State of the H1 Thunder

STATE OF THE THUNDER ADDRESS

No Obama here. Just thought it would be a good time to update everyone on what's happenin'.

1. Great attitudes at practice. Considering all the work that 12U/13U has put in, and the way they're improving every day (the wins don't hurt either), it's been big fun. We know our individual strengths and weaknesses, we get to work and put in the investment of time and sweat. WE LUB THIS GAME.

2. We're in three leagues/divisions, and now 15U will play (PAA) starting next week. Guess what? That's a lot of entry fees! So I'm asking all players/parents to chip in $20 for each league he/she is participating in (Aiea 12U, PAA 13U, CAL Middle School Division). 10 players give $20, that's $200, which is half of the entry fee for each league. (I'm paying for the other half.) If you can't afford it, let me know. There are ways to raise funds and I expect everyone to do their share - see "T-shirt sales" below.)

3. Uniforms. I've paid up front for the new uniforms we're wearing and the new ones one the way. But I want everyone to keep their uniforms after the season. I just can't afford to give any of the uniforms away. They cost almost $40 per set, so if you want to keep yours, give Coach Paul two $20 bills or four $10s or even eight $5 bills. I'm not picky. But I sure can't be going broke (again).

Note: The 15U will need their own net set of uniforms. If they want something like the gray or orange uniforms (dri-fit fabric), that's the $40/set deal. If they want reversibles (like our previous uniforms), that's $50/set. They're all nice, just a matter of taste.

4. T-shirt sales. The best thing any of us can do is sell the T-shirts. We make a $10 profit on each when you sell one for $20. Please ask family friends, teachers, principals, janitors, co-workers, relatives ... it all adds up. I've got many friends who have not only bought shirts, but a few gave donations. A lot of super generous people know about you, Thunder, and they enjoy supporting what you do.

See. The world is not totally evil.

5. Grade checks. I am not big on babysitting our players when it comes to schoolwork. I always ask about homework, about double-checking it. But I will not act like a parent since I'm not one. Instead, I will start to send out informal grade check forms to all parents. It will be up to you parents to fill out the grades your son/daughter is getting in each class. I'll do this on an intermittent basis, maybe once a month.

There is not going to be any discipline/punishment for low grades, but I do expect all of our Thunder to give school a maximum effort. This isn't just about a GPA. It's about effort and self-respect. I want each of our kids to push him or herself to try their best. Always.

6. Food. BIG MAHALOS to all the parents who have brought food to our games for the players to eat. It really helps. I'd like everyone to share the aloha, but I'm not comfortable with starting a list and assigning one parent or another to bring anything. I really don't want to do it. So if someone is willing to take charge of that, let me know.

Otherwise, we can probably get by like this with random acts of kindness from our awesome parents!

7. When you get a chance, please, please thank our dad-coaches like Coach Roy, Uncle Cliff, Uncle Eric, Coach Loto (from last year) for transporting the kids all over town to games. It's a really tough undertaking week after week, a few nights/days each week. But they do it out of the greatness of their hearts, so please share your spirit of thanks with them. It always means a lot.

The State of the Thunder address is now pau. Mahalo everybody!