Islanders Ready for New Season
February 7, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Hawaiian Islanders News Release
Aloha Islander Fans!
Pre-season is here. Our Islander pre-season workouts begin on February 9th with our open tryout at Saint Louis School.
New head coach Cal Lee will workout the boys from February 9th until March 11th when he'll make his final roster adjustments before training camp.
Our training camp will run from March 12th until March 28th. And the season will open against Green Bay at home on March 30th. See you there...Get IN the game!
Chris Dey, General Manager
2003 SCHEDULE HAS MIX OF RIVALRIES
The Hawaiian Islanders' 2003 schedule features a mixture of old rivalries and expansion teams. The Islanders will remain in the Western Division of the National Conference with the Bakersfield Blitz and San Diego Riptide. The Wichita Stealth will be the fourth team in the division moving from the Midwest.
The Islanders will open their 2003 season at home on Sunday, March 30 against the league's newest expansion team, Green Bay Blizzard. Green Bay along with Cincinnati is the league's two newest additions.
Despite the label "expansion franchise," the Blizzard will have experience on their side as former Tennessee Valley Vipers assistant general manager Chris Anderson assumes control of the team. Anderson's first hire was Jose Jefferson who guided an arena team in Lincoln, Nebraska to two division titles in four years.
Among Hawaii's 16 games in 2003, eight will be against West Division opponents, two games against expansion teams, a home and home series with the 2000 and 2001 af2 champion, the Quad City Steamwheelers, and a home contest with the 2002 af2 champion Peoria Pirates. The Islanders will make road trips to Midwest Division opponents Arkansas and Tulsa for the second consecutive year.
"This will be a tough schedule," said Islander General Manager Chris Dey. "The fact that our Western Division opponents all qualified for the playoffs last year plus facing Quad City and Peoria again this year means that Islander fans will have a tremendous opportunity to see Hawaii go up against the best that af2 has to offer. I know coach Cal Lee and he staff will meet this challenge.
Home games are scheduled to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 6 p.m. Sundays.
There will be 27 teams participating in the 2003 arenafootball2 season divided among six divisions. The af2 will announce the number of playoff teams at a later date.
**CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2003 ISLANDER GIRLS!
The Hawaiian Islanders would like to congratulate the girls that made the 2003 Hawaiian Islanders Dance Team. The Islanders Dance Team is an integral part of the team throughout the Arena Football season running from the end of March through August. Apart from performing at all eight home games at the Neil Blaisdell Center, the Islanders Dancers also play key roles in promotional and charitable functions throughout the island. For those interested in having the Islanders Dance Team perform at your organization's event, please fax your request to 808-537-9165. The 2003 team consists of four returnees and six first-year Islander Dancers. 2003 Hawaiian Islanders Dance Team
Returnees:
Denice Koch
Amanda McMeniman
June Chung
Kellie Ching
Newcomers:
Amberly Brown
Jennifer Nguyen
Melba McKay
Jennifer Riel
Sandra Salcedo-Conrad
Cecille Gahr
** CONGRATULATIONS TO FORMER ISLANDERS!
TWO FORMER ISLANDERS EARN AFL ROSTER SPOTS Rosehill, Satomi Become First to Move to AFL
With the arenafootball2 season only two months away, two former Hawaiian Islanders have earned roster spots in the Arena Football League.
Olen Rosehill and Kohei Satomi were named to the practice squads of the Arizona Rattlers and Indiana Firebirds respectively. The two are the first players to move from the developmental af2 level to the AFL.
According to the Arena Football League office, 52 players who participated in af2's 2002 season have made the final roster, practice squad or reserve list of an AFL squad for 2003.
Among the 52 players on AFL teams, 32 will begin the 2003 season on active rosters, while 20 will start the campaign on practice squads, injured reserve or exempt lists. In 2002, 28 af2 players made final AFL rosters, `while 32 made the jump in 2001.
"The fact that more af2 players than ever before have made AFL rosters proves that af2 is serving its purpose as a developmental football league," said af2 Executive Director Jay Marcus. "It also speaks volumes of the talent in af2 as these guys are not only making AFL squads, but also making an impact with their teams."
