Early morning practices, a former staple for the University of Hawai‘i football team in fall camp, were not part of the routine on Wednesday.
The Rainbow Warriors took the field at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on Wednesday at 11 a.m., just as the afternoon heat in Mānoa began to intensify. The 'Bows would usually be long done with practice by then, but Wednesday's practice was a deliberate move by head coach Timmy Chang.
Wednesday marked one month until the Rainbow Warriors open their 2025 season at home against Stanford. The contest, which will be televised nationally on CBS, kicks off at 1:30 p.m. The following week, UH plays at the University of Arizona in Tuscon, a locale where temperatures hover around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
"It'll be hot down here," Chang said of the Aug. 23 opener, "and so we want to make sure that we give our guys the best opportunity to face what they're gonna see and put them in the elements. We figured the first two games, here and Tucson, will be pretty hot for us."
Chang began his fourth fall camp as the head coach for the Rainbow Warriors on Wednesday, some of the freshman he came in with already seniors. One of them was senior safety Peter Manuma, who will be viewed as one of the leaders of the team. The Campbell alum understood the rationale, likening it to the team's narrow 16-13 loss to UCLA on Aug. 31, 2024, a contest that also kicked off at 1:30 p.m.
"Whoever came up with this idea, it's a great idea, but a bad idea," a sweaty Manuma joked. "I feel like it would definitely get us ready, because last season, we played UCLA at around the same time. That was a way different game. So I mean, shout out to the coaches, the support staff, for coming up with this idea of ahead of Week 0."
On each side of the ball, the Rainbow Warriors appeared confident and comfortable. The practice itself was light and contact-free as the 'Bows acclimated to their first official team session of the fall.
"For our first practice, we really wanted to be detailed in our fundamentals, our technique and the things that are the simple things that are going to win us games," Chang said. "We have a slogan: Be great at simple. And that's what we wanted to do today, paying a lot of deep attention to just the little things. Their stance, their first two steps, their eyes, their feet, their hands, those are the little things in the battles that they're going to need."
In other facets surrounding the program, the little things are to be appreciated at a place like the University of Hawai‘i, where some resources can be lacking compared to their Division I FBS counterparts. The 'Bows are set to play their fifth consecutive season at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, a makeshift on-campus stadium after Aloha Stadium was condemned in 2020.
While the new Aloha Stadium has set a target date of 2028, UH's former grass practice field adjacent to Ching was recently converted into a new facility for the school's soccer and track and field teams.
With only its temporary stadium to practice on, more turf was installed on Ching's makai sideline over where the track used to be, giving the Rainbow Warriors more practice space.
"It really helps, because it gives us some more space where guys can work," Chang said. "It allows us to open up the field for some of the skill guys to run around and throw the ball or cover and do those type of things. It allows our specialists to work as well. It's almost 20 yards by 110 yards. All of that space helps for us."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
