Go Castle, run that ball

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A slow start to the day and no real plans other than a game of football to go and see tonight at Aloha Stadium. Grid Iron and all its mysteries!
We took an extremely crowded pink trolley to Ala Moana shopping centre midday it was a double decker and every seat was taken with people standing as well. People can pay $2- and hop on this pink line Waikiki trolley at any time, it is cheaper than The Bus which is $2-50 a ride. (Always ask for a transfer for TheBus, your $2-50 allows a change of routes which could be a return)

We went and paid Walmart a visit and decided this was a more of a general store rather than groceries but got a few things we needed.I went bra shopping and boy are there some big girls and big bras here! I'm quite petite compared to some, truly some "opera house" proportions to behold in the bra section.

We tried the food court at Ala Moana for lunch and had to agree with our bus friend the other day who said the food there was ordinary. My Panda Express Chinese and Martin's Japanese left a lot to be desired. Very little healthy and fresh food options, so much processed and mushy stuff.

Whilst we were dining a lady approached us to ask if we could do a survey with her.It was a private company asking about shopping and shopping habits etc and for my time we received $5- in cash. It was all done on a tablet, She handed it to me. She kept making encouraging noises to keep me going. Who hoo I have officially earned some money in the USA. Shush no green card. Her company employ pretend juries for trainee lawyers and pay each participant $350- for the day and give them 2 meal vouchers.

We were talking to this lady about the homeless problem and she says that some other states pay for these people, many with mental health issues, to take a one way trip to Hawaii. They arrive, get offered some initial support and then choose to collect welfare and live homeless and rough.Another lady we spoke to who used to work as the parent support for an elementary school, confirmed this and said these people chose to live rough to collect welfare and spend it on their drug habits or alcohol. They also get food stamps, collect the food and sell it to others, again having money to support their drug habits. Hawaii has made it illegal to lie down on any sidewalk, takes the problem out of sight in the town areas.

We took a #20 bus to Aloha Stadium and it took 90 minutes to fight the traffic in Waikiki and Honolulu right out past the airport. A #42 would also have got us here. It is the next stop after the Pearl Harbour stop, on the right, very obvious. This is a 40 year old stadium but is huge, full on professional ground, with the high schools being able to use all the facilities including having the match recorded and replays being shown on the illuminated board continuously. Tonight was high school football,(14-18 years) 4 games have been played today from 1pm with this game advertised at 7pm. $7- to get in.

It actually started at 7-30pm with the Castles who had only around 25 players and the Campbells who had around 60 players.Campbells have an enrolment of 3000 and Castles only 800, they were the underdog but had the full support of the very enthusiastic band and well trained cheer squad throughout the night.

Each team had a full marching band playing in the stands right near the side line and a cheer contingent (boys and girls) who danced up a storm and chanted all night right on the side line.The band plays often during the game, the cheer squad do routines during play it was like being at a ballet with a live orchestra. I was not sure what and where to watch at times.The band sways, waves instruments, do little movement routines and keeps up some very basic but rousing music during the whole game. The cheer squad likewise, busy all night. Half time both squads got out and made a circle and introduced themselves, them one squad stayed and did some routines.

Some interesting things happened. When a player gets hurt all activity ceases, the crowd becomes silent, the cheer squad form a line with bowed heads and all players go down on one knee. When the player either gets up or gets the ambulance, who drive right in the field (this happened twice) everyone claps.

5 referees are on the field all the time, with the game stopping often when the 2 of them throw a yellow flag on the field.

Each team fields an offensive and defensive set of players so there is a lot of swapping over of complete sides when a side wins or loses the ball. A team has 25 seconds to start their play with a huge lit board counting the seconds down. One team chose to use the whole 25 second quite a few times.

I love the whole idea of a high school with the musicians, the dancers and the sporty people all coming together and really enthusiastically being as one with a common goal. The bands each had about 10 trombones, about 5 sousaphones, around 30 or more other brass, loads of clarinets, a line of drums, a lot of money spent on shiny looking instruments.

We left slightly before the end to catch a bus and sat and waited with a group of ladies who run the food concessions. They had been there from10am until just after 2nd half of the last game. A big 12 hour shift. They were very concerned about us and advised us to catch any bus to get out of the area. Within 15 minutes a #42 arrived which meant no transfer, straight through. We got the last 2 seats. And straight through it certainly was. Due to the bus running very late the driver was told to take it out of service which meant drop offs only, so that lady bus driver took us in 40 minutes on the fastest bus ride ever. We hurtled around corners and sped down darkened streets arriving outside Lemon at just after midnight.

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Photos

A player is injured
When a play is injured the whole stadium goes quiet, the cheer squad line up or kneel in the side, all other players go down on one knee. Everyone claps when the player gets up or leaves the field