LIHU‘E — “There’s just two things you need to win — play golf, and have luck on your side,” said Paul Ito of the Puakea Golf Course. Ito, the chair of the upcoming Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation fundraiser, said winners of
LIHU‘E — “There’s just two things you need to win — play golf, and have luck on your side,” said Paul Ito of the Puakea Golf Course.
Ito, the chair of the upcoming Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation fundraiser, said winners of the random team drawings can earn airfare to Las Vegas, inter-island airfares and hotel/golf packages for the Big Island, Maui and O‘ahu. Additionally, Kaua‘i golf packages will also be part of the prize offerings. A flat screen television set is also among the offerings.
The first KIF fundraiser golf tournament is scheduled for April 11 at the Puakea Golf Course and will consist of a three-person scramble with an 8 a.m. shotgun start. Registration starts at 6:30 a.m.
Linda Smith, principal at Kaua‘i High School and a member of the organizing committee, said the grand prize for golfers is airfare to Las Vegas for three, one for each member of the winning team, courtesy of the KIF and Mokihana Travel.
The prize will be awarded through a random drawing of all teams entered into the tournament and is not based on team scoring. This enables anyone participating in the tournament to have a shot at winning the prize.
Smith said there will also be a Mulligan drawing for a 50,000 miles travel certificate from Hawaiian Air.
Entry fee for the golf tournament is $300 per team and includes golf, the awards luncheon, a goodie bag, Closest to the Pin, Long Drive and other team prizes.
Mulligans are available to a maximum of two per player at $10 each.
Registration deadline for golfers is April 5, with space limited to the first 50 teams. Application forms are available at all of the golf pro shops on the island as well as at each of the KIF schools — Waimea High School, Kaua‘i High School, Kapa‘a High School, Island School and the ‘Olelo Christian Academy.
Bill Arakaki, the Kaua‘i Complex Area Superintendant and another of the organizing committee, said sponsorships are also available to local establishments who want to help out the KIF program during a time when budget cuts are affecting the program.
Arakaki said some of the sponsors already signed up for various sponsorship packages include the Big Save stores, the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Regency Resort and Spa, Esaki Surveying and Mapping, Ishihara Market, the Kukui Grove Center, and the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative.
“We still have lots more room for sponsors,” Arakaki said.
A contribution of more than $2,000 earns a Platinum Sponsorship which includes golf for a team of three, a banner display and six holes of sponsorship.
Gold Sponsorship at $1,000 includes golf for a team of three, banner display and three holes of sponsorship and a Silver Sponsorship at $500 includes a banner display and a hole sponsorship. Hole sponsorships are also available at $150 each.
The KIF was established in the mid-1930s to promote unity and cooperation among high school participants, states a KIF release.
The program has grown to include five member high schools sponsoring 15 sports during the Fall, Winter and Spring seasons, collectively. Today, the KIF impacts a total of 1,660 student athletes with 53 percent of all students enrolled in Kaua‘i’s high schools participating in a KIF sports program.
Athletic participation teaches discipline, the importance of hard work, the setting and attaining of worthwhile goals, self-sacrifice, humility and composure under pressure. Through athletics, students learn to face adversity and challenges, develop a courageous spirit, and build reliance on their team members.
In the current economic climate, cutbacks to athletic programs include coaches’ salaries, supplies, equipment and transportation.
This year, a 50 percent reduction in state funding amounts to $70,504 to Kaua‘i and the KIF programs,.
Arakaki said while these figures appear grim, the future does not appear any brighter and it is under this scenario the KIF turns to the community for help.
The KIF is embarking on a journey to raise funds to support our member schools, student athletes and overall sports programs, the release states. Funds will be used to pay for “operational necessities” required to provide our student-athletes the opportunities to compete and develop into well-rounded citizens.
Smith said for more information on how to help, or to register, people can stop by any of the high schools, or ask the schools’ athletic directors, or visit any of the golf pro shops on the island.
