Friday, March 23, 2007

1964 to 1966 Hilo High School Vikings

So here we go with the Alma Mater:

Beneath the tropic skies of Hilo
Stands dear old Hilo High School
Dearer ever shall it grow
With the spirit of Blue and Gold
In our hearts we hold thee
Alma Mater mine,
Loyalty and Honor shall
Forever be thine!

T-E-A-M, yay, Team,
T-E-A-M, yay, Team.

These were the years when my bowling really came into being. Brother Glenn was the toughest bowler around, I started to pick up really good tips and my averaged jumped from 133 to 166 in one season. then into the 170's. then the 190's. As well, the Junior Bowling Club of Hilo flourished under the auspices of Head Coach Bob Kurihara. We traveled to other parts of the state with home-and-home challenges, entered different kinds of bowling tournaments and competitions, and practiced and bowled practically every single day.

Under Mr. Kurihara, our club had a state champion in every year beginning from 1961 and culminated in 1966 with a "clean sweep" when all three divisions - Boy's Scratch, Boy's Handicap, and Girl's Handicap - was won by a Junior Bowling Club of Hilo member. 1961 through 1965 were Matt Kahapea, Wayne Hayashi, Lorna Okuna, Estelle Jinbo, Annette Fujii, Dennis Lee, and brother Glenn. In 1966, Ben Kobata, Joanne Fujiwara, brother Eric, and myself won. Coming from the "hick town" of Hilo rather than the large metropolis of Honolulu and island of Oahu, it was a really satisfying accomplishment for Bob Kurihara.

One thing I remember the most about the bowling club is how we did so many things as though we were a family. Camping, picnics, tournaments, fund raisers like selling animal crackers and washing cars - we all worked together helping each other out. No one shirked away responsibilities. We all chipped in whatever way we could as Ohana and this was a very big contributing factor as to why we gained respect from the adults. We were always respectful, doing things to help others, and having a good time bowling.

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