Safety, sportsmanship make for successful fishing tournament Published June 11, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Erin Smith 15th Airlift Wing Public Affairs HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hi. -- Smiles abounded and laughter filled the air as 150 antsy children boarded the bus at Hickam AFB to head out to the 9th Annual Keiki Fishing Tournament, hosted by Friends of Hickam. The tournament, held at the Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens, Kaneohe, HI, turned out to be a record-breaking year, according to Friends of Hickam. "The total catch this year is 363 fish," said Paul Masuoka, Friends of Hickam. "This is up from 109 fish last year. Also, Zachary Witt, a 5-year-old fisherman caught 13 fish. That is record catch for his age." The tournament was divided into boys and girls categories and awards were handed out for most fish, largest fish and most courageous. Tournament winners were Jamie Valdez, 10, and Zachary Witt, 5, who caught 10 and 13 fish respectively. Kristina Poe, 10, was awarded first place in the girl's division for largest fish with a 12.5-inch fish. Cody Liles, 7, earned the award for the boys division with an 11-inch catch. Second place went to Alexis Bise, 6, and Roby Strong, 9, both of whom caught 11-inch fish. Fishers with the 3rd largest catch were Kaitlyn Liles, 7, and Bailey Parker, 10, for their 11-inch fish. When there is a tie in the competition, the higher award goes to the younger keiki. The award for most courageous fisherman was given to Gabriel Britt, 7, who continued fishing even after a brief encounter with a hook. Though the children spent their afternoon hauling in the fish, it was the volunteers who ensured the catch was included in tournament numbers. When the fishers caught a fish, volunteers from Hickam were standing ready to measure and log the length and remove it from the hook. Volunteers from Friends of Hickam and Hickam AFB also set up the fishing area, cooked lunch for the children and helped hand out awards after the tourney. Polynesian Cultural Center also provided pre-tourney entertainment to the children and parents. As well as helping with the logistics of the tournament, volunteers also ensured the 2 key s-words were followed: safety and sportsmanship. These topics were touched on by Col. JJ Torres, 15th Airlift Wing commander when he thanked Friends of Hickam for putting on the event and gave the keiki a pre-tourney pep talk, where he explained safety precautions and showed the children how to act like good sportsmen. "Say it after me," Colonel Torres said to the group of children, parents and volunteers. "Safety, Sportsmanship. Remember these words, as they are the key to having fun today. Sporting events should always be fun. Watch out for each other out there, take advantage of this great opportunity and enjoy your day." The energy in the air and 150 smiling faces showed the event's success. And FOH's goal of making the experience in Hawaii pleasurable and memorable for all members of the family, was deemed successful. "I thought the tourney was awesome," said Master Sgt. Rona Cardwell, Team Hickam Career Assistance Advisor and volunteer at the tourney. "It was fun, well organized and prepared. For the Friends of Hickam to do this for or Hickam family left me speechless. I cannot wait until next year." Friends of Hickam would like to extend a heartfelt mahalo to the following individuals & businesses that have contributed their time and donated generously to make our Keiki Fishing Tournament a success! Tournament Committee Co-Chair: Lance Terayama - Island Movers, Inc. Clarence Apau - retired Committee Members: June Takekawa - Island Movers, Inc. Jill Nakagawa - Tunista Pac Rim SSgt Erin Smith - Hickam Public Affairs Ray Fujii - Account Executives, Inc. Steven Chow - The Pacific Law Group Paul Masuoka - Pacific Appliance Group Trudy Yamashita - Island Movers, Inc. CLARENCE APAU - retired BLANE ASAO - Hickam FCU MIGUEL ASUNCION - Central Union Church DONALD BLUM - Waikiki Beach Condos ROBERT BUCHANAN - The Danielson Company DAN BURCH - Shakespeare Tackle Co. THERESA BROWN - Hickam Community Housing KEVIN BURKETT - SWS Hawaii PEGGY CHASTEEN - Outrigger Hotels WARREN CHEE - Chee & Yamasaki, CPA'S LESLIE CHO - Ala Moana Hotel STEVEN CHOW - The Pacific Law Group WENDELL CHOY - Commercial Route Operator STUART CHUN - Insurance agent CINDY'S LEI & FLOWER SHOPPE LEONARD CIUFO - Admor HVAC Products ANGELETE COTTERELL - Hickam Community Housing LEE ANNE DELA CRUZ - Hickam Community Housing DAN DUNG - Morgan Stanley NORA FEUERSTEIN - OMEGA DEE FUJII - CQ Communications RAY FUJII - Account Executives DWAYNE FUJITANI - Horizon Lines SNOOKY FUJIWARA - Snap On Tools LEROY GANOTISI - Tunista Pacific Rim DAVID GOMEZ - Hawaiian Dredging SIDNEY HAMADA - Flora Dec Sales ALAN HAYASHI - BAE Systems WENDY HERNANDEZ - PUEO Group Contracting HIDE IMURA - All Islands Equipment INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION & EVENT SERVICES GEORGE IRION - AIG Hawaii GARY IWAMOTO - Hawaiian Dredging RODNEY IZUO - Izuo Brothers DUANE KAU - American Tire Co. DAVID LEE - David Lee & Associates TERRANCE LEE - Pyramid Insurance Cntr. STEVE LIPSCOMB - Dell Inc. ARNOLD LUM - Attorney MWR SERVICES PAUL MASUOKA - Pacific Appliance Group ROBERT MCCONNELL - Outrigger Airport Hotels JILL NAKAGAWA - Tunista Pac Rim GERT NAKAMURA - PUEO Group Contracting KYLE NAKAMURA - Tunista Pac Rim MIKE NITTA - Castle Resorts & Hotels RICHARD NOGUCHI - Progressive Floor Covering GEORGE OKAMURA - George Okamura, Atty @ Law LEIGH OMIZO STAN OMIZO - retired GWEN OMORI - Gwen Omori Design HOWARD OSEDO - Mel's Sunrise Chevron BRIAN PERRY - Penske Truck Leasing ROBERT RABAGO - BODEK Construction ROBERTS HAWAII CARLA SAKAGUCHI - PUEO Group Contracting DEREK SAKAGUCHI - PUEO Group Contracting MARY SARNO - Choy Enterprises ROY SASUGA - Atlas Insurance Agency RICHARD SERIKAKU - CQ Communications ROBERT TAKAMATSU - Watanabe, Ing & Komeiji LLP JUNE TAKEKAWA - Island Movers, Inc. STEVE TAKEKAWA JAMES TAM - Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing CRAIG TAMURA - Punahou School LANCE TERAYAMA - Island Movers, Inc. TAB TERAYAMA - Nanko Inc. COLONEL JJ TORRES - Commander, 15th AW Mrs. IRENE TORRES GEORGE TOYAMA - General Trades & Services BRIAN TSURUDA - Hawaiian Sun WAYNE YAMAGUCHI - Loves Bakery ALAN YAMAMOTO - HMS Host TRUDY YAMASHITA - Island Movers, Inc. SOPHIA YOUNG - Korean Airlines CLOCK & TROPHY HOUSE EVERETT FREEMAN - Consultant KEALII HAVERLY - Polynesian Cultural Center ALI KESSNER - McCully Bicycle CHRIS LIFU - Polynesian Cultural Center RAYLEEN NAGAI - Izuo Brothers KIMIYA NAKANO - MaxiVision USA QUAN NGUYEN - Papa Johns Pizza CHAPLAIN JAMES PARRISH - 15th Airlift Wing Chapel SAMUEL FERREIRA - 15th Civil Engineer Squadron, Hickam Fire Dept. TEAM HICKAM VOLUNTEERS