Tsai-ko Autobiography: Kazz
Name: Kevin K.
High School: Pearl City
2000
Tsai-ko Lunch Size: Medium
Other: Coordinator and
contact for Tsai-ko tailgates
From the Warrior Beat blog August 25,
2007:
ST's Intro:
t never fails. A certain song
is played on the radio, and suddenly we're reminiscing about a
memorable time in our lives. For Kazz, UH football triggers fond
memories of his best friend. In the future, when the Internet is
obsolete, we'll think of Kazz, who provided the soundtrack to this blog.
His wit has created some of the catchiest parody lyrics.
He's a wordsmith, a humorist and, most of all, a diehard UH football
fan.
He also has perfected the entertainer's hook: He leaves the reader
wanting more.
Today, we meet Kazz:
Just like most people here in
Hawaii it all started at Kapiolani of course. Born to parents Leo and
Marilou. I don't have a real big family just a brother Klinton, whom I
witnessed attempting to swallow a key at a very early age (random piece
of info there).
First living in Kalihi and looking back on it my parents probably
wished for a "better" area for me to grow up in. Sundays were spent at
the Zoo and at Kapiolani park. My dad would play basketball with his
friends near that park across from Leonard's Bakery on Kapahulu and I
would play with their kids as well. Often my parents would take me to
the Aloha Stadium swap meet and I would remember wandering off and
constantly peeking through the Aloha Stadium gates that were obviously
closed at that time... perhaps a sign of things to come?
I could remember seeing the field at that time and wondering, at the
age of 5, what went on in there. Not until 6-ish or so I attended my
FIRST UH Rainbow Warrior football game and to be honest, at the age of
6 you're more interested in playing with the other kids before and
after the game. I do remember cheering along with the crowd, but never
really knowing why.
It became a routine after a while and years went by and other interests
grew.
I can't even remember why or what got me into my next obsession for the
next few years, but playing in-line hockey. I wasn't gifted in running,
or dribbling a basketball, and lord knows I can't catch a football to
save my life, but putting on a pair of skates seemed like second nature
for me.
It was a bit isolating at first as you don't see too many kids in
Hawaii at basketball or volleyball courts with skates and a hockey
stick with them, but eventually I joined a league in Mililani and
hooked up with other players in Aiea/Pearl City and formed a team.
I managed to make a decent defensemen out of myself leading my age
division with assists and came in 3rd in scoring. As the high school
years went by other distractions came by and soon enough I fell out of
the loop with my one brush with athletic talent.
Fast forward a few years and it wasn't until my second college semester
that I started connecting with UH athletics.
The turnaround team in 1999 and the June Jones accident really took a
hold of the news and woke me up. I started returning to Aloha Stadium
with a few friends and what instantly drew me in further were the
little things, or the clichés that I never noticed. The marching
band playing, the student section in an uproar with their painted
faces, a sea of green, etc...
I thought to myself, "this is what I like".
I started my college career at LCC and there is not much that way of a
collegiate atmosphere there, the atmosphere at Aloha Stadium was
something that I wanted to be surrounded with. I have a lot of dear
friends that are great to be around with but we as a group never looked
to mesh in with the rest of the "in-crowd". I guess a part of me wanted
to be in there, but never knowing what it was like, the experience
moved me.
It wasn't until 2005 where I would re-unite with one of my best, if not
the best friend that I've had the chance to have, in Jarred Serrano.
We attended a few games at the stadium then, and a memorable opener in
men's basketball against #4 Michigan State that year.
Jarred is so well-educated in the history of UH athletics that it was
infectious and I couldn't help but get sucked in further. This was
about the same time that I started to feel a real connection with my
roots here in Hawaii and being able to say that I've grown up here and
lived here all my life and that I couldn't imagine a better place on
earth to call "home".
UH athletics has a different meaning for me because of all of this. I
guess you could say that I identify it with a lot of fond memories of
my youth and my present day life with the people around me.
I definitely look at it as a way to still feel connected with my best
friend whois spending the next year and a half in Japan. I can only
imagine what he must be feeling having to miss out on everything these
next few years.
In closing, I will admit this is a real "molepo" little bio here, but I
just want to say that I have enjoyed my time spent here on the blog and
while everyone here is known by a "handle" every single one of you have
become like household names to me and it's great way to connect with
other fans.