{"id":238999,"date":"2026-08-13T15:17:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T01:17:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=238999"},"modified":"2026-08-13T15:17:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T01:17:05","slug":"maui-trip-shapes-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/13\/maui-trip-shapes-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"Culture and Community: Maui Trip Shapes \u2019Bows\u2019 Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Rainbow Wahine and Seattle U soccer teams played an exhibition match followed by a keiki clinic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three years have passed since wildfires driven by hurricane-force winds raged through Lahaina, devastating an entire community. As the recovery continues, reminders of the tragedy remain inescapable, most notably a line of white crosses on a hillside overlooking Lahaina honoring the memory of those who lost their lives in the fires.<\/p>\n

Check out their IG<\/abbr> reel<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

“Every time I go by there, I tear up. I get chicken skin,” University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa Soccer Coach Michele Nagamine said. “There’s so much mana in that area because people are coming, they’re grieving, but they’re also celebrating their loved ones.”<\/p>\n

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Sharing that experience with the Rainbow Wahine was a focal point for a weekend trip to Maui to cap the team\u2019s training camp. The \u2019Bows partnered with Seattle University\u2014which features six players from Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, including two from Maui, on its roster\u2014in organizing the visit. Their joint efforts provided an opportunity to contribute to the community in both immediate and enduring capacities while providing perspective for the entire travel party.<\/p>\n

Bigger than a game<\/h2>\n

The trip was highlighted by a visit to the memorial site and a service project to clear invasive weeds and replace them with native Hawaiian plants. The following day, the \u2019Bows and Redhawks played an exhibition match at King Kekaulike High School which was followed by a keiki clinic.<\/p>\n

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Prior to the trip, the UH<\/abbr> coaching staff emphasized the importance of recognizing the cultural significance of the visit. To that end, associate head coach \u2018Ula Rowe and her sister, Kahala, led the \u2019Bows in weaving each ti leaf lei that the team would drape around each of the 102 crosses at the memorial.<\/p>\n

“It reminds us that it’s bigger than a game,” UH<\/abbr> senior Leila Kahoano said. “When we get moments like these to really give back to the community and give back to the lahui and support them in a way that not a lot of people get to, especially as a Native Hawaiian\u2014to really showcase our culture and showcase everything that comes with it and the responsibility\u2014that was a really big part of what we were doing, and it was just amazing that we got to be a part of it.”<\/p>\n

Read more at HawaiiAthletics.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

—By Jason Kaneshiro<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Rainbow Wahine soccer team pays their respects to the Lahaina community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":239030,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1362],"tags":[1556,9,550],"class_list":["post-238999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletics","tag-soccer","tag-uh-manoa","tag-manoa-athletics","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t