Is there distinction in the Nissan Hall of Honor?

Those of you who have ever strained through one of Joan River’s “Red Carpet Fashion Awards” shows must know how easily honors of dubious distinction can be handed out to just anyone.

Rivers would give Al Bundy and his trademark “wife-beater” shirt a fashion award if she could fit it somewhere between Calista Flockhart’s size-zero gown and Kathy Lee Gifford’s fly-trap hair-do.

I once got the “Class Clown” trophy for being an idiot in high school, and it would have meant a lot to me if my jokester classmate John Morales hadn’t received the “Most Humorous” award ten minutes before I got to the podium.

At that point, I wasn’t sure if the trophy was a compliment.

Sometimes, handing out too many awards diminishes the distinction of those that really count. I’m sure 90-percent of the 2002 Harvard University graduates (each who graduated “with honors”) understand what I mean.

And so when it was announced that two of Kaua’i’s athletes have been inducted into this year’s Nissan Hall of Honor, I was doubtful.

What is the Nissan Hall of Honor?

“It’s about being a top-notch athlete, and about having good character,” someone told me. “Yeah, being good at sports is necessary, but it involves academics, as well,” another said.

So what does it take to be one of the 12 student-athletes in the State honored with what has become high school sport’s most heralded award?

I had to find out on my own.

First stop: Ala Lani Spa and Tennis Courts, where Kaua’i High’s Tiana Lum-Tucker was rallying with brother Brad, a former Nissan Hall of Honor selection.

As an athlete, there is no question Tiana is deserving of some kind of award and recognition. I could sense it in her swing, and I knew it last fall when she led the Kauai Red Raiders to a rather dominant KIF championship.

But when we talked about her high school career, her daily schedule and her aspirations, only two (rather regrettable) words came from of my mouth: “You’re psycho.”

I told her I meant it in a good way; that I didn’t think she prowled through camping grounds with a mask and chainsaw or collected dead animals. But a poignant air of disbelief struck me as I listened and scribbled in my notepad. For reasons only the people who gave me the “Clown” award would know, I couldn’t find the right words to say.

Tiana played six sports this year, practiced before and after school, played in volleyball and tennis tournaments, ran in meets, tutored underclassmen for an hour a day and still managed to pull off a 3.9 grade point average.

When does Tiana do homework?

“At night, after practice and games,” she said.

And then there is Waimea’s Abraham Apilado, the other Kauai 2002 Nissan Hall of Honor selection.

An unsung hero, Apilado may have been the most effective football player to put on pads this season, and was a State qualifier for Track and Field events.

If you look at past issues of the Garden Island Sports section, where pictures of KIF MVP Chesley Barba is breaking through the line for a big gain, you may see Apilado blocking on either side of him. The hole didn’t dig itself, you know.

And when I’ve talked to Waimea Athletic Director James Kitamura, Officer Darla and others who know Apilado well, I’ve heard the same description:

“Humble. A quiet leader. A hard worker. A great kid. A tough football player with an unbreakable heart.”

Apilado and Lum-Tucker are two completely different people with different personalities. But they share a uniqueness that separates them from their peers. Two extraordinary student-athletes with the features people in all walks of life should revere and respect.

By examining the two characters – each a subject of TGI’s feature stories for next week – I have been able to validate the claim that the Nissan Hall of Honor is in fact an award which presents great distinction and respect.

This award isn’t a product of an age defiant Joan Rivers or a pimple-faced school yearbook adviser. This is an award presented by the State of Hawaii in recognition of 12 individuals with extraordinarily admirable qualities.