New uniforms are in

Thanks to long-distance travelers Gerard Porras and Gabriel Porras, the new uniforms are in from the Philippines. They are awesome. Everything looks pristine from the embroidery of the letters and numbers to the stitching of the shorts' piping. Even the waistband (white) is sharp, resembling boxer trunks.

It's impossible to deny that this is elite-level, professional work. Thanks to Gerard and Gabe, we have a good relationship with Arthur of Sportsthing. That means there's a very good chance we can re-order this particular design in this teal blue color, or just about any color (see samples) and fabric he has available. Only question is whether the cost of shipping (which normally doubles the cost) is reasonable for our budget.

The guys who made it to practice today (Thursday) at Makiki Park took home their uniforms. The rest of the uniforms will be distributed at Friday's CAL 13U game and Saturday's NJB Classic 14U game.

The only hitch is that Radyn's jersey is a bit snug on the front. He's 220 pounds, which means he's borderline XXL. I didn't even think about it when he asked for XL, but Chris and Kali‘a opted for XXL just to be safe and smart. The good news is Radyn's jersey is fairly loose on the back, so a visit to the seamstress shop for alterations might do the trick.

The jerseys fit well on the team's more slender players. I found my XL to be snug, nothing that losing 15-20 pounds wouldn't fix.

Below, you'll see a shot of Gerard's custom color white jersey with navy blue trim. That fabric is very light, numbers and name painted on. If we go with that combination sometime, he and I think embroidered work is better than the paint, which will eventually wear off some.

As for the cost, Gerard's friend (Arthur) gave us a very generous deal. With the leagues and tournaments we've played in, plus what's coming up soon (Kona trip, August leagues), I'm going to ask for $50 per uniform set to help defray costs. If you don't have 50 bucks, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. We're going to keep fundraising so everybody can participate and enjoy the brotherhood of their H1 Thunder squad.

As our 20-plus players work toward a simple goal like this, it helps out a lot. Some of our guys and their parents have already chipped in what they can, and it has helped tremendously. We are in this together!

Next: Friday, 5:30 pm - H1 Thunder vs. HomeGrown (CAL 13U), Kilauea gym. Warmups/stretching 4:30 pm on outside court. Potluck BBQ at the Santos' hale after the game.
Saturday, 9:00 am - H1 Thunder vs. Team Lihue (NJB Classic 14U), Palolo gym. Warmups/stretching 8:00 am on outside court. Early-morning game means it's even more crucial to get loosened up and get the blood flowing early.

WE LUB THIS GAME!