Windward Soccer Club Gains Steam, Sets Tryouts

Wednesday - May 24, 2006
By Jack Danilewicz
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Windward Soccer Club player Hoku Pidot (center) whips past an opponent in his determination to stay on top of the ball. Photo from Blayde Hamada.
Windward Soccer Club player Hoku Pidot (center)
whips past an opponent in his determination to stay
on top of the ball. Photo from Blayde Hamada.

With interest in soccer at an all-time high, the Windward Soccer Club may find itself in an enviable position in the future. Or perhaps it’s the other way around.

Unlike in past years, when Windward players were left to travel to town or Leeward fields to play in the ultra-competitive Hawaii Youth Soccer Association, Windward Soccer Club has seen interest in its teams multiply.

WSC vice president Blayde Hamada expects as many as 200 hopefuls to take part in the club’s upcoming tryouts. Those selected will play for Windward during the HYSA’s fall season.

“We want the kids to know that there’s an opportunity here for the kids from the Windward side,” Hamada said. “When kids are there to take the next step, we’re there to provide that for them.”


For a long time, the Honolulu Bulls and The Rush, both highly-regarded HYSA programs, were popular among Windward players, but Hamada sees WSC’s reputation as a soccer program growing with each day. WSC has been active since 1993 and recently became a non-profit organization. WSC now has paid trainers on staff.

Another switch has seen the club change its colors from yellow and blue to orange, blue and white. The new colors combine Kailua and Kalaheo high schools’ colors, according to Hamada.

“We’re feeders for those two schools, so the board would like us to be more representative of them,” he explained.

WSC fields teams for boys and girls age 6-19 years old. The level of competition in HYSA, as well as in the Oahu Soccer League, is considered a more advanced level than found in the popular American Youth Soccer Association, which has long since been thought of more as a recreational league.

“I’m a big fan of AYSO,” said Hamada, who is on that organization’s executive board. “It’s a good mesh between the two. Windward (Soccer Club) allows kids to take the next step. It provides an opportunity for the player to develop with other kids who have the same competitive interest. Teams are hand-chosen.”

One of the more popular WCS events is its “Friday Night Foot Skills” program, which specializes in breakdown drills. It also allows players from all ages within the club to interact with one another.


“We want to create a big ohana,” he said of mixing intermediate-age players with high school players.

WSC’s tryouts, which will take place at Enchanted Lake Community Park, are set for June 2, and will be broken into two divisions. Players 6 to 9 years old will try out from 6 to 7 p.m.; players 10 and above try out with WSC’s coaching staff from 7 to 8 p.m.

There is no charge to try out for the club’s teams. Participants are expected to “bring a soccer ball (with your name on it), soccer shoes, shin guards, a water bottle and a good attitude,” according to Hamada.

A two-week evaluation period for the coaches to finalize rosters will follow tryouts. HYSA’s fall season begins in September. The first official date that WSC teams can practice is Aug. 1.

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