DECEMBER 10, 2014 - VOLUME 30, ISSUE 49
The
Molokai Dispatch T H E I S L A N D ’S N E W S S O U R C E S I N C E 1985
Glowing Good Cheer By Colleen Uechi | Staff Writer
W
hen night fell last Saturday, Kaunakakai came alive. Residents welcomed in the holidays with a dazzling array of lights and entertainment in the island’s A n n u a l Christmas Light Parade
and Ho`olaule`a. “We just do this for the community, for the kids,” said Kelvin Keanini, who marched with the Frozen-themed float created by members of the Latter-day Saints Church.“… Everybody stepped up their production with the floats.” According to organizers, 25 groups participated in the parade. County Mayor Alan Arakawa traveled from Maui to serve as the grand marshal. The glittering floats included a Hawaiian style “12 Days of Christmas” display, a gingerbread house, light-adorned boats and Santa Claus. Later, the ho`olaule`a featured moonlit hula performances, food and local merchandise. Cameron Hiro, event planner for the Molokai Island Foundation (MIF), said the MIF resurrected the event in 2008, when many people lost jobs after Molokai Ranch shut down. The parade
helped restore hope and unity that year. This year’s event was another chance “for the community to come together,” said Hiro, something he felt was especially meaningful this year. “When we have an event like this, it really puts into perspective what’s really important,” he said. “A spirit of aloha and unity.”
Dispatch
By Colleen Uechi | Staff Writer
A
lthough the weather is turning colder, the Molokai winter sport athletes are just getting warmed up. With the Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) winter season approaching, Molokai High’s teams are training to compete in basketball, paddling, swimming and wrestling. In a two-part series, the Dispatch takes a look at these teams as they prepare to make their mark in the MIL.
Wrestling
Photos by Colleen Uechi
THIS WEEK’S
Winter Sports Preview, Part 1
Subsistence Fishing Designation Moves Forward
MAC Member Art Show Pg. 7
This season, the boys’ and girls’ teams have 19 wrestlers apiece. The girls’ roster is rife with experience, with 11 returning wrestlers, while the boys’ team welcomes a relatively young squad that includes seven returning wrestlers and six freshmen. “The number of returning girls makes us strong ‘cause we’ve got some experience to work with,” said Coach Randy Manley, who added that this year’s squad is the biggest girls’ team he’s ever seen from the school. Last season, the girls placed second in the MIL and eighth out of nearly 50 schools at the state championships. This year, they’ll contend for the school’s first ever MIL team title in girls’ wrestling. The coach mentioned that some key wrestlers to watch for are junior Esther Torres-Umi, who has a history of success that includes last season’s 123-pound MIL title, and senior Lahela Corpuz, who Manley said has the potential to qualify for a place at states. For the boys, Manley has a different game plan in mind. “Because we’re young, it’ll be a year, two years before we see any significant impact,” he said. “… Primarily, we wanna see just steady improvement throughout this year.” Manley hopes the upperclassmen will help guide his young team to finish within the top four in the MIL. Last season, the Farmers finished third in the MIL championships, with then-junior Iokepa Albino claiming the 222-pound title. Manley believes Albino “should be dominant” again this season, along with teammate Kui Han, who finished second in the 287-pound class at the MILs. According to the current schedule, the Farmers will have to travel to Maui for all of their meets. “Trying to come up with the finances for all those meets is gonna be our biggest challenge,” Manley said. Both teams will compete in 14 different weight classes, with their first regular season match at King Kekaulike High School on Jan. 17.
Swimming By Catherine Cluett | Editor-In-Chief
Hunting Concerns
Pg. 7
traditional fishing practices, prohibit ommunity members are joining commercial harvest and facilitate comwith state officials to develop munity involvement in resource mana designation for Molokai’s agement decisions. north shoreline that would sustainably support marine resources, protect Mo`omomi Continued pg. 2
C
Molokai’s swim teams have reason to elevate their game this season. At last year’s state championships, Hawaii swimmers broke 11 state records. The boys’ team has six swimmers hoping to compete in Hawaii’s pool of speed-
Sports Continued pg. 2
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The
Molokai Dispatch
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