There’s no place like home.
With no major professional sports teams based in the state of Hawaii, competitions held in the 50th have a distinctly un-corporate, Island feel.
As Aloha State Daily prepares to provide daily coverage of the Hawaii sports scene, below are some examples of what sets the sports scene in Hawaii apart.
Hawaii Ponoi
Before competition held locally even begins, teams will stand for The Star-Spangled Banner, customary for contests held in the United States. In Hawaii, teams will remain standing for Hawaii Ponoi, the state anthem of Hawaii. While the vast majority of visiting teams get the memo, in rare instances, some teams will head back to their bench before realizing there’s another anthem to stand for.
Time and travel
Given the unique time zone in which it resides, home contests for Hawaii teams are more often than not the last game to take place on a given game day, particularly at the college level, where such things can be tracked.
The University of Hawaii football team has gained a faction of fans over the years as the last game during college football Saturdays in the fall. Those UH football home games have gained a cult following as “The Chase Game,” where some sports gamblers on the mainland try to continue a hot streak or get even betting on or against the Rainbow Warriors. Most of Hawaii’s home football games kick off at 6 p.m. if it is aired by Spectrum Sports, though some will begin earlier depending on which network is airing the games.
Another natural occurrence for all college teams in Hawaii given their geography is rigorous travel. The NCAA Division II teams in the state (Hawaii Pacific, Hawaii-Hilo and Chaminade) will annually face each other as members of the Pacific West Conference, mitigating travel in those instances. However, the University of Hawaii is the lone Division I team in the state, leading to long treks to the Mainland for road competition.
The Aloha Spirit
Symbols of aloha, both literal and figurative, are ubiquitous in competitions featuring Hawaii teams.
While college coaching staffs of indoor sports teams from the rest of the United States opt for suits or quarter-zips, their counterparts in Hawaii are likely donning aloha attire.
On the gridiron, the football coach for the University of Hawaii is often seen coaching with a lei on. That tradition extends to other college coaches with Hawaii ties, including Ohio head coach Brian Smith and San Jose State head coach Ken Niumatalolo, both UH alums.
In another symbol that is uniquely Hawaii, University of Hawaii fans often wave ti leaves during games for good luck, a tradition that has made its way to the Mainland in some of the biggest games in UH history, such as the 2008 Sugar Bowl, the 2016 NCAA men’s basketball tournament and multiple NCAA tournaments for UH’s men’s and women’s volleyball teams.
While senior ceremonies at the college level oftentimes take place before the senior game itself, at the University of Hawaii, those festivities occur after the game. Fans often stick around and give lei to their favorite players and coaches, with some senior athletes receiving so much lei that their faces are covered.
At times, UH will also honor the senior athletes of the opposing team with lei before honoring its own seniors.
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
