Just got back from the annual OIA Awards Banquet, the seventh one I attended since 2001 (missed ‘02 while in Disneyland).

It’s a function I am grateful and honored to be invited to every year, because despite what some haters on this blog like to believe, I actually have been a big fan of the OIA since the late 1970s. I looked up to and idolized guys like Cliff Kaneaiakala (Kaiser), Kurt Gouveia (Wai’anae) and Lakei Heimuli (Kahuku) just like I did the ILH guys like Leroy Lutu (UHS), John Kamana (Punahou) and Kaulana Park (Kamehameha).

Anyway, the OIA is a massive league with 23 schools, almost all of them with a medium-to-large-sized enrollment. The OIA banquet brings all of them together under one roof, at the Ala Moana Hotel.

HHSAA team champions and runners-up are recognized, as are long-time employees and KSSK Coaches of the Year. There also are OIA Special Awards in recognition of outstanding service to the league.

OC16 put together a nice video highlight package showing great clips from throughout the year, in football, volleyball, basketball, softball, baseball.

This year, there was a pleasant surprise to the program when OIA executive director Dwight Toyama presented grants from the fledgling OIA Athletic Foundation to two schools.

Kaiser, which plans to build an equipment storage facility for its new softball field, was awarded a check for $7,000. Wai’anae, which plans to upgrade its weight training facility into a fitness center that can be used by the Leeward community, was awarded $20,000.

After the fast-paced banquet program, many of the attendees migrate to a hospitality room where people from all schools get to socialize and catch up with each other.

I really do admire the OIA, because like Anuenue principal Charles Naumu said, it’s a league that is not exclusive, but INCLUSIVE. Their schools take in all kids from the community and provide them with opportunities, highlighted by the many dedicated coaches and administrators.

And as exemplified by the banquet, the competition within the league is fierce but afterward there is a bond and pride that is shared by all.

From Schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto on down to the athletes, there is a “can-do” spirit that says the OIA should take a back seat to no one, and that is very true.

The league had 10 team state championships and dozens of individual state titles this year to prove it.

We all should cheer for the OIA because the OIA is about communities, and we all are part of a community, no matter what school we or our kids go to or graduated from. Me, I always cheered for Farrington.

The OIA is a great league with great people, and the OIA banquet is a refreshing and enjoyable way to celebrate just how great it is.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 14th, 2008 at 12:54 am and is filed under Prep Talk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.