An Outside View: Aloha

Aloha! That’s such a great word. It means both hello and goodbye. It is the perfect word for someone like me who never knows if he is coming or going. I sort of wish aloha was an English word. How could a guy get mad at a chick that dumps him by saying “Aloha?” She means goodbye but he thinks hello. But then we would have missed out on one of the Beatles’ great classic tunes. You are probably wondering why my sudden fascination with this little word. I just returned home from a nice little vacation in Maui where I heard the word a thousand times. My wife made me go with her. WARNING – SHAMELESS PLUG STRAIGHT AHEAD! She is a State Farm Insurance Agent and had earned the trip for two through the company. She dragged me along kicking and screaming. You believe that don’t you? We splurged and took our two sons along. They are at the age that there won’t be many more family vacations like this. For eight days, I was totally isolated from the real world. It’s not that I am complaining or anything. I did manage a daily check on the war but that was about it. I didn’t read any newspapers and didn’t see a single Sports Center. I might as well have been on another planet. In fact, standing atop the Haleakala Volcano looking into the moonlike crater, I thought I was. Being a self proclaimed sports junkie, I thought it would be hard. It wasn’t. When I left town, the Major League Baseball season had just started and my beloved St. Louis Cardinals were 1-0 and headed perhaps for the first-ever undefeated season. Pat Summitt and her Lady Vols had just earned a spot again in the Women’s Final Four and the talking heads were calling this team the best in the country. Having already dispensed of tourney favorite Arizona, Roy Williams and the Kansas Jayhawks were poised to fulfill their destiny and finally win that elusive national title. By the time I returned, the Redbirds were a .500 team and had slipped to fourth place in their division. So much for an undefeated season. More injuries to the pitching staff cast a shadow over the rest of the season. The Lady Vols had played a familiar tune and lost to the Lady Huskies again, leaving some to wonder about the future without the leadership of Kara Lawson and Gwen Jackson and longtime assistant coach Micki DeMoss. And the Orangemen of Syracuse spoiled Kansas’ party on the way to winning the national championship. To say that people in Hawaii cared very little about these big-time sporting events would be an understatement. They may be part of the United States but it is a different world. That’s not to say that my life was devoid of sports altogether. It just wasn’t what I was used to. Watching my 17-year-old learn to surf was fun. His snowboarding skills transferred easily and it was neat to watch him ride the waves although he had his share of wipeouts. For me, surfing is a spectator sport. His biggest thrill was jumping off of the rock cliffs into the deep pools at the base of the waterfalls. It was a bit scary for his mom to watch but he has always been a daredevil. The whole family went snorkeling and got up-close views of the tropical fish and sea turtles. The boys went scuba diving which is very similar to scuba diving but doesn’t require certification. They were able to enjoy the ocean from 25 feet below its surface. Except for some swimming, that was my week of sports. No box scores. No line scores. No stats. No wins. No losses. No scandals. No arrests. No coaches getting fired. No blaming the officials. No excuses. No wonder I didn’t miss it. All I can say is “Aloha.” But am I saying goodbye to the fun in the sun or hello to this wacky world of sports that we love so much?