welcome [] the 62nd annual keo nakama invitational july 2-4, 2010 veterans’ memorial aquatic...
TRANSCRIPT
to the 62nd Annual
Keo NakamaInvitational
July 2- 4, 2010
Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center
Welcome
The Keo Nakama Swimming Invitational is the oldest swim meet in Hawaii.
Established over half a century ago by legendary coach Soichi Sakamoto, it
continuously draws the best teams in the country, and from overseas, who
wish to combine a great swimming experience and a magnificent vacation
in beautiful Hawaii. This meet is USS sanctioned and is held at the Central
Oahu Regional Park Aquatics Center. The swim meet is named after Hawaii’s
most well know swimmer, Keo Nakama.
State Anthem
Hawai‘i Pono‘ï
Hawai‘i pono‘ïNänä i kou mö‘ïKa lani ali‘i,Ke ali‘i
Hui:Makua lani ë,Kamehameha ë,Na kaua e pale,Me ka ihe
Hawai‘i pono‘ïNänä i nä ali‘iNä pua muli kouNä pöki‘i
Hawai‘i pono‘ïE ka lähui e‘O käu hana nuiE u‘ië
Hawaii’s own true sonsBe loyal to your chiefYour country’s liege and lordThe chief
Chorus:Royal fatherKamehamehaShall defend in warWith spears
Hawaii’s own true sonsLook to your chiefThose chiefs of younger birthYounger descent
Hawaii’s own true sonsPeople of loyal heartThe only duty liesList and abide
Hawaii Swimming ClubWelcomes you all to the 62nd Keo Nakama Invitational
We welcome everyone and thank you for joining us this year for the 62nd AnnualKeo Nakama Invitational Swimming & Diving meet. This year, for the first time in a longtime, we are including diving as part of our meet. We hope you will get a chance to watchsome of that competition.
It is our pleasure to host this meet and to continue the legacy, which was started byour Head Coach, Soichi Sakamoto. If you had the opportunity to see the Honolulu Theatrefor Youth presentation of “The Three Year Swim Club,” by Lee A. Tonouchi, a good part ofthat play was based on the very stories contained in our booklet. We hope you will enjoyreading the stories of Keo Nakama. Envision in your mind what athletes of that time had toendure to accomplish their goals and fulfill their dreams. Then continue to strive and reachyour own goals. Graduating seniors, take some of that endurance and grit along with youwhen you head off to college.
We would like to thank our HSC parents and the sponsors of this event. Withoutyou, we would not be able to host this meet. Your support, dedication and hard work areappreciated more than words can say.
To the lifeguards, maintenance staff and pool manager Glenn Pang, we appreciateall you do to provide the swimming community with a first rate swimming facility.
Thank you to the many volunteer officials. Your dedication to the sport of swim-ming and the swimming program in Hawaii is what allows us all to continue to enjoy thatwhich we take for granted. Without our volunteers, we would have no sport. Thank you!
As Coach Sakamoto would always say on the deck, “Swim swiftly!” Hope you all enjoy a weekend of great competition.
Aloha,Coach Keith ArakakiHawaii Swimming Club
The Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center
Welcomes the 62nd Keo Nakama Invitational
Aloha and welcome to the Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center. The center is a world-class
facility that includes a 50-meter pool with electronic touch pads and a diving well with 1- and
3-meter boards. We opened our main entrance to the public on Veterans Day in 2005. The
Honorable Mayor Mufi Hannemann dedicated the facility to honor all the men and women who
answered the nation’s call to duty, and who selflessly served and sacrificed so our youth could
live and play in peace.
This facility was designed to host a variety of local, national and international aquatic sporting
events and to be a training site for the community. The facility schedule and public lap swim
hours are available on our web site at: www.honoluluparks.com [Locations, Hours and Contact
– District V]; or for real-time information on current schedule go to twitter.com enter:
vmac96797 in search box.
We would like to welcome all of the swimmers to the 62nd Annual Keo Nakama Invitational
Swimming & Diving meet. We are excited for all of you and wish you the best of luck. Please
respect the pool rules posted around the pool and have a safe meet.
Mahalo,
Glenn Pang, Pool Director
It was Keo Nakama’s wish, following
his return to Honolulu after his grad-
uation from the Buckeye Institution,
in 1946, to invite his former team and
teammates over as an outstanding
swimming attraction and event.
So, with the help of George Higa
(owner of the Honolulu Cafe at that
time) and sports promoter Ralph Yem-
puku (a bosom friend of George), the
first Keo Nakama Swimming Meet
was held at the famous Waikiki War
Memorial Natatorium.
Up to the inaugural meet, Keo had
captained some of the greatest cham-
pionship teams at his Alma Mater;
in addition, he was the University's
baseball captain in his final year.
The visiting Buckeyes team consisted
of some of the nation’s outstanding
swimmers and champions including
Jim Counselman (present coach of In-
diana University); Halo Hirose, Keo’s
former teammate; Al Wiggins; and
Jack Hill, the great middle distance
champion.
Keo and I pondered on a appropriate
name for the meet. I settled on the
idea that we should perpetuate his
name since he had done so fabulously
with his swimming exploits here
and in college. I wanted the “Keo
Nakama Swimming Meet” to be a
reminder that it was Keo, more than
anyone else during his time, who had
brought about the renaissance of
swimming to Hawaii when it was at a
standstill following the days of Duke
Kahanamoku, Buster Crabbe, and the
Kalili boys. Since the first meet, the
great University of Michigan swim-
ming team (coached by now deceased
Matt Mann) was invited to follow its
arch-rival here for the second Keo
Nakama Meet; again the meet was
held at the Waikiki Natatorium.
Thereon, some of the world’s greatest
swimmers made their appearances here
from 1948-1972. Included among them
were: Japan’s great Furuhashi (who
blazed the trail in swimming the 1500
meters below the 19 minute barrier);
Masao Furukawa (the 1956 Olympic
breaststroke gold medalist); and Shiro
Hashizumi; Australia’s Jon Henricks
(the 100 meter freestyle champion in
1956). Among the United States’ cream
of the crop swimmers and divers were:
Chris Von Saltzer (1960-1964 Olympic
great); Pat McCormick and Sammy Lee
(Olympic diving champions 1948,
1952, 1956 respectively); Barbara Strak
(another backstroke star); Bumpy Jones
(University of Michigan’s great IM
Swimmer); Bill Yorzyk (American
butterfly champ); George Breen (Coach
Counselman’s U.S. distance titalist);
Frank McKinney (Indiana’s twice 2nd
place winner in the 1956 and 1960
Olympics); Shelly Mann (Washington,
D.C.’s U.S. butterfly gold medalist);
Gail Peters (perennial winner in Na-
tional championship); and many others.
From 1948-1972 the Keo Meets were
filled with pageantries and they in-
cluded parades, Queen of the Meet,
Royal Hawaiian Band, military
bands, Hawaiian music and enter-
tainment, synchronized swimming
and water ballet, clown diving, swim-
ming exhibitions (Johnny Weismuller
and Duke Kahanamoku), and the
presence and appearance of movie
stars – Edward G. Robinson, John
Wayne and Danny Kaye. Caroline
Kennedy also was present when she
was 9 years old.
The Keo Nakama Meets were staged
at the Waikiki War Memorial’s 100
meter pool. It was changed on two oc-
casions to a 50 meter pool with bulk-
head. During those years, the meets
were held for two weeks, one in the 50
meter pool at Farrington High School
and Kaimuki High School.
Attendance wise, the earliest Keo
Nakama Meets, were paid admission,
were outstanding as the permanent
and temporary bleachers were packed
solid with standing room only.
Hawaii will long remember Casey
Nakama, a combination athlete – a
swimmer and a baseball player!
How It All Began... by Coach Soichi Sakamoto
“Coach, how about inviting Mike Peppe’s perennial collegiate champion Ohio State University’s swimming team for a major meet here ?”
• World Record...One Mile 20:29.00
• 5 Pan American Games Titles
• 8 Big Ten Titles
• 13 NCAA and AAU Titles
• 5 Australian National Titles
• 1943 Big Ten Swim Champs,
Swim Team Captain for Ohio State U.
• 1944 Big Ten Baseball Champs,
Baseball Team Captain for Ohio State U.
• First person to swim the Molokai (Kaiwi)
Channel. Year: 1961 Age: 41. Approximate
distance of 32 Miles
Records and Titles for Hall of Fame Swimmer
KEO NAKAMA
NCAA Men's Swimming Champions
http://hickoksports.com/history/ncaamswim.shtml
440-Yard Freestyle
1943 Keo Nakama, Ohio State 4:43.2
1944 Keo Nakama, Ohio State 4:47.0
1500-Meter Freestyle
1943 Keo Nakama, Ohio State 19:18.6
1944 Keo Nakama, Ohio State 20:02.2
Swimming Hall of Fame
http://www.hickoksports.com/history/iswimhof.shtml
Nakama, Keo USA 1975
http://starbulletin.com/97/07/03/sports/story1.html
http://www.ishof.org/HonorUSA.html
Nakama, Keo (1975) Swimmer, USA
PAN AMERICAN SWIMMING
CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1940 (5 golds)
AUSTRALIAN NATIONALS: 1939
(5 titles: all freestyle events, 330 yd
individual medley)
U.S. NATIONALS: 27 titles (110yd to 1500m)
WORLD RECORDS: extended from mile at
New Haven at age 22 to 27-mile Molokai
Channel at age 41.
