Competitive surfing will become an official high school sport in the spring of 2013, under a plan announced by Gov. Neil Abercrombie and the Department and Board of Education.
The BOE had approved surfing as an official sport in May 2004, but funding and other issues have slowed the implementation. According to a joint press release from the Governor's office and the DOE, "the DOE intends to support (high school surfing) with outside funding sources and consult community partners and city officials to ensure that surf breaks are shared equitably and safely."
BOE member Keith Amemiya, the former executive director of the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association, said the addition will provide opportunities for a whole new set of students.
"Surfing is a unique sport that often attracts athletes that may not necessarily be interested in more traditional sports such as football, basketball, baseball and soccer," Amemiya said through the release. "Therefore, we're confident that surfing will increase athletics participation numbers. In our view, the more students that engage in athletics and other after school activities, the higher our student achievement rates will become."
Abercrombie said it is only natural that surfing be among the high school sport offerings.
"Hawai'i is the birthplace of surfing," Abercrombie said. "From Duke Kahanamoku to the thousands of residents and visitors who surf both recreationally and competitively, the sport is rooted in our culture and way of life. Bringing surfing to our students is another step in our collective goal to transform public education and provide our children with rich and diverse educational opportunities."
Hawai'i's Carissa Moore, who this past summer became the youngest surfer ever to win a professional world title at age 18, said high school surfing "will open doors for a lot of students."