Iolani Alumni

For the first time since the event started 12 years ago, tickets for the Touch of Iolani SOLD OUT before the end of the discount period (which was June 30th)… So, if you don’t have tickets now… your outta luck.

The 13th Annual Touch of Iolani is brought to you by the Iolani Alumni Association and the Class of 1989 and will be held this Saturday, August 2nd.

This year’s theme is “The Red Event” and features food from the following restaurants:

• Big City Diner
• Sam Choy’s
• The Willows
• Sansei Restaurant
• The Beach House at the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort
• Hawaii Prince Hotel
• Atlantis Seafood & Steak
• Roy’s Restaurant
• Tango Contemporary Cafe
• Bali by the Sea
• Great Harvest Bread Company

Drinks will be provided by Anheuser-Busch and Kai Vodka.

REMINDER: Don’t forget about the 3rd Annual Alumni Weekend Welcome Reception tonight hosted by Headmaster Val Iwashita ‘67 and his wife Cynthia for the reunion classes ending in 3 and 8.

The 2008 Napa Ultimate Sports Trivia Challenge got underway this past Monday and there’s quite a few alumni are participating in the event which runs every morning for the next two weeks on ESPN 1420am during The Bobby Curran Show.

The contest challenges the sports trivia knowledge of local residents in a head-to-head format live on the air. Tune in to 1420am at 7:15am every morning to cheer your classmates on… Click here for the full bracket »

Iolani Alumni expected to compete in the 64-player bracket are: Mark Sumikawa ‘88, Brandon Sumida ‘88, Todd Yonamine ‘88, Jim Camacho ‘88, Jimmy Wong ‘88, Rick Takeshita ‘88, Pat Samsonas ‘93 (Please let me know if I missed anyone)

Northwest Arkansas first baseman Kila Ka’aihue ‘02, one of the top hitters in the AA Texas League, was promoted yesterday to the Omaha Royals of the Pacific Coast League, the AAA-affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.

At the time of promotion, Ka’aihue was batting a season-high .314 and leading the league in home runs (26), on-base percentage (.463), slugging percentage (.624) and walks (80). He was among the most popular players on the Northwest Arkansas roster and was named to the starting roster in the Texas League Mid-Season All-Star Game earlier this year.

[Photo: Northwest Arkansas]

Former Washington State guard Derrick Low ‘04 signed a one-year deal with the Sydney Spirit (formerly the West Sydney Razorbacks) of the National Basketball League in Australia. Final terms were not disclosed, but his salary is expected to be in the range of $10,000 per month (plus free housing & transportation).

The NBL season runs from October through February which gives Low the opportunity to sign with another team (in Europe or the NBA) once his contract expires in March.

Last season, the Sydney Spirt, as the West Sydney Razorbacks, finished with a record of 10-20 and missed the playoffs.

Team Shimamoto captured the 2008 Iolani Alumni League “A” Division Championship with a final record of 4-2, one game ahead of second place finishers Team Tanaka (’94/’95) and Team Hirata (’03/’04).

Team Shimamoto: Corey Yamashita ‘93, Dean Shimamoto ‘94, Adam Wong ‘94, Cord Anderson ‘99, Joe Udell ‘02, Bricen McCartney ‘08, Berton Wong ‘08, Taylor Mounts ‘08 (Not Pictured: Dean Shin ‘93, Travis Grobe ‘00)

Final Four Schedule: Friday, July 25
• 7:00pm - Downie ‘97 vs. Shimizu ‘06
• 7:50pm - Chun ‘80 vs. Pacheco ‘98

Third place and championship games will be played on Saturday, July 26 at 5:00 and 5:50 pm.

Joe Udell ‘02, online editor and staff writer at the Hawaii Herald, won first place for Feature Writing in the non-daily newspapers category at the 2007 Society of Professional Journalists Awards Banquet for his story, “The Magical Reno Weekend.”

The article was published in the Herald’s Dec. 7, 2007 edition. It recapped Joe’s reunion with three longtime friends in Reno, Nev. for the University of Hawai‘i Warriors-Nevada Wolf Pack football game last November as the Warriors tried to hold on to their undefeated season.