Hawaii’s 1921 Territorial Legislature funds construction of the living Memo-
rial with its 100 X 40 meter saltwater swimming pool was built to honor 101
who died and the nearly 10,000 others who served in WWI from Hawaii with
$250,000.
Opened on August 24, 1927, the birthday of Olympic Gold Medalist and god-
father of modern surfing, Duke Kahanamoku, who dives in for the first cere-
monial swim before a cheering, capacity crowd. During its heyday, the
Natatorium hosts celebrity swimmers including Esther Williams, Buster Crabbe
and Johnny Weissmuller as well as some 34 members of the International
Swimming Hall of Fame. It is later also used by the DOE for its mandatory
elementary school Learn to Swim Program. Hawaii's last Olympic swimmer
learned to swim at the Natatorium.
Owned by the State but operated under and executive order by the City, the
Natatorium is closed in 1979 due to thirty years of neglect. Prior to its closure
in 1979, the last recorded public investment in capital maintenance was
$100,000 in 1949.
On both the National and State Registers of Historic Places. Named to the Na-
tional Trust for Historic Preservation’s II Most Endangered list in 1995. In 1997
the same team that designed the highly successful Ko‘olina Swimming La-
goons completes an exhaustive study of coastal conditions, structural integrity
and construction alternatives. After considering everything from removal to
modifications to full restoration, the State concludes that complete restoration
with a re-engineered pool is the most sensible option. The re-designed pool
would be Hawaii’s only fully ADA-accessible saltwater swimming venue with
lifts for wheelchair-bound swimmers to enter the pool.
(Photos courtesy of the Hawaii State Archives).
Waikiki NatatoriumHosts the 1st Keo Nakama Swim Invitational
The Natatorium, circa 1928.
San Souci, circa 1930.
Swimmers diving off the floatiing deck.
It all started in the irrigation ditch in
Puunene, a good eighteen years back
when the little boys in their knee pants
used to jump in the running water to
swim, play tag and dive for objects.
And among these youngsters tadpol-
ing around in the often filthy water
were boys who were later to become
America’s outstanding mermen and
champions.
Keo Nakama, the eldest of the
Nakama family of three boys includ-
ing Bunmei Nakama, who later be-
come a champion himself, used to
sandwich a cool plunge in the ditch
between his endless tasks of helping
his mother with her work around the
household. But before this happened,
Keo’s mother did everything around
the house to bring up the young boys’
midst humble means. And as the
mother stated in one of her favorite
sayings, “I had to let Keo alone crying
in his crib as I was too busy with my
work, and because of this, my son
developed such a thing as will power,
strength and tenacity. In addition to
this he suffered a lot as he grew up and
was constantly working to help me
with my chores.”
Swimming was just one of those
natural things that the ditch boys
indulged in besides playing marbles,
cowboy and Indian, and baseball in
which young Keo began to show
much promise. Up-stream and down-
stream went the close-to-the nature
paddlers and this helped to develop
their arm and leg power beyond what
ordinary pool-swimming would give.
And mixed in with their ordinary fun-
swimming, the gang as they called
themselves, swam in the never-to-
be-forgotten ditch races. The familiar
yells and screams that accompanied
Keo Nakamatheir crazy antics and races were com-
mon occurrences and almost proved to
be a nuisance to those who lived near
the ditch. Already these teenagers
were beginning to sense the superior
seed and endurance of those within
their midst. They began to name and
pick them on their sides to strengthen
whatever team they organized to
race against each other. Keo Nakama,
Halo Hirose, Asagi Honda, Sammy
Nakasone, Jose Balmores, Emerick
Ishikawa, and Hisashi Yamada were
names that began to become more and
more popular in these kid-races.
Nearby was Puunene School which
Keo and his friends attended and it
was here they started themselves in a
regular unit for competition against
boys of other schools on Maui. The
regularly scheduled kids’ and school
swimming meets under the sponsor-
ship of the Alexander House Commu-
nity Association of Maui gave the
boys the necessary impetus and chal-
lenge to test their mettle against out-
side competition. By this time, Keo
had grown to about twelve years of
age and he and Halo Hirose began to
thunder their way to victories in all of
their Maui Kid races. The closest race
was in the 100 yard freestyle in which
both boys competed. The final result
was never decided until the last foot or
two as either one could do around a
minute flat for the distance. Puunene
School, which had never won a Maui
School Swimming championship up
till then, finally began to win victory
after victory to be come peerless
among the school boy ranks.
Later while at Maui High School, the
up and coming nators began to make
themselves felt throughout the territory
as Keo won the 500 yard freestyle race
and broke the existing criterion of 6:07
plus and Halo swam the 220 yard
freestyle event in 2:22 plus. This start-
ed the ball rolling for the duo, but it
was not until that great day when Keo,
who was sixteen years of age chal-
lenged and vanquished the Olympic
tested Ralph Gilman in the 400 meter
race, did the world know that here at
last was a real champion who could
take the place of Hawaii’s swimming
greats like Duke Kahanamoku. Later
in the 200 meter freestyle race against
the great Olympic champion, Jack
Medica, our pair finished second and
third with Keo taking the silver medal
for his great work. After this great race
Jack Medica stated, “These boys are
already fit for topnotch competition.
They ought to go to the National meets
on the Mainland.” This statement
proved very true as Keo placed second
in the one mile, 800 meter and 400 me-
ter races while Halo finished second in
the 200 meter event to Adolph Kiefer.
This happened in the 1938 Men’s Out-
door National Swimming Meet at
Louisville, Kentucky.
In 1939 at Detroit, Michigan, right
after Keo’s triumphant and memo-
rable swimming trip to Australia,
young Nakama won his first National
crown in the 200 meter freestyle event
and placed second in the 400 and 800
meter races to the champion Ralph
Keo Nakama and Halo Hirose
Flanagan. It was the first National
team championship for Maui.
At Santa Barbara, California the next
year, Keo lost his crown in the event
that he won in 1938 to the great Otto
Jaretz. The Valley Islander, who rep-
resented the Alexander House Com-
munity Association, vindicated him-
self by winning his races in the 400
meter and 800 meter freestyle events
to win two National Championship
crowns. These great performances
paved the way for the second in a row
team title for Maui.
1940 was not very bright for young
Keo as he underwent an operation for
appendicitis and everything appeared
gloomy for him as far as swimming
was concerned. However, the big
Hawaiian Outdoor Swimming Cham-
pionship Meet was just about three
months after the operation and follow-
ing his doctor’s permission, Nakama
started preparing for the big event. He
proved himself fit and as good as ever
when he swam the best 400 meter race
in his life in which he did a 4:46.8 to
place second to the scintillating star
Bill Smith, who won it in the record
time of 4:44.8.
Then at the National Outdoor Swim-
ming Championships at St. Louis, Mis-
souri, our fast recovering swimmer
proved that he was still the great cham-
pion by annexing the 1500 meter and
800 meter crowns, and coming second
to Bill Smith in the 400 meter race. He
tied with Jose Balmores and Bill Smith
for the high point swimmer of the meet.
Once again the outstanding perform-
ances of our young star brought back
the third team title in a row for the Val-
ley Island and Alexander House Com-
munity Association.
1941 proved to be the greatest year for
young Nakama as he performed his
greatest swimming feat by establishing
a world’s record of 20 minutes 29 sec-
onds in the one mile swim and being
out-touched by Bill Smith when he too
made a world’s record of 9 minutes
54.6 seconds in the 880 yard freestyle
race at New London, Con cut.
1942 on to 1945 Keo heralded as the
greatest Buckeye swimmer and he was
honored by becoming captain of his
team in 1944 and 1945. Inter-colle-
giate championships became a byword
with the Mauian as he was king of the
1500 meter and 400 meter events
throughout his college
years. 1945 saw Keo not
only a swimmer but he
played and captained his
Ohio State baseball
team. Keo’s second love,
baseball, began to creep
up on him and he could-
n’t resist the temptation
of the diamond game.
Following graduation,
Hawaii beckoned Casey
(a name which Keo
adopted while playing base ball) home,
and since then he has hung up his fa-
miliar trunks but still takes an active in-
terest in his beloved sport as a very ca-
pable official. Today, Hawaii wants to
remember and commemorate the great
athlete from Puunene, Maui and keep
him close to its heart as one who had
done much for Hawaii’s sake through
his never-to-be-forgotten feats in the
water and for his great sports like con-
duct out of the water. For this, the Keo
Nakama Meet was inaugurated to per-
petuate the name of Hawaii’s great ath-
lete. Last year, Ohio State – Keo’s alma
mater was invited to take part in the
first meet, and this year University of
Michigan will be our guests.
