Taken by Kris Nelson on February 21st, 2009
Location: South Kihei at the 2009 Whale Day Parade
Okay, so this picture doesn’t exactly scream Maui as much as the previous photos in the Sunday Photo series, but it is from the Valley Isle. As mentioned above, it was taken at the 2009 Whale Day Parade back in February, and this particular float is for the Maui Inline Hockey Association, which plays right there at Kalama Park in Kihei.
So, why feature a hockey parade float as my Maui Sunday Photo? Why not? First of all, I’ve played hockey my entire youth life, and just recently started getting back out on the ice. Second, I was very excited when Liza at A Maui Blog let me know about this Maui hockey group, which I shared on the blog here back in January. I really wanted to go check it out on our last trip and watch one of their games while we were in town, but we hit a snag with traffic the night we tried.
Personally, I think it’s cool that these kids (and adults) get to enjoy the game of hockey all the way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Plus, it’s a sanctioned organization under USA Hockey, which is the national governing body for youth hockey, both ice and inline. That gives them the same support and recognition as hockey groups back on the mainland, too.
Hockey would certainly be something I would miss on a seemingly eventual (if at least only temporary) relocation to Maui, so knowing that there’s a place out there for me to lace up the skates, and maybe even help instruct or coach (like I’ve done in the past) makes living on Maui an even sweeter deal.
Talk Story
So, what do you think? Did you know there was hockey being played on the Valley Isle? Maybe you’ve seen a game or know someone who’s involved in the program. Share some of you stories (and maybe even some photos) if you have them.
Mahalo.
If you like this photo, you can see more in our Sunday Photos series here at the blog. Our website also features daily photos on the Today’s Photos page, and you can also get a new photo from Maui everyday on your Google home page. Check out our Maui Photo Day Calendar for more details.
Tags: photos
Funny, I was just looking at this photo (and all your Whale Parade photos) on your Flickr last night
Then I came here this morning and read this post
I think you’d be a great coach- so we can’t wait for your move. Maybe my son would join the hockey team by then.
Aloha Liza.
Believe it or not, I do have quite a bit of coaching experience, from learn to skate programs to coaching high school hockey for 5 years. I think it would be a blast to help out these guys, and it’s certainly on the list of things to do once we finally make it out there for longer than 2 weeks at a time.
My sis told me about your site and how great it is. She’s right, I am really impressed with the writing and slick design. It seems to me you’re just scratching the surface in terms of what you can accomplish, but you’re off to a great start!