Honolulu takes home Sportstown honors for the Aloha State

By Andrew Schulman

Though Hawaii is rarely considered an American athletic hotbed, sports have always played an important role in the culture of our nation’s 50th state. Now, in an attempt to raise the area’s profile, the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is developing several world-class facilities while continuing to offer programs for all ages. This innovative planning and overall quality has earned Honolulu the title of Sports Illustrated Sportstown.

Overseeing sports on Hawaii’s largest island, the Honolulu DPR has three roles: Conducting its own sports programs, assisting programs organized by other community groups and managing Oahu’s parks, fields and courts.

“The (DPR) provides its own sport activities for all ages and abilities regardless of the level of skill,” said Arthur Wong, Recreation Specialist. “It is our intent to teach the fundamentals of the sport, with a sense of accomplishment and fun while preparing and encouraging residents to seek more competitive alternatives, if they wish.”

Those "competitive alternatives" are run by a host of local and national groups, including the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association, American Youth Soccer Organization, Little League Baseball, Special Olympics, Pop Warner Football and the Hawaii Softball Association. They all depend on the DPR to provide quality facilities and ensure their equitable use.

And the DPR has delivered.

The organization currently operates 85 staffed recreation facilities on the island, which include 224 outdoor basketball courts, 216 tennis courts, 184 outdoor volleyball courts, 182 softball fields, 128 soccer fields, 48 baseball fields, 26 football fields, 21 gymnasiums, 20 swimming pools, 5 skateboard parks, four inline skate rinks, three archery ranges, three cricket fields, one rugby field and one lawn bowling facility.

Recently, in order to better serve the community and draw world-class events to the region, the DPR has begun developing larger sports complexes.

The first of these facilities is the Waipio Soccer Complex, with its main stadium and 20 surrounding soccer fields. Opened in 1999, Waipio is used for youth, high school and college competition. In 2002, AYSO had its national championship at the complex -- and other tournaments have drawn teams from the mainland, Europe and Asia.

Building on Waipio’s success, the DPR recently opened the Central Oahu Regional Park, which features a tennis complex with 20 lighted courts, as well as a baseball complex, a softball complex, five multi-purpose fields and an archery range. The tennis complex has become extremely popular and, in February was the site of the USTA’s National Open Championships for Juniors. Meanwhile, the baseball facility has drawn youth teams from the mainland, for tournaments in the summer months, and Korean professional teams, who hold spring training at the park from January through March.

Yet even with this international success, organizers realize the most important benefits these facilities provide are realized at home.

"Sports have always brought this community together in a way that few activities can," said Wong. "Families who live on one end of the island and don’t travel much will drive all the way across to the other end to watch their child play a sport. At the (DPR), we are just trying to ensure that tradition continues."