Noted inspirational speaker Sandy Zimmerman, a former contestant on the television show American Ninja Warrior, led a workshop on the opening day of the conference. Brien Ing | SL

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Noted inspirational speaker Sandy Zimmerman, a former contestant on the television show American Ninja Warrior, led a workshop on the opening day of the conference. Brien Ing | SL

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KEAUHOU, Hawaii — The 64th annual Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association conference began Tuesday afternoon at the Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa at Keauhou Bay. 

Athletic directors from all five of the state's interscholastic leagues that comprise the Hawaii High School Athletic Association are gathered at the 22-acre resort on the Kona coast of the Big Island for the three-day conference, where they will discuss, debate and vote on up to 49 proposals that have been submitted by either a member-league or the HHSAA. 

The ADs are split into four groups with each overseeing a number of the proposals. Group 1 is tasked with handling all issues pertaining to mostly fall sports, group 2 winter sports, group 3 spring sports and group 4 with general or issues pertaining to the HHSAA. 

Group 3 has nearly half of the entire proposals, including four that pertain to flag football. Two of them are duplicate proposals — one submitted by the Interscholastic League of Honolulu and the other from the Oahu Interscholastic Association — that seek to add a second division; that is, the creation of a Division I and Division II state tournament. 

The inaugural season of girls flag football, which was completed this spring, included more than 55 teams statewide. Campbell, the state's largest school by enrollment, claimed the very first state title last month. 

Language in both the OIA and ILH's proposals cite a need for a second division to create competitive balance between the state's largest and smaller schools, as well as the opportunity to expand potential exposure for more student-athletes while continuing to grow the fledging sport. Furthermore, both proposals note that Division II state tournaments are currently conducted for nearly a half-dozen other female sports, including basketball, volleyball, soccer and softball. 

Another flag football proposal, submitted by the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, seeks to move the sport from the spring season to the fall, which would align it with the tackle football season. 

The BIIF's proposal points out that the spring season is already populated with eight sports, including softball and girls water polo — both of which, as cited by the league, affects a schools' ability to draw student-athletes out for flag football. It recommends that a school should be able to manage facility use with games on weekdays and/or the same night of a tackle football game, as a means to further highlight flag football. 

Also included amongst Group 3's proposals for consideration is one that was submitted by the ILH and seeks to add a defined pitching lane on the softball field to better assist umpires with recognizing potential illegal pitches. 

Two other proposals tied to diamond sports seeks to implement a 15-run differential mercy rule after four innings. Currently, only a 10-run mercy rule after five innings is in effect for state tournaments. However, the BIIF and Maui Interscholastic League utilize a 15-run mercy rule after four frames. 

Among the nearly dozen of proposals tasked to group 4 is one that seeks to require a student-athlete to be enrolled in a member school — public or private — for 21 days prior to the first state tournament contest for that specific sport in order to be eligible to participate. 

The proposal, submitted by the HHSAA, notes that late-season transfers would still be able to participate in league play — provided it is allowed by said league — but would protect the integrity of the state tournament. Also, military transfers would still be allowed to appeal for inclusion. 

Most notably, during the 2024 prep football season, both Kahuku and Mililani were beneficiaries of late-season mainland transfers, who played prominent roles for both squads in their postseason runs. 

Also in group 4 is a proposal that would create a Division III state tournament for the sports of boys and girls volleyball and boys and girls basketball on a one-year trial basis. Only schools with enrollments below 300 students would be eligible for consideration. The measure seeks a four- or five-team state tournament and notes that both volleyball and basketball are small-roster sports conducive to very small school participation and would have a minimal impact on the operations of both the D1 and D2 state tournaments for each sport. 

Another group 4 proposal, submitted by the BIIF, would like to see the including of multi-school combination teams of HHSAA member schools eligible for D2 state tournaments — also on a one-year trial basis.

A proposal submitted by the OIA seeks to modify the state tournament representation criteria to require that all leagues meeting the established calculation formula in order to be awarded a state tournament berth. It states that leagues with only one team participating in a given sport would no longer automatically qualify for a berth — though it would not pertain to tackle football. 

Among the examples of schools affected by this rule change would be Damien, which has won three of the past four D2 state baseball championships and PAC-5, which has received the ILH's automatic berth into the D2 state football tournament. Both teams are the league's lone representative at the D2 level in their respective sports. 

Also of note is Kapaa football, which has represented the Kauai Interscholastic Federation at the D1 level since it won the D2 state crown in 2021 and moved up. The Warriors won their first state title at the D1 level in the fall. 

Group 2 is overseeing eight proposals, four of which pertain to the sport of canoe paddling. One of those proposals — submitted by the MIL — seeks the creation of a D1 and D2 state championship regatta, while another — brought forward by the ILH — would like to see the state championship regatta revert back to a 24-team format for the boys, girls and mixed races. 

Each group conducted a straw poll Tuesday afternoon before the five leagues gathered in the evening to caucus. ADs will reconvene in their groups Wednesday to vote on each proposal. Any proposal passed out of committee will be forwarded to Thursday's HIADA general assembly, where it will be voted upon by each of the 95 member schools in attendance this week. 

All proposals that gain HIADA recommendation will then be forwarded to the HHSAA Executive Board, which meets Thursday afternoon and can approve, deny or amend any measure. 

Also on Tuesday, ADs took in a workshop led by noted inspirational speaker Sandy Zimmerman, a former contestant on the television show American Ninja Warrior. Zimmerman, a mother of three and native of the Pacific Northwest, spoke to the group of athletic administrators about the impact that athletics had to her as an adolescent. 

Zimmerman participated in a number of sports growing up, including judo, volleyball, basketball and track and field. She graduated from Selkirk High School in Ione, Washington before she went on to play collegiate basketball at Gonzaga. Zimmerman urged the ADs to continue to plant seeds of hope in their student-athletes and that their belief in an individual can change the trajectory of one's life.