Seasiders pass survival test

Those ITT Tech commercials really work, and Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School athletic director Gerry Delgado is putting his business degree to good use.

Since the Seasiders converted to a charter school on July 1, 2012, the athletics program has become self-sufficient in the BIIF, where expenses range from paying coaches and officials, to equipment and travel.

The second-year AD said his budget is in the neighborhood of $20,000 for the fall sports of girls volleyball, and cross country, winter sports of basketball, canoe paddling, and swimming, and the spring sport of track and field.

For sports not offered at Laupahoehoe, such as football, baseball and soccer, the Seasiders are eligible to play at Honokaa.

Laupahoehoe has about 60 high school students, about the same amount as last year.

The charter school is trying to build its enrollment, and Delgado believes that sports is a good open door.

“We’ve got more kids coming in, and more are interested in sports,” he said. “We’ve had a couple of kids come in because they want to play boys basketball.”

Although he’s from California, Delgado knows enough about the proud Seasider history (BIIF basketball championships in 1966 and 1970 and Division A state titles both years). His wife Lani Nacis is a Laupahoehoe graduate.

“We need a lot of work. There is a good tradition here and a strong sports community,” Delgado said. “But it’s kind of died down the last few years. We’re on pace to bringing it back. Everything we’re doing is for the long-term success of the program.”

Still, money doesn’t grow on trees. If the Seasiders need 10 dollars, they can’t ask the state DOE for help. They need to foot their own bills.

“Everything we spend on sports comes from fundraising or donations,” Delgado said. “We’ve been really good. Last year, we raised all the money for our coaches, to buy equipment, and transportation. This year we’re on pace to do the same from money with concessions, gate and fundraisers.

“Travel per season is $2,000. We own our buses, so we don’t have to rent. If we didn’t, it would be sky-high. But we still have to pay our drivers and all that stuff. Our biggest expense is for personnel, to pay coaches and officials. That’s’ about $10,000 to $12,000. The league doesn’t cover the officials.”

Those ITT Tech commercials talk about changing the course of one’s life. Delgado took good notes because he stresses the same talking points when he mentions his athletic department’s future.

“We know we’re going to get back on track. We want to become something the community can be proud of,” he said. “We’re going to get there if the students learn leadership skills, and that translates to other things in life. If we can get leadership skills and sportsmanship working together, then we’ll get this thing going and be a success.”

It always helps to have a homegrown product who doubles as a coach and role-model. That’s what the Seasiders have in first-year girls volleyball coach Malia Phillips, who graduated from Laupahoehoe.

“We’re excited about her. She graduated from here (in 2006), and played volleyball here,” Delgado said. “She knows how to make it pretty far. She played college volleyball (in Tacoma, Wash.) and got her degree. She’s taken the girls under her wing. She can inform them that there’s not just Laupahoehoe, but a whole world in front of them.

“The girls have seen that, and for the students that participate in sports there’s been an overall growth. A lot have matured and that can be seen in their grades. It’s helping their grades and the whole school atmosphere.”

Delgado points out that there’s a valuable life lesson in being at a charter school, especially in a small community like Laupahoehoe: the best rewards are those earned.

“You have to work harder for the things that you have,” he said. “We’re self-funded. It makes it more satisfying when you do reach your goals. And you have to work so much harder for them. It does make it more satisfying when you have good results.”

Delgado would be a prime candidate to make a video for www.lcpcs.org, the school’s website, touting the pride of being a Seasider. That’s because his son Josiah is in the first grade at his school.

“He’s in the after-school enrichment program and plays soccer,” Delgado said. “He loves the school here. He loves his teachers, and the fact that it’s a small school and everybody kind of knows everybody.”