Read the award-winning article »

Side Note: Former Iolani and UH standout Bobby Nash ‘03 is featured on the cover of the current issue of the Hawaii Herald. Pick up a copy at Borders Books and Music in Kaneohe, Waikele Center and Victoria Ward Center; Best Sellers in downtown Honolulu; Shirokiya; the Kahala, Kaimuki, McCully, Waimalu and Waipahu Times Super Markets.

Kyle Ahlo ‘08, a Second Team All-State and First Team All-ILH selection last season, and her high school teammate, Kaz Masutani ‘07, a three-time First Team All-ILH selection and First Team All-State selection in 2007, well be headed to Loyola Marymount University in the fall to join the women’s softball team.

Ahlo was a two-sport athlete at Iolani, competing in basketball and softball. She was the 2008 recipient of the “I” Club Award. Masutani, the 2007 Father Bray Award winner, spent a year at Oregon State following graduation, but did not play, giving her four years of eligibility at LMU.

[Photos: Al Linsky @ Iolani-Events.org]

Dallas Mavericks summer league team member Derrick Low ‘04 is considering an offer from the West Sydney Razorbacks of the National Basketball League in Australia. Terms are expected to be in the range of $70,000 (include housing and transportation) for the full season which runs from late- September through mid-February. Read more from the Honolulu Advertiser »

Last summer, prior to his senior season at Washington State, Low traveled Down Under to play six games with his Cougar teammates, averaging 22.2 points per game with highs of 30 and 35. His 35-point outburst came in a 102-101 loss to the 3-time National Basketball League Champion Sydney Kings where he hit 11 of 18 from 3-point range. (The Sydney Kings have since been removed from the NBL and the Razorbacks are expected to change their name to the Sydney Spirit next season.)

Low is currently playing in the Rocky Mountain Revue which ends Friday in Utah. Here are his stats with the Mavericks thus far at the RMR:

• July 18 - Atlanta: 7:06 minutes, 0-1, 0 points, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 rebound
• July 19 - I.R. Iran: 17:08 minutes, 1-3, 2 points, 2 assists, 1 steal
• July 21 - San Antonio: 11:24 minutes, 1-2, 3 points, 2 assists

Dallas’ final three games (Today, Thursday & Friday) will be available (delayed) on NBA-TV and live on the web.

[Photo: GordonG.com]

When the 18th Annual KCCN FM100 Birthday Bash rolls around this weekend, two Iolani alumni will be rockin’ it on stage for the thousands in attendance on Friday night.

Christian Yrizarry ‘94 (left), formerly of Ho’onu’a, will be on stage as the lead singer for Beach 5 and Brandon Tucay ‘06 (right) will be keeping the beat behind the action as the full-time drummer for Kapena.

The 18th Annual Birthday Bash is a two-day event running Friday and Saturday at the Waikiki Shell from 4:30pm until the final “Hana Hou”. For the first time ever, the Birthday Bash will be televised live on Oceanic pay-per-view in standard definition (Channel 260) and HD (Channel 1260).

Derrick Low ‘04 closed out his final game in Las Vegas warming the pine for the Dallas Mavericks in a 79-73 win over the Detroit Pistons. Through five games in the summer league (played in four), Low averaged 5.8 minutes and 1.3 points per game for the Mavericks who closed out the league with a 3-2 record.

The team opens play in the Rocky Mountain Review today against the Atlanta Hawks in Salt Lake City at 1:30pm HST. See the complete schedule »

Derrick Low - Game by Game Statistics:
• July 11 - Clippers: 1-2, 2 points, 2 assists in 3:22 minutes
• July 13 - Warriors: 1-2, 3 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound in 7:11 minutes
• July 14 - Timberwolves: 0-2, 0 points, 2 rebounds in 5:14 minutes
• July 16 - Kings: 0-2, 0 points, 1 steal in 7:18 minutes
• July 17 - Pistons: Did not play

More for you to read from the people that you went to school with… Some professional, some not, yet all entertaining in their own way. Enjoy!

Iolani Alumni - Blogs:
• Prep Talk - Wes Nakama ‘86
• Quarterlife Cafe - Kim Fassler ‘02
• Pulpconnection - Greg Yamane ‘90
• Katsuyoshi.org - Clayton Katsuyoshi ‘92
• Life in Vietnam - Greg Nakajo ‘94
• The Diary of an Enginerd - Ryan Kanno ‘96
• RemyOmar - Remy Hiramoto ‘88
• Straying From the Norm - Michael Ni ‘01

Additions:
• How to Change the World - Guy Kawasaki ‘72
• So Necessary… - Jason Genegabus ‘95
• Bytemarks - Burt Lum ‘73
• Olympic Dream - Taylor Takata ‘00
• The Notebook - Peter Boylan ‘97

If you know of any others, please post them in the comments and I’ll add them to the list. Mahalo!

