The Hawaii High School Athletic Association executive board meets throughout the year, making decisions that affect member schools and athletes and their families statewide. The board last met Thursday at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island, where it reviewed the Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association’s recommendations on proposals made by its general assembly Wednesday.
The board is made up of the following members:
Hawaii High School Athletic Association exeucutive board
Non-voting members
>> Chris Chun, HHSAA executive director (ex-officio)
>> Bill Arakaki, Hawaii Department of Education superintendent’s office liaison
>> Joe Balangitao, Maui Interscholastic League executive director
>> Lyle Crozier, Big Island Interscholastic Federation executive secretary
>> Ray Fujino, Oahu Interscholastic Association executive director
>> Blane Gaison, National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association/HIADA representative, Kamehameha-Maui athletic director
>> George Gilbert, Interscholastic League of Honolulu interim executive director
>> Diane Nitta, Kauai Interscholastic Federation executive secretary
>> Russell Aoki, HHSAA office
>> Hoku Haliniak, HHSAA office
Voting members
>> Elden Esmeralda, HHSAA exeuctive board president, OIA president, Kapolei principal (runs the HHSAA board meetings and awards his vote to a proxy)
>> Wade Araki, OIA vice president, Kaimuki principal, votes as proxy for Esmeralda
>> Bruce Anderson, MIL president, Maui High principal
>> Daniel Hamada, KIF president, Kapaa High principal
>> Shawn Suzuki, BIIF president, Konawaena principal
>> Dr. Suzy Travis, ILH president, Assets School principal
During the HHSAA executive board meeting Thursday, Nitta, Arakaki and Anderson had other business to attend to and were not present. Balangitao voted as proxy for Anderson.
My comments will be directed to, Mr. Fujino, OIA executive director.
We teach our young people ethics and morality, not to lie or cheat. But in reference to not only the open divisions championship game last Saturday, and several other games I have witnessed adults in unethical behavior, which becomes confusing and unfair to our youth’s. And for what? A win. Over teaching our youth fairness, and being equally important, ethics. I don’t need to be an expert on the rules of the game of football to see with my own eyes that there was no fairness in the way Saturdays game was officiated. How well do you vet those referees? Goshima, was caught in a compromised situation in San Diego, where he chose to cheat. That kind of behavior should have deemed him ineligible to officiate the game on 11/18/2017. And he was a 1969 graduate of St. Louis, a definite grounds for a conflict of interest issue.
I hope that this kind of conduct by your body of adult leadership, staff, etc., can be addressed forthwith.
Mahalo