Kapa’a. The state playoffs are currently slated to begin November 16, meaning a KIF playoff game would have to be played mid-week.
None of that was on the minds of coaches, however.
“Our prayers go out to the victims of this tragedy,” Kapa’a head coach Gordon Muramaru said. “I’ve asked my boys to say a prayer for them.”
In addition to a full slate of high school games falling under the cancellation, practices, too, were brought to a halt.
“That makes sense, too,” Morgado said. “You know, we’re anxious to get back to battle, but football pales in comparison to everything else.
“I’ve just told my boys that life is precious. Remember those who are suffering and take advantage of all that life gives you.”
Those sentiments spread beyond the gridiron.
Kaua’i volleyball coach Richard Roberts, expressed his unflinching agreement with the cancellation of practices.
“There is more to life than sports,” Roberts said. “Missing a couple of days of practice is insignificant in the scope of things.”
Air riflery was the only sport other than football directly affected by the cancellation. The shooting season was scheduled to begin Thursday, with Kapa’a hosting Kaua’i and Waimea facing Island School. Those matches will be made up October 2.