This article was taken from the “SecondAnnual” Keo Nakama Swimming Invita-tional, August 20–31 1947. Yes, the meetwas 7 days long —trials finals!!! The Sec-ond Annual Keo Nakama Swimming Meet
1939 Keo Nakama with Uke and group
Specializing in representation and Consultations for
civilian FEDERAL EMPLOYEES for over 30 years
Terminations, Appeals, RIFs,Discrimination, Disability,Harassment & Retaliation
MSPBOSC
EEOC
ELBRIDGE W. SMITHSMITH HIMMELMANN, AAL, ALC
TOPA Financial Center, Suite 311
745 Fort Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Tel: 808-523-5050
www.shlaw.us
MEMBER
Kiana White
Hawaii Swimming Club
Mililani High School
Lindenwood University
at St. Charles, Missouri
Congratulations to all of our Graduating Seniors.
……So read a note of appreciation which appeared in the Monday, Oct. 2, 1961
editorial section of the Honolulu Advertiser.
From 1930, Keo Nakama was a 41-year-old physical education instructor at
William Paul Jarrett Inter ate School. The 5-6, 145 pound swimmer hadn’t com-
peted since winning 13 National AAU championships between 1939-45.
What drew over 10,000 spectators and well-wishers to the beach and cliffs
surrounding Hanauma Bay on Friday evening, Sept. 29, 1961 was history in the
making. Nakama had tackled the 27-mile Kaiwi (Molokai) Channel and would
emerge from the water 15 hours and 37 seconds after diving in near Laau Point
on Molokai.
But what awed the entire state of Hawaii was something more. It was that some-
thing Nakama tried to instill in the Island youngsters he came in contact with
as a teacher, swim coach and softball coach. That even those goals which
seemed in able can be achieved through the proper dedication, preparation and
effort. Kiyoshi (later “Keo”) “Casey” Nakama began his legendary swimming
career in the Hawaiian.
Commercial & Sugar Company irrigation ditches in Puunene, Maui under the
tutelage of Hall of Famer coach Soichi Sakamoto. Sakamoto had started with a
small group of youngsters – including Nakama’s sprint running-mate Takashi
(Halo) Hirose – which grew to over 100 boys and girls.
The plantation allowed Sakamoto to move his entourage to the new Frank F.
Baldwin Memorial Park Pool where, in 1937, “The Maui 3-Y.S.C.” (Three-
Year Swimming Club) was born. From 1930 -1941 the 3-Y.S.C.s won three
AAU men’s outdoor teams championships, but their real goal was the 1940
Olympics.
Both Nakama and Hirose went on
to win several individual and team
honors under Ohio State University
Coach Mike Peppe, during WWII,
But it is believed that the war and
subsequent cancellation of the ’40
Olympics was the only factor that
kept them from winning Olympic
swimming medals.
In 1943 the Buckeyes were greeted
by jeers and snide remarks at the Na-
tional Indoor Championships at Yale
University for entering a certain fresh
man of Japanese ancestry. We were at
war with Japan. Coach Peppe stood
up and told the crowd that Ohio State
has only Americans on this team and
our American-Japanese boy swims.
The crowd cheered the favored Yale
swimmer, Renee Choteau, when he
stood up on his block. When little
Nakama took his place the crowd was
deafeningly silent.
Choteau caught Nakama at the 350
mark of that 400, but Nakama – not
to be denied–pulled ahead in the last
five yards to win the event. The
crowd, realizing here was a man
worth of his Japanese-American title,
gave Nakama a standing ovation.
Nakama had shown a lot of people
that day that anyone – even the Ori-
ental son of an immigrant plantation
worker – can become anyone he
wants to,provided he is willing to
work hard at it and be proud of what
he is.
It’s a philosophy Nakama has carried
with him wherever he has ventured.
The Molokai Channel By Lin Clark
HSN Assistant Editor
All Hawaii is proud of you, Keo Nakama.You and your spirit and your strength have given us all a thrill
that goes far beyond the automatic burst of pride in a victor.You have reminded us all what man can do if he has a mind to.
Sometimes in these dark days of world danger when awesomeforces threaten, we tend to forget what a man is, how he is, whathe can do. You have refreshed our memory.
Your triumph over the Molokai Channel is our triumph, too.Thank you for that, Keo Nakama. We all needed it.
And after winning 27 National cham-
pionships, obtaining his master’s de-
gree from Ohio State, and returning
to Hawaii two years later to teach and
to coach high school swimming at
Farrington, Leilehua, McKinley and
later at UH. Nakama didn’t abandon
that philosophy.
In fact, it was that notion of believing
in oneself that was most responsible
for pushing Nakama across that
Channel – even after others, includ-
ing Greta Andersen, the Danish-born
channel swimmer – had failed.
The whole idea of tackling a channel
crossing came from buddies at the
“Y”, and it started as a joke. “I had let
myself get out of shape and my doc-
tor told me to exercise more, so I
joined the YMCA,” Nakama related.
“It was there that my racquetball bud-
dies started telling me that I could do
it. Greta Andersen had tried two times
earlier that year, so it was on eve
one’s mind. The joke turned serious
and I finally decided to try it.”
So Nakama increased his training
regimen, enlisted the help of a few
friends and dove into (so to speak)
the seemingly impossible.
The event entailed a great deal of
planning: Bill Chung and Tom Higa
co-chaired a committee to sponsor
Nakama; experienced fishermen and
divers familiar with existing currents
were recruited; Capt. Tommy Akana
charted the course and Dr. Coolidge
S. Wakai prepared a high protein con-
centrate for Nakama’s meals in route.
After one postponement due to unfa-
vorable currents Nakama plunged
into the water at 3 a.m. Friday, Sept
29. All paddling surfboards, Allen
Chang, Sodie Kabalis, Marco No-
mura and D. Kaeo provided an escort
on either side and behind Nakama. In
front was a shark cage towed by one of several accompanying sampans and
cabin cruisers. Forty-three men in all came across the Channel with Nakama.
At times other swimmers joined Nakama – for short period of time – to pace him.
One hour out, Nakama became sick when a glassy sea turned to rough open
ocean and he lost Thursday evening’s steak dinner. For a short time he entered
the shark cage to recover, then re-entered the water.
Twice more he was sick and felt nauseated until he was stung on the arms and
torso by a man-o’-war.” The stings made me forget I was seasick. I thought
about all the work my friends had done and how they believed I could do it. I
kept going.”
After several course changes and some “feedings” of tea and orange juice (with
honey), and more man-o’-war stings, Nakama came within view of Oahu. He
ordered his crew to “put on some steam.” By 1 p.m. five-foot swells were push-
ing Nakama toward Hanauma Bay. “I swam for what seemed like hours and the
mountains of O‘ahu didn’t come any closer.” Nakama recalled. “ I was sure
somebody was moving those mountains back.”
At about 4:20 a strong current did start to push him back. After a double dose
of the orange mixture he pushed stubbornly on.
Finally, at 6:33 p.m., after negotiating the coral reef inside the bay, Nakama
walked ashore, looking a little bewildered and smiling shyly. He looked more
as if he’d just finished a leisurely afternoon swim than a grueling 35- mile (ac-
tual distance covered) channel crossing.
Throngs of people swarmed around him –almost disqualifying his effort be-
fore he reached the designated finish line. They screamed and reached out to
him, yelling congratulations.
“I made it Mama,” he said to his wife, Evelyn, as she draped a lei around his
neck and hugged him. His six daughters, also bearing leis, struggled through the
crowd to join him.
Nakama recalled he was “kind of tired, but wise I felt real good.” Asked by a
reporter if he wanted to repeat the feat, he’d replied, “No, I don’t think so.
That's the last time I swim that one.”
Nakama’s mentor, Coach Soichi Sakamoto, wasn’t surprised by his protege’s
milestone: “When he made up his mind to do it, I knew he could.” he said sim-
ply. “In all his years of competitive swimming, he always accomplished what-
ever goal he set.”
WHAT’S MORE: Nakama, who picked up the nickname “Casey” since he
never struck out on the Buckeye base ball team, is still active in the
Kawananakoa Softball League and assists the Detroit Tigers as a local talent
scout. Nakama: Recalling the Crossing, the Man behind It
1959, I was 8 years old. I had taken
swimming lessons for a year or so at
Central YMCA. I wanted to join the
swimming team there because my
older brother was swimming.
My mom knew the coach there and
introduced me to him. “His birthday
is the same day as yours”, she said.
“May 21st.”
