ESPN’s Everett tells kids, ‘Spread the aloha’
June 16th, 2008 by WesCompleted a whirlwind week of awards banquets Saturday with the third annual HMSA Kaimana Awards luncheon, at which 21 recently graduated student-athletes plus 30 schools were honored for achievements in athletics, academics, sportsmanship and community service.
The keynote speaker was ESPN SportsCenter anchor Neil Everett, who got his broadcast start right here in Hawai‘i. Everett was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and went to college at Willamette in Salem, Ore., where he met and got to know a lot of Hawai‘i kids. He eventually spent a summer after graduation in Hawai‘i Kai, working as a dishwasher for six weeks.
When it came time for Neil to return to the Mainland, a funny thing happened: he didn’t want to.
“I thought, ‘Man, why doesn’t EVERYBODY live here?’ ” Everett said. “This is the best place there is.”
So Everett stayed, for the next 14 years before landing the ultimate sports gig with ESPN. But it seems part of him still wishes he could stay here.
“Don’t ever take this place for granted,” he told the 21 student honorees.
As UH football coach Greg McMackin said last week and Everett echoed Saturday, it’s tough to give advice and inspiration to kids like the 21 Kaimana awardees and the 12 HHSAA Hall of Honor inductees, because obviously most of these kids already have what it takes to succeed in college and life and more often than not, it is them who inspire us.
But I thought Everett had an important and interesting message to share, and it hit home with his perspective as an adopted kama‘aina who has moved back to the Mainland.
“If you go to the Mainland for college, you need to take that aloha with you and spread it there,” Everett said. “And even if you stay in Hawai‘i, you need to spread it here, too, because we need more of it here, too. I notice there’s more anger in Hawai‘i than there was 20 years ago, and we have to make sure we never lose that aloha, because that’s what makes this place so special, the way we treat each other.”
I gotta agree with Neil on this one, especially after seeing the kind of hate and anger that spouts out from readers of this blog itself.
I can’t say I did not expect trash talk and insults to emerge when this blog was first proposed by someone else in October 2006, but none of us expected some of the filth and anger and hate that pops up every now and then. I guess we all learned the hard way that every blog post can be like a freshly painted wall inviting graffiti vandals to bring their spray paint.
So much hate out there, it’s disturbing.
Neil ended his time at the podium with another great message. Emcee Jim Leahey had half-joked earlier about Neil being let go by KHNL earlier in his career, but Neil added that he actually had been “let go” from several other jobs as well and was turned down twice by ESPN before finally reaching the promised land.
“Don’t let anybody else determine your self-worth,” Everett said, “because that’s something that belongs to only you.”
June 16th, 2008 at 7:15 am
there’s still a lot of aloha, but most of those who have it don’t express it in words but through their actions…that’s why you don’t “read” too much of it on this blog…but it’s still out there…
June 16th, 2008 at 9:29 am
> “If you go to the Mainland for college, you need to take that aloha with you
> and spread it there,” Everett said. “And even if you stay in Hawai‘i, you need
> to spread it here, too, because we need more of it here, too. I notice there’s
> more anger in Hawai‘i than there was 20 years ago, and we have to make
> sure we never lose that aloha, because that’s what makes this place so
> special, the way we treat each other.”
>
> I gotta agree with Neil on this one, especially after seeing the kind of hate
> and anger that spouts out from readers of this blog itself.
>
> I can’t say I did not expect trash talk and insults to emerge when this blog
> was first proposed by someone else in October 2006, but none of us
> expected some of the filth and anger and hate that pops up every now and
> then. I guess we all learned the hard way that every blog post can be like a
> freshly painted wall inviting graffiti vandals to bring their spray paint.
>
> So much hate out there, it’s disturbing.
Three observations.
(1) Everett is correct.
(2) You are also correct in saying that, regrettably, trash talk and insults have popped up in repsonses to your blog.
(3) You, too, have contributed to the trash talk. As I write this I am thinking of your digs at Punahou in responses you posted in the battle that erupted following your blog post about Punahou’s recent recognition by Sports Illustrated.
I, too, would like to see more aloha and less of a “crabs in a bucket” mentality that mars some of the conversations on this blog.
June 16th, 2008 at 9:59 am
What a great perspective from someone who has been there and done that…..and now for the all that blood, sweat(equity) and tears expended over the years and thousands miles of travel…….he can share that with our most precious resource….the future generations of Hawaii nei !!!!!
