Ongoing petition against delay in public school sports in Hawaii

The postponement of fall sports by the Oahu Interschool Association to public school on Wednesday due to the increase in COVID-19 cases has prompted the families of student-athletes to take action.

An online petition – “Allow Oahu High School Sports to Play” – ended with 5,000 signatures Thursday afternoon, just a day after it was posted by Richard Tuason on change.org, but the next step could be in court – and not the kind with a net.

In January, parents of footballers in San Diego filed a lawsuit against California Governor Gavin Newsom. In the spring, as the number of new coronavirus cases dwindled, Newsom authorized the return of preschool football in the spring.

“There are actually people doing this, setting up the case,” said local promoter and distributor Al Medeiros. “I was up until 2 am talking to people. This is the biggest step. We can hold our signs to the side of the road, but we have to go through the court system. We have to do this before September, before he becomes officially mandated. It could become law and become permanent.

The DOE announced on Wednesday that players must be vaccinated. Even with a religious or medical exemption, players are tested twice a week, at their own expense.

Many choose to be vaccinated.

“We have a handful of unvaccinated people (in Kahuku), but I think most of them are going to get her to play football,” said highly-recruited junior linebacker Liona Lefau. “I am vaccinated.

Lefau said the players were aware of the petition.

“That would be cool too. We just hope for a full season,” Lefau added. “We just hope there will be a playoff this year so we can compete for the OIA (title) with the state championship. . “

Some players moved to states such as Nevada and Utah, where restrictions were less common and a fall season was more likely, but others chose to stay put no matter what.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Lefau said. “We made the decision as a team to stay in Kahuku in the hope that our season will not be canceled. My message to my teammates is to stay positive and use this time to work on themselves in the weight room. and also in the field Don’t give up hope!

Medeiros has a daughter who plays volleyball in high school. He has spent much of his time supporting causes close to his heart – he signed the petition.

“I fought for the mauna, for Haleakala. I’m talking about a lot of different things. I compare it to Mauna Kea, and it’s bigger. We had 20,000 steps then, so we should have more for that, ”he said. “The youngster should not be penalized or given an ultimatum. The majority of our student-athletes will only get a scholarship if they play a sport. They’ve been training all this time, and now they have to stop until (end) September or pay $ 100 a week to get tested.

The next step, other than filing a complaint, will be something that has not happened since the start of the pandemic.

“I want us to stand in schools and hospitals on Monday. I reach out to everyone in the communities and schools on every island. We want young people to be able to speak and have a voice, ”said Medeiros. “All of us who have an impact on the lives of our young people, whose jobs depend on it. I hope people will continue to come together to fight this. It is up to us to fight for the youth. We have waited too long to fight for them.

Meanwhile, Roosevelt linebacker Kaeo Akana and his teammates, who face another challenge brought on by this pandemic, are trying to stay positive.

“We had a meeting (Wednesday). There was some disappointment and some frustration, but nothing abnormal, ”said the junior. “Nothing has changed for me. We can have several ways of looking at this. We chose to see this as an opportunity to be in better physical condition, to get stronger, to improve – a second chance to get in shape for the season. Since we have a choice of how to look at it, I think this is the best way.

Akana offers scholarships from some of the best football programs in the country.

“Bubba (his brother, who plays baseball at the University of Hawaii) and I ran in the morning. I got up with Marcus (Kimura, his trainer) at BodyFix, came to school, then we will practice football in the afternoon, ”he said. “Business as usual. “

The private school Honolulu Interschool League is also expected to be affected by the postponement as both leagues play interleague games. Its schools are ready to play a fully ILH program, according to football coordinator Wendell Look of ‘Iolani.

“We have a Plan B schedule ready, if needed,” Look said. “(‘Iolani) is training as usual.”

The same goes for other ILH football teams.