Add an Iolani Alumni Blog »

It may be the middle of the summer, but remembering Iolani’s dramatic upset victory over Punahou to capture the 2008 Hawaii Boys Volleyball State Tournament still brings a smile to my face… (Thanks, Wes)

A panel of coaches and media members from the Honolulu Advertiser honored Iolani outside hitter Brad Lawson ‘08 and head coach Mike Among as the 2008 Hawaii State Player and Coach of the Year.

Playing through injuries to his knee and wrist, Lawson emerged as an unstoppable force this season, carrying the Raiders to a 16-4 record and leading them to an improbable win in the state finals over the undefeated Buffanblu. He is currently featured on the cover of the July issue of Volleyball Magazine as the top player in the nation and will be heading to Stanford next fall to join former teammate Kawika Shoji ‘06.

In his third season as the head coach of the Raiders, Mike Among made his second appearance in the state finals in 2008, capturing his first state championship. With the win, Iolani snapped Punahou’s four-year streak of 74 consecutive regular and postseason victories.

View the entire 2008 Honolulu Advertiser All-State Volleyball Team »

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

Event Date: Sunday, July 20th, 2008

Taylor Takata ‘00, the first judoka from Hawaii to qualify for the Olympics in 12 years, will be hosting a fundraiser dinner this Sunday before he heads off to Beijing to represent the United States of America in early August.

The Hawaiian-style dinner will be held at the Iolani Student Center on July 20 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. to help raise funds for training and other associated expenses.

Athletes, such as Takata, must pay the majority of the costs themselves to compete in the Olympics. The dinner is $40 per adults and $20 per students (18 and under) with children 6 and under free.

Donations can also be made to Friends of Taylor Takata at American Savings Bank.

If you are interested in attending, e-mail Nick Lee at nicholasklee@gmail.com or call 348-3267. Tickets are also available at Iolani School in the Office of Institutional Advancement or the Athletic Office.

Read more about Takata and his recent clinic »

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]

From the Honolulu Advertiser: Lt. Sean S. Kido ‘97, who led the explosives disposal unit for the USS Kitty Hawk carrier group, was presented with the Bronze Star, with a “V” for valor in combat, on July 2 by Rear Adm. Rick Wren during a ceremony aboard the aircraft carrier at Pearl Harbor.

Kido, an all-star wrestler while at Iolani, received the award for his service in Iraq from April 6 to October 1, 2007.

Once, when his convoy was hit by two buried bombs that killed two men, Kido “calmly took charge of the situation, dismounted to sweep the area of other dangers, while coordinating an airborne over watch and casualty evacuation,” according to his citation.

“His quick thinking and bravery ensured the rest of the force returned safely.”

He led his 12-man detachment in 109 direct-action missions, 16 operations to counter insurgent bomb operations and 33 reconnaissance missions, the citation said.

Kido’s efforts contributed to the capture of 315 known or suspected insurgents, and the seizure and destruction of 198,000 rounds of enemy small arms and 2,600 pounds of ordnance.

[Photo: Pacific Fleet Public Affairs via KITV.com]

From the Honolulu Advertiser: In the 11 months since Kai Sensors Inc. was founded, the Manoa-based high-technology firm has won a prestigious national innovation award, received a six-figure contract from the U.S. Army to develop a chip for an unmanned ground sensor, and completed a prototype for a remote respiration monitoring system.

Kai Sensors was incorporated in August 2007 as a spinoff company of the Doppler radar technology that was developed at the University of Hawai’i. Researchers there came up with a way to detect human vital signs from a distance without contact with the subject.

Davin Kazama ‘94 (shown, center) is the VP of Business Development for the young company in charge of researching new markets for the company’s products and leading business development activities. He is the co-founder and President of e808.com, a local online retailer of Hawaiian goods and products, as well as the owner of popular ocean apparel line Kai Clothing. Kazama is also a member of the Iolani Alumni Association Board.

[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]