June 16th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Spread,
If I am going to have my character and integrity personally attacked, be called names like “hater” and “spouse abuser,” accused of being unprofessional, etc., I’m sorry, but I am going to defend myself.
There was a time years ago when I might have had the strength to just “turn the other cheek,” but unfortunately the growing lack of aloha by people everywhere has tested my patience and I now believe I must stand up against bullies or else they eventually will take over.
“Crabs in a bucket” and “digs” is your interpretation of my responses, which you are entitled to. But that does not mean it was the true intent, despite what you want to believe.
I try very hard not to engage in trash talk or insults, but I will respond to attacks on my character and integrity when I feel it is necessary.
Mahalo for reading.
June 16th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I too have seen the Aloha slipping away. Letting people in ahead of you as you drive was so common and everyone used to wave a thank you when you did it. I still let people in but not rarely get the return thank you wave. It’s important to remember to care about each other. That’ why I’m disturbed by the popularity of the AINOKEA brand of merchandise. I see it all over and I think it just spreads negativity. Let’s get back to what made Hawaii special. Let’s care about each other.
June 16th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
You are starting to sound a little like Paul Honda.
June 16th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
We often take similar kinds of abuse.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I agree with Everett about there being more anger here in the islands. Let’s face it, we have had a great influx of mainland people to all the islands. The complexion of the islands has changed and will continue to change. It is neither good nor bad. They can be thoughtful and caring but I think the biggest problem is they are neither humble nor are they soft spoken. Spreading the Aloha is really getting tough to do even here.
June 17th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
I wouldn’t blame it on any one factor. After all, Neil himself is from the Mainland but obviously understands the aloha spirit.
I think our society in general has changed through the generations and many old-fashioned values are starting to fade, and unfortunately Hawai‘i has not been immune to the changes.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:23 am
As a parent of one of the Kaimana award recipients, I was very moved by the speeches given that day by Mr. Everett and Mr. Leahy, as well as Liz Chun and Dan Mizenthal. These 21 young adults have brought hope to our community and our futures. Their records in sports, academics, and community service are inspirational! Mr. Everett’s hope for reviving Hawaii’s dying aloha spirit still lives in some of our youth–young leaders of tomorrow. It will be guidance from many forms of inspiration that will lead our children.
June 18th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Neil Everett is a great guy. I learned so much from him on TV sports and life in general. It’s funny because when he was here, a lot of people didn’t like Neil’s style. Mainly saying his writing is too clever…lol… Oh well it’s just a matter of finding your place. Neil is indeed an excellent writer and is well received on the national stage.
His ultimate dream job would be for ESPN to be done out of Hawaii.
June 18th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Forgot to say…
As for the hating and what not… I think “Blogs” make a lot of the trash talking / abuse stuff easier to do since it’s so easy to hide behind a made up name.
You take the good, you take the bad…and there you have…ummm…the facts of life?
Blog on!
June 18th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Lori,
Congratulations — like Dan Meisenzahl (don’t worry, he knows it’s a tough one to spell) said, if you follow these outstanding kids home, you probably will find outstanding parents.
And yeah, as mentioned in the Hall of Honor post, learning about these kids gives me hope for the future of Hawai‘i.
Mahalo for reading.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Wes: Enjoy the blogs!…keep ‘em coming.
I’ve just returned to Hawaii after 7+ years off-island. I see quite a change in the under 15 year-olds. Here’s what I see…
The good:
- Kids are definitely better, stronger and faster at every sport.
- Hawaii kids are gaining more national attention than ever before.
- ILH vs OIA and also Men vs Women gaps have lessened.
The bad:
- The “aloha” spirit has dramatically diminished, instead, giving way to hyper-competitiveness and win-at-all-costs attitudes.
- Parents overly-stress excellence in a single sport rather than diversity in multi-sports or other non-sports activities.
I have lots of anecdotal evidence to support my above observations which I’ll hold comment from for now, but my point is that now more than ever, the younger generation could really use more reinforcement of the “aloha spirit” message and messages that it’s the love of the game that will endure, not the trophies, the money or the college scholarships. Let me be clear, the level of play is amazing here in Hawaii and elsewhere, that is a good thing. I just think to myself sometimes that maybe the kids nowadays are missing out on the more enduring lessons that many of us learned in sports, like: how to learn from mistakes; picking up and helping a teammate; internalizing the feeling of the game like camaraderie and self-improvement; appreciating and respecting coaches/teachers/referees; and most importantly, the fellowship of the game. What can we do to elevate our youth sports to improve their chances of making this a better Hawaii, a better country, a better world? Hmmm.