Fiscal responsibility is utmost in Chris Chun’s mind.
The attorney-turned-executive director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association made it through the busy spring season and this week’s athletic directors conference with renewed energy.
He’s got little time to digest the proposals that passed the Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association conference before they go up for vote before the HHSAA’s executive board on Monday morning.
Without the HHSAA’s approval, no HIADA proposal is enacted. It’s happened often times before: three days of debate and wrangling end with passage, only to be vetoed by the HHSAA’s board.
One of the sideline discussions at the HIADA conference involved the possibility of adding a third division to the classification. Bob Wagner of Kamehameha-Hawaii has discussed this.
Chun thinks it is worthwhile as a topic, but noted that now is not the time to think of it in realistic, monetary terms.
“Division III will happen one day. It’s a need-based thing. Our state is growing,” Chun said. “The way we fix Division II is by creating a third division.”
True enough, the best of the medium and small schools get their share of verbal hits. Overachieving programs like Hawaii Baptist girls volleyball and ‘Iolani football receive their share of criticism, usually from fans who view high school sports as a giant win-loss power rating machine.
“Not everyone can agree on classification,” Chun said.
Until costs are under control, however, D-III is just a fleeting thought. With a growing number of small schools across the state, a thought is plenty enough — a seed that just will need planting and nurturing when the time is right.
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