A measure to provide funding to support surfing as an interscholastic sport in Hawaii remains alive this legislative session.
House Bill 2277 is awaiting the first of two committee assignments in the state Senate after crossing over from the House last week. To remain alive this session, the measure needs to secure and pass a hearing before the Senate Committee on Education by March 23 followed by a hearing before the Committee on Ways and Means.
As written, the measure would provide a still unspecified dollar amount to the state Department of Education to promote and support surfing as an interscholastic sport in all the state’s high school athletic leagues. Currently, only Maui participates.
Making surfing a sanctioned high school sport across the Aloha State, the birth place of surfing, has been in the works since the early 2000s. The Board of Education first approved surfing as a prep sport in May 2004, but funding, safety concerns, liability and other challenges prevented the sport from becoming sanctioned.
In 2011, then-Gov. Neil Abercrombie announced surfing as a state-championship sport, with hopes to hold the first state tournament by spring 2013. However, it wasn’t until 2016 that the Board of Education approved the necessary policy to establish surfing as a high school sport.
Since then, only the Maui Interscholastic League has implemented surfing as a prep sport. Maui meets were last held in spring 2020, with 2021 season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sarah Fairchild, executive director of the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Founation, wrote in testimony to the House Committee on Finance that funding is needed to ensure all pupils have the access to the sport.
“Funding is needed to provide insurance, organize competitions, subsidize equipment, and provide stipends to coaches (who are often teachers),” she wrote. “It makes sense that Hawaii high schools should include surfing. It’s a Native Hawaiian sport and Hawaii is a place with ideal surfing conditions. We could and should be helping all kids have an opportunity to learn and build surfing skills. More local kids of all economic backgrounds would get access and exposure to the sport, as part of a healthy lifestyle, connection to the ocean, and a perpetuation of culture. Further, more school teams mean greater competition for all, producing a higher tide of top performing athletes.
“We should put the same financial backing behind surfing that we do behind imported sports like football, soccer, and baseball. Just imagine the pride of cheering on our local high school surf teams the way we do for other team sports,” she continued.