Week One: Hawaii Sports Have it Tough

In Illinois, we know there are thousands of high school teams competing for the title of State Champions. Teams play very close schools at first and as the competition gets smaller and harder, more traveling is done. There aren't many things to worry about other than to win. But in Hawaii's case, much more is involved. In the article High School Sports in Hawaii Are Far From Paradise, it states that “On Lanai and Molokai, every game is really an away game,” says Amemiya. This means that since Molokai High School has a small population, they must ride a ferry to Maui. The ride takes around 1 hour and 45 minutes. Also, since their aren't as many schools, the competition isn't too hard. Many people aren't use to that in the main states on the U.S., so that would have a negative effect on the teams. In the article Punahou Dominant Again, Tops List of Nation's Best Sports Schools, it states that,

" It would be easy to dismiss Punahou’s dominance. It is a large school in a small state and thus might be expected to accumulate a high number of state championships. "

This means that even though Punahou High School won 17 state titles, it doesn't mean as much because it is such a small state. Even though its a small school, I believe that the school should be praised for their excellence. In addition, even though the school may feel dominance because they won so many state titles, they shouldn't feel praise just yet. They should get out of the islands and into another state, which is just what they did. In the article High School Wrestling: Hawaii's Punahou finds 'spirit' at The Clash, Punahou School wrestling team made their first appearance at the nation’s top high school meet tournament at University Center Rochester.

“I wanted them to see the best level of wrestling in the country and I want them to know that when they push themselves to the limit, they can compete,” said Oney, their coach.

They competed against Illinois Glenbard North wrestling team. Even though they lost miserably, they took advantage of the experience and had a great time. I believe that the most important thing is that you learn from the experience, otherwise there is no point to it.