The beginning of my swimming career
was a blur. Coach Nakama was teach-
ing us the butterfly with a breaststroke
kick one week (Orthodox Breast-
stroke), then the next week he taught
us the dolphin kick. Then we could mix
up the dolphin and breast kick, then we
couldn’t do anything but the fly kick.
Flip turn with butterfly. Touch the wall
on your free turn, then we didn’t have
to touch the wall. If that wasn’t con-
fusing enough, I had to stay out of my
brothers way in the water. He would
push off into me or swim right over
me. Coach Nakama, meanwhile, was
very patient, knowledgeable and fair.
My first trip with the swimming team
took us to the Island of Kauai. Coach
Nakama had a big meeting with the
swimmers and parents. Something
was said about selling cookies and
sending postcards to all the people
that we sold cookies to, to let them
know how we did at the swimming
meet. He was a caring coach.
I don’t remember the swim meet
specifically, but I do remember wak-
ing up early to find Coach cooking
breakfast for 30 – 40 of us swimmers!
Bacon & eggs. He must’ve been
cooking since 4:00 AM.
Coach taught us how to play water
polo. “Look out for Coach’s daugh-
ters Karen & Kaycee, they got long
nails,” some one yelled.
Speaking of daughters, Coach has six
of them. Karen, Kaycee, Terry, Joey,
Lynn and Jamie. Counting his wife,
that’s seven women and just him. My
mom always told Coach if he wanted
a boy she would give me away. “No
way, not a house full of girls!” I
changed my perspective as I got older.
Coach really cared. At a swim meet
at Palama Settlement, he lined up all
30 swimmers, and gave us all a fast
and brisk massage to limber us up for
the event. “If any thing, this will help
your swim, keep loose,” he said.
From Central Y Swim Club we
changed our name to Waikiki Athletic
Club. I think WAC, sponsored us in
our swimming program.
Then a strange thing happened. Coach
started running around the Central
“Y” field. Around and around. When
he got off the field he told us that he
had already swam 5-6,000 kilometers
in the morning. Wow!!!
Shortly there after, he announced to
the team that he was going to swim the
Molokai Channel. This came shortly
after Greta Andersen tried unsuccess-
fully to swim the channel, twice.
I remember going down to Ala Moana
shopping center and watching Ms.
Anderson swim back and forth in a
portable swimming pool. ( I remember
when there was no Ala Moana shop-
ping center, and only a heap of coral.)
At a point of time before the 1961
Molokai crossing, Mr Ida and Mr
Richards (parents turned assistant
coaches) took over the team to free
up Coach Nakama’s personal training
time. Coach was getting more intense
now. We would see him running
longer around the track and do a
swim workout twice a day.
The day Coach swam the channel, I
was glued to the radio. The swim
seemed to be going ok, then in the
late afternoon, the radio announcer
said that “Keo was having trouble in
the water” speculation was he would
be pulled out and equated his efforts
to Greata Andersen’s failed attempts.
Then Coach Nakama made a Her-
culean effort to finish the swim. We
were down at Hanauma Bay with what
seemed like hundreds and thousands
of people. They were lined up along
the walkway and the parking lots were
overflowing. “Wow, mom, how are we
going to see Coach come in?”
The swim team had a banner con-
gratulating Coach. Some of the
swimmers met, but we never saw
him. Later that evening, we all did get
to see him come in, on the television!
As a swimmer, that was pretty much
the last time I saw Coach Nakama.
Then there was talk of folding up the
I Still Call Him CoachBy K. Arakaki
May 21, 2007, 86 years old Keo Nakama and Matthew Arakaki
club and how we would be farmed
out to our “Parent” club... Hawaii
Swimming Club.
“My swimming coach, was Coach
Sakamoto,” Coach Nakama said. “He
taught me how to swim fast and he
can help you.” “I would like all of
you to swim for him and represent
Hawaii Swimming Club.”
Aside from coaching at Farrington
and Leilehua High School he was
the coach at McKinley High School.
McKinley High School, under his di-
rection, won the Territorial Champi-
onships over Kaimuki High School,
by a few points he said. But we were
his only age group team he had ever
coached.
My brief experience with Coach is
one I’ll cherish forever!
He was a guiding light for me and
showed me how to persevere. How to
set goals and do my best to accom-
plish them. He gave me a chance to
be successful.
I still call him Coach.
The author of this article now coaches theParent team, Hawaii Swimming Club, andtook Coach Nakama’s advice to coachHawaii Swim Club with the guidance of theheart.
this article was taken from the
OHIO NEWS BUREAU, INC., CLEVELAND, OHIO;
SEPTEMBER 13, 1943
Kio Nakama, O.S.U. Swim Champ
Saves Life of Sailor !
Columbus, Ohio, September 13 – “They also serve who only stand
and wait.”
First spoken by a blind poet more than 300 years ago it has rever-
berated down the halls of time but never more vividly recalled than
a few days ago on the Ohio State campus by a little Hawaiian boy
thousands of miles away from his homeland.
It all started a little more than a year ago when Kio Nakama, a
member of the Ohio State Varsity swimming team and one of the
greatest natators in the country was rejected by the Army because
of flat feet.
Dejected, downhearted and lonesome, little Kio threw himself into
his school work in an effort to forget his disappointment. Major-
ing in physical education the youngster started his pratice teaching.
He volunteered to help teach swimming to the Navy Recognition
school students.
Kio asked for the hard cases. Men who couldn’t swim a stroke
were turned over to him for instruction, all part of his practice
teaching.
One case in particular claimed his attention. A young lieutenant
from Princeton not only could not swim but held a strong antipa-
thy toward water. He was assigned to Nakama for instruction.
Weeks and weeks of work followed. Patient, painstaking work.
Hour after hour in the pool but at last the lieutenant mastered the
technique.
Came graduation from the Recognition School the lieutenant was
assigned to the Helena, everyone by this time knows the fate of
that ship.
Came a letter a few days ago from the lietenant to one of his in-
structors: “tell the little Hawaiian boy I was in the water for more
than an hour and with his patient teaching I wouldn't be writing
this letter. He saved my life.”
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Friday - July 2, 2010
07:00 a.m. VMAC Opened — Set-up completed
07:30 a.m. Practice starts for 1-Meter Springboard Competition
Revision of Dive Sheets
08:00 a.m. No further Dive Sheet revisions will be accepted
08:30 a.m. Practice ends
09:00 a.m. 1-Meter Springboard Competition Starts
Level(s) 1 thru 8 Female, then Male
10:30 a.m. 1-Meter Springboard Competition Ends
10:30 a.m. Practice Starts for 3-Meter Springboard Competition
Revision of Dive Sheets
10:45 a.m. No further Dive Sheet revisions will be accepted
11:00 a.m. Practice ends
3-Meter Springboard Competition begins
Level(s) 1 thru 8 Female, then Male
12:30 a.m. 3-Meter Springboard Competition Ends
02:00 p.m. Clean-up and Closed
Saturday - July 3, 2010
Estimated Time
11:30 a.m. All divers will perform their best dive
1-Meter, then
3-Meter
HAWAII SWIMMING CLUB
62nd ANNUAL KEO NAKAMA
SPRINGBOARD DIVING INVITATIONAL MEET
JULY 2 - 3, 2010
SESSION 1 • Friday - July 2, 2010
GIRLS EVENT # DIVISION EVENT BOYS EVENT #
1 OPEN 200 IM 2
3 10 & U 200 IM 4
5 11 - 12 200 IM 6
7 13 - 14 200 IM 8
9 15 - 16 200 IM 10
11 OPEN 100 Free 12
13 10 & U 50 Free 14
15 11 - 12 50 Free 16
17 13 - 14 50 Free 18
19 15 - 16 100 Free 20
21 11 - 12 400 Med Rly 22
23 13 - 14 400 Med Rly 24
25 15 - 16 400 Med Rly 26
27 OPEN 400 Med Rly 28
HAWAII SWIMMING CLUB
62nd ANNUAL KEO NAKAMA INVITATIONAL
VETERANS’ MEMORIAL AQUATIC CENTER
JULY 2 - 4, 2010
SESSION 2 • Friday - July 2, 2010
GIRLS EVENT # DIVISION EVENT BOYS EVENT #
29 11 - 12 200 Free Rly 30
31 OPEN 200 Free Rly 32
33 11 - 12 50 Fly 34
35 13 - 14 100 Fly 36
37 15 - 16 100 Fly 38
39 11 - 12 100 Back 40
41 OPEN 100 Fly 42
43 13 - 14 200 Back 44
45 11 - 12 50 Breast 46
47 15 - 16 200 Back 48
49 OPEN 200 Back 50
51 11 - 12 200 Free 52
“In all his years of competitive swimming, Keo Nakama always accomplished whatever goal he set.”
