The University of Hawai‘i football team took the field for another fall camp practice on Wednesday, a gathering that almost didn't occur due to a tsunami warning on Tuesday.
Members of the team were sent home shortly after an earthquake in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula prompted a tsunami warning for the Hawaiian Islands at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday.
Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green said waves were expected to "wrap" around the islands in initial forecasts that projected the first set of waves to arrive at around 7:17 p.m. on Tuesday. By the end of the night Tuesday, the warning was downgraded to a tsunami advisory. Then on Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service canceled its tsunami advisory for Hawai‘i.
Wednesday's early afternoon practice in the summer heat appeared to be business as usual for the Rainbow Warriors, but also served as a sobering reminder that no given opportunity to take the field is guaranteed.
"Pretty intense moment for our state," Hawai‘i head coach Timmy Chang said after Wednesday's practice. "Just prayers that hopefully there's not too much damage to our island and our people. It shakes everything up in what you're doing and it puts kind of everything in perspective.
"Really great response, though, from from our leadership and our government officials that they were able to keep us updated every hour. I'm watching TV as well, getting updated by the mayor, the governor and our officials. It was a great job that they did just informing our state about what's happening and what to be aware of what's going on."
Practice on Wednesday marked one week since the Rainbow Warriors began fall camp. The 'Bows were in full pads and had extended 11-on-11 sessions, leading to some chippy moments between players on offense and defense.
Wednesday's live sessions appeared to favor the defense, where the Rainbow Warrior defense forced multiple turnovers.
"(Tuesday), the offense gets the better of the two-minute drill, they get the better of the 7-on-7, and some big plays and catches. (Wednesday's) flip side, the defense. You can tell the mood of the defense and it starts with the defense, our defensive coordinator and staff. When you come out here, you feel the mood of the defense.
"I thought they flew around the ball. They're knocking the ball out, they're making plays in the backfield, they're sharing tackles, they're getting to the ball. And so it was really a good day. I thought they did a really good job of shedding blocks on the perimeter. It's a notch where they can continue to build off of and and they know what they can do. ... For the flip side of the offense, we can look at the film and figure out where we need to get better now that the pads are on."
Practices resume for the Rainbow Warriors leading up to their season opener against Stanford on Aug. 23 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex at 1:30 p.m. The 'Bows will continue to practice on the weekdays and scrimmage on Saturdays while having Sundays off.
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
