Surfing to be official high school sport in Hawaii

BY Jaymes Song - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HONOLULU -- Hawaii will soon become the first state in the nation to call surfing an official high school sport. Gov. Neil Abercrombie and state education officials said Monday that riding the waves will join the likes of football, basketball, volleyball and swimming as a state-sanctioned prep sport in public schools, starting as early as spring 2013.

beach storm

"It's quite clear, when you think of Hawaii, you think of surfing," Abercrombie said with a scenic backdrop of sunbathers and surfers along Waikiki beach behind him. The news conference was held near the statue of island icon Duke Kahanamoku, an Olympic gold medal swimmer known as the father of modern surfing.

"Hawaii is the birthplace of surfing. From Duke Kahanamoku to the thousands of residents and visitors who surf both recreationally and competitively, the sport is rooted in our culture and way of life," the governor said.

The Aloha State is known for its world-class surf breaks and competitions. It is home to many pro surfers and has produced several world champions including Hawaii's Carissa Moore, who this summer became the youngest world champion at 18.

"I think it's awesome, and it will open doors for kids," said Moore, who welcomed the announcement. She said the sport taught her many life lessons growing up, such as hard work, perseverance, and time management. "Surfing and riding a wave is so much like life. You fall down over and over again, but you keep picking yourself back up until you ride one all the way to the beach," Moore said. "I know that's kind of cheesy, but I think surfing is definitely a really good outlet for a lot of teens and young kids. It's a way to channel a lot of energy into something positive. It's just really awesome." Hawaii has the only statewide public school district in the nation, which means surfing will be offered across the islands.

Song, James. “Surfing to be official high school sport in Hawaii.”
The Associated Press. 3 Oct. 2011. Google. 4 Oct. 2011 http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/sections/news/local-news/surfing-be-official-high-school-sport-hawaii.html.

evickacz. Surfing- Image ID: 904088. stock.xchng. 4 Oct 2011.
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/904088
hawaiian islands

$25M solar project planned for 2012

by Vanessa Van Voorhis - THE GARDEN ISLAND

'ELE'ELE — Kaua'i’s largest solar farm should be ready to harvest clean energy in 2012 if the county Planning Commission approves the Alexander Baldwin project proposal as expected. A B’s estimated $25 million, 6-megawatt photovoltaic energy facility would be built on 20 acres of A B-owned, industrial-zoned land adjacent to Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative’s Port Allen power plant and a wastewater treatment plant. The land company anticipates two-thirds of the project’s costs will be reimbursed through state and federal subsidies, such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which is set to expire at the end of next year.

The energy would be sold to KIUC for 20 cents per kilowatt hour, as outlined in A B’s Power Purchase Agreement with the co-op. A B held a town hall meeting Wednesday at 'Ele'ele School to unveil its preliminary plan and gather community feedback. Aside from representatives from A B and KIUC, attendance was low, despite free pizza. Tom Shigemoto, vice president of A B Properties, started the meeting by saying now is the time to express concerns, not the day of the Planning Commission review. A B provides Kaua'i with 10 percent of its energy needs through its Kalaheo and Wainiha hydropower plants. It also owns two hydropower facilities on Maui. The land company is looking to expand its renewable energy portfolio and believes this solar concept is “absolutely perfect,” Shigemoto said.

solar power arrays

The preliminary plans include 25,000 to 30,000 fixed-array panels mounted at an angle onto five- to six-foot posts driven directly into the ground. Coverage over the 20 acres will be approximately 80 percent. In conjunction with the project, KIUC will install two industrial-scale battery stations capable of storing the solar energy for one hour, thereby evening out the energy supply to the grid during times of intermittent production due to periodic cloud cover. KIUC said it will spend $2.4 million for the system.

A B anticipates the panels will last about 25 years, but the electrical components will have to be replaced more frequently. Construction will require an estim11ated 60 employees; however, once constructed, only one employee will be needed to manage the facility.

Van Voorhis, Vanessa. “$25M solar project planned for 2012.”
The Garden Island.2 Oct. 2011. Google. 4 Oct. 2011 http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/article_e642e6fe-ed85-11e0-9717-001cc4c002e0.html.

jzlomek. Solar Panels- Image ID: 819806. stock.xchng. 4 Oct 2011.
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/819806