SESSION 3 • Saturday - July 3, 2010
GIRLS EVENT # DIVISION EVENT BOYS EVENT #
53 10 & U 200 Free Rly 54
55 13 - 14 200 Free Rly 56
57 15 - 16 200 Free Rly 58
59 10 & U 50 Fly 60
61 13 - 14 100 Breast 62
63 15 - 16 100 Breast 64
65 10 & U 100 Back 66
67 OPEN 100 Breast 68
69 13 - 14 200 Free 70
71 10 & U 50 Breast 72
73 15 - 16 200 Free 74
75 OPEN 200 Free 76
77 10 & U 200 Free 78
SESSION 4 • Sunday - July 4, 2010
GIRLS EVENT # DIVISION EVENT BOYS EVENT #
79 11 - 12 200 Med Rly 80
81 OPEN 200 Med Rly 82
83 11 - 12 100 Fly 84
85 13 - 14 200 Fly 86
87 15 - 16 200 Fly 88
89 11 - 12 50 Back 90
91 OPEN 200 Fly 92
93 13 - 14 100 Back 94
95 11 - 12 100 Breast 96
97 15 - 16 100 Back 98
99 OPEN 100 Back 100
101 11 - 12 100 Free 102
103 13 - 14 400 Free Rly 104
105 11 - 12 400 Free Rly 106
SESSION 5 • Sunday - July 4, 2010
GIRLS EVENT # DIVISION EVENT BOYS EVENT #
107 10 & U 200 Med Rly 108
109 13 - 14 200 Med Rly 110
111 15 - 16 200 Med Rly 112
113 10 & U 100 Fly 114
115 13 - 14 200 Breast 116
117 15 - 16 200 Breast 118
119 10 & U 50 Back 120
121 OPEN 200 Breast 122
123 13 - 14 100 Free 124
125 10 & U 100 Breast 126
127 15 - 16 50 Free 128
129 OPEN 50 Free 130
131 10 & U 100 Free 132
133 15 - 16 400 Med Rly 134
135 OPEN 400 Med Rly 136
Aloha Aquatics, HI
Mya R Adams
Liz S Becherer
Ceci Brezeale
Emma K Chun
Darby Y Davidson
Patrick L Delos Santos
Jakob J Dewald
Lindsey S Dewald
Stephen E Dewald
Sofia L Frasz
Nicole K Halemano
Anna L Harder
Alexus K Iaea
James M Kaku
Cassie L Kawamata
Erin E McMurdo
Rachel M Miyoga
Natalie C Moore
Fabiene A Palipti
Sarah M Warren
Savanna P Warren
Sean S Yamada
Tobey K Young
Aulea Swim Club, HI
Josh M Bittick
Sophia Y Bruno
Gina C Butler
Natalie J Butler
Katie S Dalgamouni
Micah K Faurot
Noah H Faurot
Hi‘ilani P Hopkins
Jaek J Horner
Aaron M Kiyotoki
Olivia G Klem
Kiana P McDonald
Aspen J Morgan
Serena H Myatt
Nick J Pederson
Hallie H Pound
Rachel L Randall
Alyssa M Reyes
Mitch P Richmond
Desiree P Takahama
Josh K Toy
Kiana M Yamashiro
Nicholas B Zachmeier
Caulfield Grammar
School, Australia
Georgie Connor
Prue Cormack
Lachlan Dickie
Sam Dwyer
Patrick Eaves
Miet Engelhardt
Angela Flinter
Samantha Fynmore
Tim Gouskov
Lachlan Iossifidis
Zoe Iossifidis
Alex Kompos
Phoebe LawlessPyne
Llewellyn Little
James Margary
Anna McEvoy
Andrew Roberts
Tom Shepard
Edward Stoios
Ruby Stoios
Annie WardAmbler
William Westaway
Desert Storm
Swimming, CA
Jared K Miao
Tyler K Miao
Hawaii Swim Club, HI
Angela I Acosta
Kasey L Agena
Peter J Agustin
Bailey K Akimseu
Kevin I Arakaki
Shayna M Asuncion
Angel M Bacos
Blaze P Baraquio
Echo J Baraquio
Emily L Batts
Kiarra L Burkitt
Rey L Cabanilla
Ryan L Cabanilla
Leo Y Chan
Kevin J Cheng
Ronald Chu
Shelby M Cornell
Austin D Corpuz
Jorden D Corpuz
David K Curiel
Jasmin L Curiel
Alex L Daley
Dru L Daley
Carson K Davis
Alannah L Don
Lian T Don
Ryan T Drinkward
Colin K Fellezs
Max S Fleischauer
Raquel K Foster
Hiroko D Fraser
Brooke K Fujihara
Mahea E Gardiner
Jake S Glasgow
Hali‘a D Gora
Kilinoe M Gora
Josette K Gose
Micah S Gowen
Edan L Grimsley
Enki L Grimsley
Enlil L Grimsley
Presenting the Athletes:
Kalia K Guillermo Sabado
La‘akea D Gum
Jessica A Gum
Jayson M Hagi
Brandi L Halemano
Leilani T Herrera
Corilynn K Higa
Kawelu K Higashino
Austin X Hirstein
Zeheng Huang
Eric Hwangpo
Kramer A Ichimura
Diamond K Inouye
Nicky S Inouye
Paris K James
Madeline F Jamora
Cassandra E Jones
Mika F Kane
Amanda W Ki
Heewoon Kim
John C Kim
Phoebe S Kim
Young Jae Kim
Joey Kim
Mare Kitabayashi
Drayton B Kollasch
Sheri S Komori
Zack J Kresge
Raymond H Lai
Hyun Woo Lee
Joyce H Lee
Jack Lee
Raymond S Li
Kirra P Lindman
Megan K LuiKwan
Jessica S Luong
Stacia N Malmos
Cathlene N Masicampo-
Van Ostrand
Robby T Masicampo-
Van Ostrand
Stella K Matthews
Molly T McGuire
Jimmy L McGuire
Jack R McGuire
Michael P McGuire
Amy Miao
Mazie Miao
Mikayla K Min
Darah N Miyashita
Kaylie N Miyashita
Jordan J Nakao
Naomi K Ng
Nigel K Ng
Dana T Okuma
Megan T Okuma
Rysen K Otomo
Connie Ruan
Teresa Ruan
Emily Ruan
Julian L Ruiz
Cierra Nicole G Sabado
Tatum M Samson
Kanoa Sawai
Vanshj Seth
Zukie Seth
Jamesmichael C
Sherman-Lewis
Johnmartin N Sherman-Lewis
Joyelaine P Sherman-Lewis
Caitlyn H Shigaki
Raedyn H Silva
Sumin Sung
Evan S Suzuki
Nikkie M Talion
Ashley V Vasquez
Ben Wang
Joanna Wang
Dariane M Watanabe
Alea M Weber
Elizabeth A Wells
Kiana A White
Tyler K Wong
Kent S Yamada
Kyle S Yamada
Grace Yang
Mari N Yoshimura
Iolani Swim Club, HI
Nicholas S Arima
Cagla A Brennan
Maximus W Chang
Susan M Hasegawa
Nathan D Hue
Erin M Ibaan
Amos J Jun
Kelsie C Kodama
Rafi S Lee
Chase T Nakamura
Taryn K Okemura
Izabella V Sakoda
Alyssa Y Sasaki
Hannah S Silva
Kyleigh K Takahashi
Camryn J Yee
Robyn M Yim
Kamehameha
Swim Club, HI
Kale A AI
Ryan D AllenLongfield
Anela E Alumbaugh
Victor W Alumbaugh
Noah T Ames
Ethan A AustinElbaz
Wesley A Babcock
Dylan R Becker
Nicholas M Becker
Kimberlee L Cadell
Krislyn C Cha
Arthur W Cheung
Daren T Choi
Shanelle R Choi
Jeffrey T Collins
Connor R Damaschi
Steven P Derman
Natalie R Fong
Curtis J Frifeldt
Jason S Frifeldt
Kevin D Frifeldt
Aukai A Gilliland
Randi H Gongob
Charlea I Goodness
Evan A Hamamoto
Summer A Harrison
Nainoa N Hartley
Hanna D Heiss
Kayla M Heiss
Angela M Huber
Leah L Huber
Megan L Hunt
Chad A Ikegami
Emma K Jenny
Kacy L Johnson
Jared A Jones
Jordyn A Jones
Kaiulani K Kaalekahi
Sara S Kahanamoku-Snelling
Kaleikoa K Kaleoaloha
Kanoa K Kaleoaloha
Devynn M Kaneshiro
Catia Marie N Kaniho
Jonah I Kaniho
Dane I Kawamoto
Noel M Kawano
Joshua T Kay
Monica M Kirk
KeikiLani N Knudsen
Vanessa M Kwong
Braysen K Libed
Christopher D Ma
Ka‘ena Y Maeda
Jasmine K Mau
Gayla M McQuaid
Kristi L McQuaid
Megan A Miyahira
Mimi K Moody
Samantha C Moody
Kevin R Moy
Jaime Ann K Mukai
Natsuko R Muranaka
Kekoa D Nakasone
Kyle A Nakatsuka
Alika B Naone
Ka‘ikena B Naone
Kupa‘a B Naone
Anu H Nihipali
Chrisitan T Nishimura
Allyson K Ontai
Lance K Ontai
Danny K Palimoo
Maia A Petrides
Michael T Petrides
Donovan R Pope
Ki‘i K Rea
Evan T Rosca
Ryan K Saunders
Corrine Y Shigeta
Tomas N Sodini
Stephanie H Spear
