WAIMEA — It may not sound like much, but when 27 softball teams and their bands of supporters descend on a town, the impact it leaves definitely makes an impression. Doing some rudimentary math based on visitor-spending trends supplied by
WAIMEA — It may not sound like much, but when 27 softball teams and their bands of supporters descend on a town, the impact it leaves definitely makes an impression.
Doing some rudimentary math based on visitor-spending trends supplied by the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, if 27 teams each brought 15 players, and if each player brought two guests, that’s 1,215 people. If they stayed, say, four days each, and spent the average of $147 per person per day the average visitor to Kaua‘i spends, that impression equated to over $700,000 in local spending.
And participants in the Kaua‘i Fantasy Softball Tournament at Waimea Canyon Park and H.P. Fayé Park (Kekaha ball park) are the first of a slew of arrivals of players in various summer sports tournaments.
But that was so last week.
Under way now is a Carlsbad, Calif. goodwill tournament (see more on that in the sports pages this week), followed by Kaua‘i’s hosting of the state senior softball championships, followed nearly immediately by a volleyball tournament.
The end result is a steady stream of commerce for the Waimea and Kekaha areas, something residents and merchants on that side of the island are welcoming with open arms and cash registers.
Pat Baniaga, one of the committee of organizers for the Fantasy tournament, said the tournament this year featured a total of 12 teams in the 14-and-under category that came from as far away as California; a pair of 16-and-under teams, and thirteen of the 18-and-under teams, some coming from as far away as New Jersey.
Baniaga, who joined Albert Soto on the organizing committee when he coached the Waimea High School softball team, said he would like to see members of every Kaua‘i-based girls’ softball team have an opportunity to play against these visiting teams so they can get a true test of their abilities.
One of the coaches of the Magic squad from Toledo, Ohio, explained that this trip and tournament was kind of a graduation present for many of the players, since nine players graduated this year and this tournament was the last time they get to play together as a team.
Tim Ware, a former Oakland Raiders wide receiver, also expressed similar sentiments about his Vista Blue California state-champion team, which was in one of the lead positions in the 14-and-under play in Kekaha.
Ware said most of the girls will be leaving for high school, which means they will probably not be playing together again.
Brian Yamase of First Hawaiian Bank’s Waimea branch said it was really nice to see how much the tournament impacted the town economically. Teams converged at Jojo’s Shave Ice to try to beat the Westside heat, although Sarah Ackley of Phoenix, Ariz. said it’s a lot hotter over there.
Ackley, who plays for the Scorpio, said one of her coaches heard about the tournament while here on vacation, and now they’re part of it. Similarly, Ware also found out about the tourney while here on vacation, and according to some of the Vista parent supporters, he’s talked about nothing else ever since he came back.
The Magic coach said he was here three years ago, and found Jojo’s, so on this trip brought his girls over to try shave ice. He said most of the girls on the team had never been to Hawai‘i before, so this visit was a real treat for them. His group consisted of about 40 in the party, and they were staying at the Radisson Kauai Beach Resort near Hanama‘ulu.
Vista Blue sports a traveling party of about 70, and is staying at the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort & Beach Club. Another team had an entire wing rented at the Sheraton Kauai Resort in Po‘ipu.
Yamase said he’s talked to several of the merchants in Waimea about collectively coming up with some value packages and coupons that they could present to the organizers, but it’s always been put off, and by the time people get around to working on it, the tournament has passed.
The fields in Waimea and Kekaha are ready, willing and able to handle the pounding brought about by several games a day.
“Teddy Arroyo does a great job with that grass,” Yamase said. Most coaches agree, commenting on how three games can be played at the same time with dugouts at all three fields in Waimea. In Kekaha, two games take place at any given time, but only one field sports dugouts, the other field relying on pop-up tents for shelter from the sun.
The economic impact goes way beyond shave ice, as team moms dropped off their teams for shave ice while taking the vans on a tour of the town in search of bargains and souvenirs to bring back.
Michael Koerte, an umpire as well as coordinator, said he was pleased that this year they fielded all Kaua‘i-based umpires for the games. Last year, he remembers flying in umpires from other islands. “It’s good that we can keep the money here,” he said.
Koerte, who also coaches the Wes Syde Gurls 14-and-under team, also coordinated with the Kapa‘a and Waimea teams so the Kapa‘a girls could also participate in the tournament, coordinating practice so he would drive his girls to Kapa‘a where they would work out together. Normally, that would not happen, as Kapa‘a schools opened on Thursday and Friday.
The tournament, too, is in a rebuilding process following the Sept. 11 incident. At one point, there were as many as 43 teams converging on the Westside, with positive economic benefits for resorts, rental-car companies, and local businesses. But, following the Sept. 11 tragedy, many teams ran into problems trying to travel here.
Sheraton Kauai Resort, another popular destination spot for traveling teams, in giving back to the community, sponsored a flagpole which was erected at the Waimea Canyon Park by Erwin Wright, a Waimea High School athlete and Boy Scout, who coordinated the construction as an Eagle project. The flags were supposed to be contributed by the county.
Lisa Johnston, whose Holoholo Snack Cart recently took to the roads on the Westside, was also busy taking care of people’s thirst and cravings for snacks at Kekaha.
Johnston said the Waimea park has its own food booth, but there was nothing at Kekaha, so she simply parked her van under the shade of a tree and stayed there until she had to leave for a meeting.
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
