Skateboarding should be high-school sport
As a current student at Waimea High School on Kaua‘i, I know that skateboarding should be allowed as a high-school sport, for various reasons.
First of all, the latest Olympic season, 2020 Tokyo Olympics, was the first time skateboarding was accepted to be an Olympic sport. It would also give high-school students the option of taking part in a more-diverse activity than football or soccer, which are fun but seem standard.
Skateboarding should become a high-school sport especially because the County of Kaua‘i’s installations of public skate areas in Kapa‘a, Lihu‘e and Hanapepe demonstrate community interest, and have been well-received.
Skateboarding is a popular hobby, and has been growing steadily on our small island. Some problems that arise with this becoming a high-school sport are the same as any sport, though.
Concerns would be how does the coach prevent injuries or where do the funds come from. Quick solutions would be ensuring that students use the proper gear to protect them from serious injuries and, like all high-school sports, there could be fundraisers and help from the school in starting up as well as maintaining the sport.
There were a few new sports added in to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but I thought that I should highlight skateboarding because of its popularity in youth on Kaua‘i.
The new sports that were added to the Olympics include surfing, 3×3 basketball, karate, sport climbing and skateboarding. Basketball is definitely one of the more-common international sports, but the rest aren’t usually included as school-offered experiences throughout our nation.
Perhaps some high-school students aren’t as athletic or strong as others, and I think skateboarding is a great way for them to learn about other strengths they might have, potential interest, and their own capabilities.
Being on a team can also help students with their mental-health problems, like depression, by helping them find a group of people that shares common interests as them.
A great indication that the community would benefit from more skating is that the County of Kaua‘i has created multiple skateboarding zones in different areas for the public’s use, so this could help the skateboarders to refine their skills, whether it be from learning to do an ollie or practicing on a halfpipe.
As expected, many physical sports come with their dangerous side of the game, that involves the risk of getting injured. Most sports require gear that protects the athlete, and it would be the same for this sport.
Basic skateboarding gear includes a skateboard, helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, shoes, and sometimes also gloves or wrist guards.
And if people are wondering where the initial funds for this project come from, they could make a donation!
More realistically, though, if it would become an official high-school sport before public support, most of the costs would be paid for with money given to the skateboarding program from the school district’s budget.
Like all the other local sports programs, they would also host fundraisers to collect more money for better gear or additions to the skate zones and tools to clean up the skateparks once in a while.
To conclude, skateboarding should become a high-school sport because it is enjoyed by students who could benefit from getting outside their comfort zones and also have something interesting on their resume.
Sincerely,
Cole Diamond, Kalaheo
There are some racists on Kaua‘i
In response to Dec. 19th letter, “Kaua’i is not a racist place.” Dear Ms. Adams, you sound like a very intelligent lady. I find it hard to believe that you could be so naive as to think that Kaua‘i is exempt from all the troubles the rest of the world faces.
I have been coming to Kaua‘i since 1975, and lived there for some years in the ’80s. I too fell in love with the beautiful people of the island and, of course, the island itself. There was no crime of any sort. The island was a true ‘paradise.’
Kaua‘i has changed like all things do. Hawaiians are now a minority, as you were as a ‘haole’ when you moved to the island. There never was a racist, an anti-vaxxer, a conspiracy theorist, a murderer, a drug peddler, a pedophile, etc.
The true Hawaiian people will always be the way they have always been, loyal, loving, honest, giving and, most of all, welcoming. Kaua‘i is now just a microcosm of the world around us. I agree with you that Kaua‘i is not a racist place, but like everywhere, you have racists who live there.
John Marconato, Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Give citizens $1 million each
How about this idea?
Since they are printing up money willy nilly, print up a billion and give to each citizen. That equals about $300 billion. Peanuts compared to the trillions proposed by current Democrats. Then throw in a new electric vehicle made in USA for each citizen. Still peanuts compared to trillions. After receiving all that nobody can complain anymore about anything, INCLUDING greenhouse gases. Probably have hyperinflation, but can’t have everything, apparently.
By the way (veering to another topic), I really like these things about Kaua‘i:
• Kapa‘a public swimming pool (really nice lifeguards);
• Kaua‘i police (always cordial and friendly to me);
• The weather.
Molly Jones, Kealia
Second prosecutor election a waste of money
The primary election for OPA is over with Rebecca Like the overwhelming winner.
So why is there a general election when there are only two candidates?
Usually, when there are just two candidates the winner of the primary wins the position.
More to my point, why is this election happening now?
Like should’ve been made acting prosecuting attorney ‘til the real primary in Aug. 2022, with the winner becoming the PA. The Charter Commission has some fixing to do. I don’t think wasting a half a million dollars is a good thing.
Mark Perry, Lihu‘e