Ryan M Stack
Stephanie K Suda
Tyler Sugimoto
Kira N Terada
Sean K Terada
Shandee A Teruya
Maya N Tigley
Kai C Tsubota
Jacob C Urbano
Victoria T Wakasa
Ethan A Walter
Rebecca K Walton
Jessie K Watkins
Alex M Whitfield
Michaela L Whitfield
Brent T Yanagihara
Ian K Yanagihara
Michelle A Yoshida
Sharon S Young
Bryant H Zeh
Kaneohe Swim
Association, HI
Esther R Beatty
Kekai K Davidson
Mykah T Fujiwara
Moana K Hillen
Elizabeth Mueller
Devin W Sandoval
Michael A Schenk
Ryan T Schenk
GaBo G Steele
SeeWah S Steele
Elijah S Tabar
Alex R Yee
Beth M Yee
Kona Aquatics, HI
Noe M Vargas
Manhoben Swim
Club, Guam
Jacob Bustamante
Chris Duenas
Tommy Imazu
Daraven Perez
Amanda Poppe
Santiago Poppe
Johnny Rivera
Manoa Aquatics, HI
Chelsea W Chan
Reverie M Hara
Dong Hyeon Hwang
Dong Jin Hwang
Travis S Lau
Jenna Y Morikubo
Bryce Murley
Jenna A Nishida
Jonathan Y Oba
Eric T Park
Yoji Starkey
Skylar M Taba
Aaron T Wong
Ky Wong
Rachel M Wong
Christian C Yang
Wyatt H Young
Mid Cities Arlington
Swimming, TX
Tiffani P Tanaka
Dayne K Yanai
Lynbrook Aquatics, CA
Tehani M Agosto
Criselle A Alop
Kyndra M Alop
Samantha M Beck
Casey M Garcia
Rachael C Garcia
Michael S Gillis
Cody U Porter
Jake T Schaffer
Tomochan T Shellko
Derek S TanizakiHudson
Lani T TanizakiHudson
Olympique de Pirae,
Tahiti
Keahi Agnieray
Tearii Cowan
Ranihau Doom
Kaweinga Hart
Tunui Nui
Maheata Richmond
Henere Sommers
Pearl Harbor
Aquatics, HI
Athena L Alvarez
Noelle Y Chang
Samantha M Dammann
Sophia E Dammann
Michael J Hampton
Alexandra M Huffman
Addison K Jackson
Ericka L Matulenas
Joshua M Matulenas
Audrey M Mumford
Kana M Shake
Rebekah G Tandberg
Conor F Uetz
Punahou Aquatics, HI
Jolene E Akasaki
Maddie Balish
Luke Boyer
Ella Copp
Noa Copp
Leia Deer
Anna Deryck
Sean Deryck
Lia Foster
Jake Gaughan
Elan Giddings
Ashlee Grover
Alvin Lai
Justin Lee
Brandon Leong
Gregory Loui
Kaiko Manson
Kelly Marshall
Jacqueline Mash
Madison Meister
Emily Nakata
Melissa Newsham
Iris Onaka
Perry Onaka
Maria Parker
Rhiann Sato
Noah Soxpollard
Zack Uchima
Kekoa Vieira
Edward Weldon
Nicole Yarbrough
Rainbow Aquatics, HI
Rachel K Fujita
Evan G Fukumoto
Gail K Fukumoto
Taiga T Hashimoto
Jay J Holmes
Trisha H Ishikawa
Patrick A Lum
Robbie Y Mau
Jonathan T Nishida
Marc K Okimura
Lisa L Owen
Rachel L Owen
Andrea M Powell
Kayla K Rask
Savath Saepoo
Diana M Sellner
Anson K Tam
Patrick Y Tam
Eiji E Taone
Matt M Velasco
Ashlyn M Witherwax
Cody M Wong-Pascua
Schofield Sharks
Swim Club, HI
Mary Helen H Gustafson
Alex A Henderson
Sophie L Henderson
Alec H Lee
Madeline C Lee
Adam R McKittrick
Taylor R McKittrick
South Maui Sharks, HI
Alex T Armstrong
Trini J Martinez-Grim
Erica A Sawczynec
Pearl City
Aquatics, Inc., HI
Monique R Duplessis
Cheyenne A Garcia
Frankie F Gilliland III
Kylie K Hong
Lesley K Hong
Dustin N Ikeda
Kristi N Ikeda
Kayla S Ippongi
Tyra E Ippongi
Aimee M Iwamoto
Reyna A Iwamoto
Erika T Kakazu
Tahni M Kakazu
Natda Luangkhot
Stephen Park
Charlene A Rivers
Dawson J Sloan
Matthew A Taira
Akira Kanamaru
Grant E Kaneshiro
Shireen S Kheradpey
Rainer A Kiessling
Robbie B Kiessling
Roxy R Kiessling
Ruddy T Kiessling
Esther Kim
Bobby Ky
Carolyn Li
Kevin Liu
Andrew P Lum
Splash Aquatics,
Inc., HI
Joseph N Ahia
Jennifer Y Chung
Taiyo Endo
Kate S Fujii
Shawn J Fujii
Shaye Demi R Ganuelas
ErikaAnn F Kim
Logan E Kim
Kelcie E Kimura
Sydney M Kimura
Jonathan S Magota
Eryn N Nakashima
Lauryn M Nakashima
Taylor N Peralta
Evan H Sakai
Kyle T Sakai
Michael T Sakai
Hayato Shigihara
Bryce K Tanaka
Jaycie A Tanaka
Caitlyn C Whang
Jun Yeub Yoon
Toby R Yoshida
Ciera M Young
Grant C Zukeran
Gregory C Zukeran
Victoria K Zukeran
Sunshine Aquatics
Swim Club, HI
Taylor N Bogdahn
Courtney K Choy
TJ J Dawson
Lyra L Gonzalez
Aja O Grande
Katherine F Guevara
Kimi T Guevara
Jarrell N Hibler
Albert M Lee
Kaya M Lee
Walter M Lee
Aukai A Lileikis
Nohea M Lileikis
Kara J Machida
Kenji M Mori
Katie M Woo
Zack Y Woo
Michaela M Yamashita
Superior Stingray
Swimming, OR
Alyse P Darnall
Tarakito Swim Club,
Guam
Justin Fell
Diego Shimizu
AJ Sholing
Unattached Iolani, HI
Shawmasama Chun
Unattached, HI
Senil Hyun
Senin Hyun
Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center Facility Rules
1. ALL ATHLETES AND SWIMMER NEED TO SHOWER BEFORE ENTERING THE POOL
2. NO FOOND OR DRINKS ON MAIN POOL DECK
Except for Meet Officials, Volunteers, and Coaches during scheduled competition events. Spectators
and events participants may have food and drinks in bleacher and grass area where team tent are
set up. Athletes may use plastic water bottles for re-hydration on pool deck.
3. BULK HEADS ARE OFF LIMITS TO ALL SPECTATORS AND SWIMMERS
Only Meet Officials, Facility Personal and Coaches are permitted on the bulkhead during the course
of the meet and scheduled practice times. Exception: swimmers who are assisting during distance
events.
4. DIVING WELL IS CLOSED DURING SWIMMING EVENTS
Only during short course season. All Diving Boards are closed except for diving competitions and
practice.
5. BLEACHER AREA, PLEASE KEEP A 3-4 FOOT WALK PATH ALONG HAND RAIL
From October 2009-February 2010,
Honolulu Theatre for Youth toured an
original production by Lee Tonouchi
entitled The Three Year Swim Club.
Reaching over 10,000 students and
families this production was an audience
favorite and hopes to return to an HTY
season in the future. For more information
about the Honolulu Theatre for Youth
please visit htyweb.org
The Three Year
by Lee A. Tonouchi
Hawaii Swim Club honors Nakama By Seabrook Mow
Special to The Advertiser
He may not have been the most recognizable figurestrolling around the Palolo Recreation Pool, but KeoNakama was never far from people’s thoughts.
“He’s cool,” said Helena Suehiro, 16. “He does have a meetdedicated to him.”
Suehiro was one of 550 club swim-mers participating in the 53rd KeoNakama Swimming Invitational, athree day meet that attracts topswimmers from Hawai‘i and theMainland.
While the event honors one ofHawai‘i’s swimming legends, italso gives youths from the Islandsa chance to square off with Mainland swimmers.
