Canoe Alley
Winning With Aloha Two teams spike gold at the Hawai‘i Conven on Center
The American flag that accompanied the athletes to the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden signed by Duke and his fellow Gold Medal winning teammates including Jim Thorpe, Pat MacDonald and Ralph Rose, among others.
amateur sports. The award is intended to recognize athletes whose efforts have paved the way for great change in amateur sports both on and off their playing surface and on the national or international stage. It was also created to recognize those athletes who did not necessarily receive the recognition they deserved during the time they competed. Duke’s fame started in 1911 at AAU’s first swim race in Hawai‘i. He shattered the world record in the 100-yard freestyle by more than four seconds and broke the American 50-yard record by more than a second. He represented the United States as an AAU athlete in the 1912, 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games and brought home five medals in swimming—three of which were Gold. Duke is credited with spreading the sport of surfing to a global audience. Beyond athletics, he was named Hawai‘i’s “Ambassador of Aloha” in 1959, playing a vital role in supporting our state’s burgeoning tourism industry. His athletic talent, grace and spirit of Aloha will never be forgotten. Billy Berger, an Outrigger Canoe Club member for over 50 years, was honored and humbled to accept the trophy on behalf of OCC at the award ceremony in Orlando, Florida, this past October. The trophy now resides prominently placed in the OCC lobby trophy case accompanied by a surfboard shaped commemorative tribute modeled after Duke’s Alaia board. Members and guests can proudly pay homage to The Duke during visits to the Club as we view these special awards in perpetuity.
Top: 16’s team; Boom, 18’s-1 team
➳ Seven teams from the OCC boys volleyball program par cipated in USA Volleyball Aloha Region Fall Fes val at the Hawai‘i Conven on Center at the end of November. Congra¤la ons to all who par cipated, especially the 18s- 1 and 16s teams, who each won their division. (It should be noted that the 16s boys team finished their last match at 11 p.m. on a Sunday night!) Mahalo to everyone from OCC who contributed to a successful—and fun—tournament.
For more information, visit aausports.org
january / february 2024 | AMA 27
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