“Number one, it lets the kids know the tradition in Hawai‘iswimming and they get the experience to swim againstpeople from other counties,” said Iolani's intern swimcoach, Bobby Brewer, a former national 100 backstrokechampion and Olympic trials competitor.
“This event exposes them (children) to a lot of differentcultures; to show them that there’s more then Hawai‘i,”Reid Yamamoto, a coach at Hawai‘i Swim Club said.
Brewer, like many people, know Nakama by name andreputation, but have never actually met the 81-year-old.
Nakama tries to avoid the spotlight and is now just anotherspectator at the meet.
He even goes as far as saying, “I’m just too afraid to tellthem to name the event after someone else.”
That isn’t likely to happen, though.
“But without an event like this, people would forget whoKeo Nakama was,” said meet Keith Arakaki, the directorand a swim coach for Hawai‘i Swim Club.
While the Nakama meet may be held in a pool, it’s notwhere Nakama first learned to swim.
Nakama learned to swim in an irrigation ditch in Pu‘unene,Maui.
“We would swim from bridge tobridge,” said Nakama. The dis-tance between each bridge wasabout 50 meters, and he wasswimming against the current.
The preparation would pay off inhis competitive years.
Arakaki recalled a story aboutNakama, also his first swim coach,
in a race against a U.S. Olympic champion Ralph Gilmanin the 30s. Gilman was visiting Hawai'i for an exhibitionmeet.
“Keo Nakama (in this late teens) stepped up to the block,Gilman (in his twenties) was 6-feet 3-inches and Nakamawas 5-5. They had a good race for about 300 meters andNakama pulled through the last 20 meters of the event andbeat this Olympic star. And this was a nobody (Nakama)from the plantation.”
Nakama twice missed his opportunity for the Olympics inthe 40s. The first was a result of World War II, and the sec-ond one was because of a “funny kind of rule,” he said.“They said when I taught (Nakama was a physical educa-tion teacher) I was already a professional.”
But even without the Olympics, “Swimming has been verynice to me, I got to travel all around the world,” he said.
In addition, he was the first person to swim the 27-mileKaiwi channel between Moloka‘i and O‘ahu.
“What Mr. Nakama did was so phenomenal and we holdthis event to honor him and remind the kids and the parentsof the achievement that he did,” Arakaki said.
The Advertise, July 9, 2001
KEO NAKAMA
Baseball/Swimming 1943-45
Inducted: 1979Keo Nakama was an All-American distance freestyler, winning four
NCAA, six Big Ten , three NAAU indoor and six NAAU outdoor
titles. Nakama was a vital contributor on OSU’s National Champi-
onship teams in 1943 and 1945. The two-sport star was also a member
of the OSU baseball team, starting at third base on the 1943 Big Ten
Championship team. He is the only person in the modern history of
Ohio State to be a captain of two varsity teams in the same year.
http://ohiostatebuckeyes.cstv.com/genrel/osu-mhof.html
From the Australian press.
How they viewed the great swimmer from Hawaii
Back (L-R): Charley Oda, Bill Smith, unknown,
Halo Hirose, Jose Balmores
Front (L-R): Bunmei Nakama, unknown, Keo Nakama
1934 Halo and Keo at Puunene summer school
August 1938, Keo on board the S.S. Hamuula
Keo Nakama
WORLD RECORDS:One Mile, New Haven
at age 22
Keo Nakama, Coach Sakamoto,
a big swimming fan, “Duke”
John Wayne and Mr. Paulie (former
owner of the L.A. Rams and previous
owner of Coconut Island) with Hawaii
Swimming Club’s National Team!
At age 41, first person to ever swim the 26 mile
Molokai Channel
pionship years for Hall of Fame Coach
Mike Peppe’s Buckeyes with Keo the
captain his last two years. He also cap-
tained the Ohio State University base-
ball team. Back in the Islands Keo's
Coach, Hall of Fame Coach Soichi
Sakamoto, was beginning a new era of
great Hawaiian Swimming.
He trained them in an irrigation ditch
on Maui and his first of many Na-
tional Champions was Keo Nakama.
Keo’s Puunene School won its first
Maui School Swimming Champi-
Keo Nakama never got his chance at
the Olympics because of World War
II, but his “Big Meet” record is no
less Olympian. At the 1940 Pan
American Swimming Championships
in Ecuador, the diminutive Hawaiian
won 5 events. At the Australian Na-
tionals in 1939, he won 6 titles,
adding the 330 yard Individual Med-
ley to his sweep of all 5 freestyle
events. Nakama is a little guy com-
pared to the size of most swimming
champions, but wherever he has been
big things have happened, not only to
himself but to what ever team he has
belonged.
During his swimming career in the
early 1940’s, Nakama won 27 Na-
tional Championships from 110 yards
to 1500 meters. His World Records ex-
tend from the mile (1760 yards) swum
at New Haven when he was 22 years
old to the 27 mile Molokai Channel, a
first-time ever swim, when he was 41
years old.
Nakama’s 3 varsity seasons at Ohio
State, were Big Ten and NCAA Cham-
Need an Employment Lawyer in Hawai‘i?
www.flex.com/~hsc/nela.htmlwww.nela.org
Keo Nakamaonships when Keo and his friend,
Halo Hirose, became old enough to
swim. It was the same at Maui High
School and on the main land when
Sakamoto’s Nakama led Alexander
House Community Association Team
won the first of several U.S. National
AAU Team Championships in 1939.
After the war, Hawaii’s big Annual
International Swimming Meet at the
tide-filled Waikiki War Memorial
Natatorium was naturally named the
Keo Nakama Meet.
Keo received his Masters Degree at
Ohio State in 1945, taught at the Uni-
versity for two years and then re-
turned to Hawaii as a high school
swimming coach, teacher and athletic
director. He was elected and served in
the Hawaii State Legislature from
1964 to 1974.
Keo is married to the former Evelyn
Oyadomori and they have 6 daugh-
ters. Currently, Keo is a Community
Relations Director for the HGEA and
also is a baseball scout for the Detroit
Tigers.
Hawaii Swimming Club
Hawaii Swimming Club, Maui
Hawaii Swimming Club
Coaches
Waikele:
Emmett Vidal
Keith Arakaki
VMAC:
Scott Sherwood
Salt Lake:
Claire McKewen
Ernest Cheung
Maui:
Reid Yamamoto
Rodney Hayashi
www.hawaiiswim.org
Our History And Philosophy
Hawaii Swimming Club (HSC) was founded by “Coach”
Soichi Sakamoto in 1945 with the purpose of promoting and
developing swimming for the benefit of Hawaii’s youth.
“Coach” Sakamoto’s exploits are well known and he is per-
haps best remembered for his development of Olympic swim-
mers using the cane field ditch in Puunene as his training pool.
Hawaii Swimming Club’s mission is to continue the timeless
tradition established by “Coach” Sakamoto for the benefit
of our youth. Our coaches fully embrace his philosophy that
age group swimming is for the development of competitive
athletes – yes, but perhaps more important, swimming is a
means of teaching our children life values.
Our desire is to establish an environment where coaches, par-
ents and children can share in a commitment, discipline, hard
work, respect for others and showing our gratitude. Swimming
is important but the love of God, family and education are all
higher in priority. Oh yes, having FUN is important too.
Olympic of PIRAE is a swimming club which counts250 licenses member from 5 to 70 years. The club ismanaged by an office which is composed of the fol-lowing voluntary people:
President: Jean SUEN KOVice-president: Arthur AGNIERAYTreasurer: Michel SOMMERSAssistant treasurer: Matairea FAAHUSecretary: Mayor LOU CHAOAssistant secretary: Patricia NG PAO
The club employs qualified trainers of which the oldest has worked for the good of Polynesian swimming for 42 years! (Mr Karl CERAN-JERUSALEMY,trainer of the elite (open competitors) !)
The club uses primarily a basin of 50 m for its trainings and training courses.
The conducting line of the club is the respect ofothers and the blooming of the child within thefamily circle and to excel in the sporting effort.
Swimming club of Tahiti “Olympique de PIRAE”
Tarakito Swim Club is a private club
from Guam, USA established in 1995.
It has approximately 120 members
ranging from Swim School to Nationally
ranked Senior Competitive swimmers.
The Head Coach is Pepeʼ Laflamme.
TARAKITO SWIM CLUB
Head Coach Pepeʼ Laflamme
Caulfield Grammar School 2010 Hawaii Swimming & Diving Tour
Celebrating more than 125 years of his-tory, Caulfield Grammar School has grownto become one of Australia's most wellknown and influential co-educational dayand boarding schools through its innova-tive approaches to teaching and learning.
Caulfield is located in Melbourne Victoria,and is the second largest independentschool in Australia with over 3,000 day andboarding students attending the Schoolʼsfour metropolitan campuses.
Swimming and Diving are two of the mostpopular sports at Caulfield GrammarSchool, with over 220 students represent-ing the School in the Associated PublicSchools (APS) competitions.
The School has a proud history in Swimming and Diving. Within the APS Competition, Caulfield GrammarSchool has continually been a leader. Caulfield Grammar School was the first school to simultaneously holdboth the Boys and Girls Championships at the one time. The Girls squad held the Championship trophy for9 years before relinquishing it in 2007. Since then the team has finished 2nd each year. The Boys Team wonback to back premierships in 2002 / 03 and since then have finished in the top three schools. The 2010 sea-son saw both teams come second by narrow margins and they are building for the 2011 season. The schoolhas also been successful in the State Relays Championship, winning the Rob Woodhouse Trophy regularlyfor the best Co-educational school when the event was held.
Aside from team performances, the School has had a number of past and current students represent theschool with distinction. At the recent National Age Championships for Australia, Caulfield Grammar Schoolstudents won a remarkable 14 gold medals, in a total of 19 medals overall. The school is also very proud ofCameron Prosser, a past student who was recently selected in the Commonwealth Games team to repre-sent Australia in Delhi later this year.
The 2010 Tour is the first Swimming and Diving Tour to the USA by the School and consists of 22 swimmersand 3 divers, accompanied by five staff.
Caulfield Dive Team
Caulfield Swim Team
Our club is a USA Swimming year-round competitive
swim team offering high quality professional coaching
and technique instruction for all ages and abilities. The
goal of our team is to provide every member an oppor-
tunity to improve swimming skills and achieve success
at his or her level of ability, from novice to international
competitor.
All of our coaches, as members of the American Swim
Coaches Association, have access to the most com-
prehensive training and certification program for youth
coaches of any sport in the United States. They pro-
vide assurances that the time children spend in swim-
ming will be quality time. MARS also works as a feeder
program for area high school swim teams and many of
coaches are also the head coaches of their respective
high school teams.
Splash Aquatics
Kona Dolphin Swim Club
2010
Front left to back:
Kristi Cotton, Assistant Coach
Kathy Clarke, Owner/Assistant Coach
Harry Canales, Head Coach
The Manhoben Swim Club, started in 1978 and is under the direction of Head Coach Ed
Ching and Assistant Coach Don San Agustin. The team is comprised of swimmers ranging
from the ages of six to twenty broken down into three sub-teams, depending upon the swim-
mers skill level and age. Under Coach Ching and Coach San Agustin, the team has made
some impressive accomplishments and recognitions. Some of the Manhoben Swimmers still
hold records in the U.S. and Saipan. Our Swimmers have participated in many prestigious
competitions and medaled like the South Pacific Games, Australia Age Group Championships
and here at the Keo Nakama Invitational, plus not to mention many have been selected to rep-
resent Guam in the Olympics. Two of the Manhoben Swimmers ranked in the USA Swim-
ming.. Last year, Manhoben swimmers competed in the Worlds in Rome andEast Asian
Games in Hong Kong. Our swimmer made finals at the East Asian Games and broke Guam
Records in two age categories,. Coach Ching is head coach for Guam in 5 Olympics con-
secutively with several his swimmers, and Coach San Agustin was selected by Guam Na-
tional Olympic Committee to be head coach for the Guam swimmers who participated at the
South Pacific Games in Samoa, Worlds in Rome, Jr Pan Pacific in Maui, Pan Pacific in Korea
and East Asian Games in Hong Kong.
MANHOBEN SWIM CLUBHagatna, Guam
Front row: Santiago Poppe, Daraven Perez, Tommy Imazu,Back row: Chris Duenas, Johnny Rivera, Jacob Bustamante, Amanda Poppe
RAINBOW AQUATICS
What Kids Are Saying About Swimming:
“The best part about swimming is when you beat your time. It doesnʼt even matter if you lose the race as long as you tried your best; you can walk away
with a smile on your face. When youʼre in the water you forget that people maybe watching and all you care about is getting to the other side of the pool and
touching the wall. You can just let go and fly.”— Stormie, 12
“I used to only swim in the summer when it was hot out, but now I go to thehealth club and swim every week, even in the winter. Iʼm going to try out for my
schoolʼs swimming team this year.”— Bill, 12
“Swimming is more than just playing in my pool. It is good for my heart andkeeps me in shape. It is definitely a great exercise for children.”
— Miriam, 11
“Iʼve been told swimming is a wimp sport but we donʼ t get time outs and wecanʼt stop and catch our breath. Itʼs tough but fun.”
— Amber, 13
From pbskids.org
Real Estate Referral Center, Inc.Sherry A. Goya (S), President
1806 South King Street, Suite 31Honolulu, HI 96826
Email: [email protected]
Phone: Fax:808-722-8487 808-235-3650
on Elbridge W. Smith&
Perry Ann Howell
of
SMITH HIMMELMANNATTORNEYS AT LAW • A LAW CORPORATION
Take pleasure in supporting/sponsoring
Hawaii age group swimmers
Hawaii Swimming Club
and
Coach Keith Arakaki
in honoring
KEO NAKAMAone of Hawaii’s greatest swimmer
Gook Luck!
and
Good Swimming!
745 Fort Street, Suite 311Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Telephone: 523-5050www.shlaw.us
Specializing in Representing Federal Employees
Here is a list of where you can catchFourth of July fireworks around Oahu.
July 2rd, Friday:
Hilton Hawaiian Village’s Friday NightFireworks on Waikiki Beach
July 3rd, Saturday:
Aloha Tower Marketplace - 8:45 p.m.
July 4th, Sunday:
Ala Moana Shopping Center - 8:30 p.m.
Hickam Air Force Base - 8:30 p.m.
Kailua - 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Kapolei, Wet and Wild Hawaii - 8:50 p.m.
Maili Beach Park - 8:00 p.m.
Maunalua Bay, Hawaii Kai - 8:00 p.m.
Pearl Harbor - 9:00 p.m.
Schofield Barracks - 9:00 p.m.
Turtle Bay Resort - 8:00 p.m. “at dark”
Aloha Tower Marketplace July 3rd Fireworks ExtravaganzaAloha Tower Marketplace hosts its annual pre-Independence Day cele-bration on Saturday, July 3, from 3 pm to 10 pm, the festivities includingfood, fun and live music for both kids and adults. The ultimate fireworksshow is set to go off from Honolulu Harbor around 8:45 pm. Admissionis FREE. Start your 4th of July celebration a day early with fun for thewhole family at Aloha Tower Marketplace! For more information, visitwww.alohatower.com or call (808) 566-2337.
Ala Moana Center 4th of July Fireworks SpectacularAla Moana Center presents the largest fireworks show on IndependenceDay thatʼs been popular with locals and visitors. The fireworks extrava-ganza will begin at 8:30 pm. There is plently of excellent entertainmentstarting at noon. For more information and a shopping discount, visitwww.alamoanacenter.com/julyw.htm?indday, or call (808) 955-9517.
4th of July Celebration & Fireworks at Turtle Bay ResortIt is a FREE community event with the celebration starts at 5:30 pm withlive entertainment by the Kaʻala Boys and Kapena. There will be booths,military displays, food and games. The fireworks show start “at dark”around 8:00 pm. Admission and parking is FREE. For more information,visit www.turtlebayresortblog.com, or call (808) 293-6053.
Maunalua Bay Independence Day Celebration and Fireworks This family-friendly event starts at 1:00 pm with entertainment, foodbooths, and a fireworks show at 8:00 pm. Maunalua Bay is located be-tween Diamond Head and Koko Head on the southeast side of Oahu.For more information, visit www.independecedayatmaunaluabay.org,or call (808) 396-9226.
4th of July Sunset SailThe 4th of July Sail is a fundraiser for the Wild Dolphin Foundation topromote wildlife conservation efforts. Enjoy a catered buffet dinner andsee the fireworks while sailing out to see the brilliant star display. Theboat departs from Kewalo Basin Harbor at 7:00 pm just before sunset tocapture the transition form glorious sunset to silver moonlight. For moreinformation, visit www.sialhawaii.com, or call (808) 306-7273.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
Elbridge W. Smith, Smith Himmelmann, AAL, ALCStuart McElhaney, The Pillbox Pharmacy
Able Pest Exterminators, Inc.Gulliver’s Sport TravelWaipio Shopping Center
Real Estate Referral Center, Inc.Hawaii Swimming Club Parents
A very special Mahalo to all of our HSC families.
Thank you for your hard work, generous food and monetarydonations. There are so many things that could not happenwithout your help from planning, coordinating the swimmingand diving events, assisting the visiting teams, gathering spon-sors, helping with the deck set up, shopping, hospitality, hous-ing, artistic skills in putting together our souvenir booklet,safety marshalling, recycling, deck and office officiating, lifeguarding, head timing and clean up. Every job is so crucial tothe success of our meet. And each year we rely on the con-tinued support of all of our great parents. Thank you for yourgenerosity and for responding to the call for help!