**PREVIOUS ISLANDERS EVENTS: Where the Islanders have been
HAWAIIAN ISLANDERS DANCE TEAM AUDITIONS (ROUND 2)
*On Sunday, January 19, 2003, Round 2 of the Islander Girls Tryouts took place. Girls from all over Hawaii came out to display their talents at the Bishop Street 24 Hour Fitness, trying to become a member of the 2003 Hawaiian Islanders Dance Team. The participants learned one routine and one cheer, then performed it in groups of two's and three's in front of a panel of judges. The ten-member 2003 squad will be unveiled before the season. Check back on www.hawaiianislanders.com to find out where and when they will be performing.
February
Feb. 9 (Sun.) Open Football Tryouts
Feb. 14-16 (Fri.-Sun.) Great Aloha Run Health, Fitness & Sports Expo
March
Mar. 22-23 (Sat.-Sun.) Sports Carnival @ Aloha Stadium
Mar. 30 (Sun.) FIRST GAME vs. Green Bay Blizzard
HAWAIIAN ISLANDERS OPEN FOOTBALL TRYOUTS
*The football tryouts on Sunday, February 9, 2003, will be held at Saint Louis High School. Anyone interested in playing for the Hawaiian Islanders is encouraged to come to this tryout. Registration is at 9 a.m. and testing is scheduled for 10 a.m. A $25 fee will be charged to all participants. Payment may take the form of cash or money orders. Absolutely no checks will be accepted.
DATE: February 9, 2003 (Sunday)
TIME: 9:00am-10:00am (Registration), 10:00am-2:00pm (Testing)
LOCATION: Saint Louis High School
COST: $25 (Cash or Money Order, NO CHECKS)
CONTACT: For more information on Hawaiian Islanders Open Football Tryouts
contact us at:
733 Bishop Street Suite #2500
Honolulu, HI 96813
808-532-7362
808-537-9165 (FAX)
E-mail: info@hawaiianislanders.com subject line: Open Football Tryouts
GREAT ALOHA RUN HEALTH, FITNESS & SPORTS EXPO
*The Great Aloha Run Health, Fitness & Sports Expo will run from Friday, February 14 to Sunday, February 16, 2003. Some Hawaiian Islanders players, coachers, and the Islander Girls will be there. On Saturday, February 15, at 2:00pm Islanders Head Coach Cal Lee and some of his assistants will be at the expo signing autographs. There will also be a football field inflatable, obstacle course, and football toss for the kids to enjoy. Merchandise and tickets will also be on sale there. Look for the Hawaiian Islanders tent and big football field inflatable inside the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall.
DATE: February 14-16, 2003 (Friday-Sunday)
TIME: Friday 4:00pm-10:00pm, Saturday 10:00am-8:00pm, Sunday 10:00am-5:00pm
LOCATION: Neal S. Blaisdell Exhibition Hall
CONTACT: For more information contact us at:
733 Bishop Street Suite #2500
Honolulu, HI 96813
808-532-7362
808-537-9165 (FAX)
SPORTS CARNIVAL
*The Hawaiian Islanders will be at the Aloha Stadium for the Sports Carnival in March. The carnival runs for two weekends, March 21-23, and 28-30. The days that the Islanders will be at the Aloha Stadium is tentatively set for Saturday and Sunday, March 22 and 23. Hawaiian Islanders players, coaches, and dancers will be there. There will also be an obstacle course, quarterback throw, 20-yard dash, and long-jump for the kids to test their skills and abilities.
DATE: Tentatively set for March 22-23 (Saturday-Sunday)
TIME: TBA
LOCATION: Aloha Stadium
CONTACT: For more information contact us at:
733 Bishop Street Suite #2500
Honolulu, HI 96813
808-532-7362
808-537-9165 (FAX)
HAWAIIAN ISLANDERS' FIRST GAME vs. Green Bay Blizzard
*The Hawaiian Islanders' first game of the 2003 Arena Football season will be on Sunday, March 30, 2003 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00pm. Make sure you're there to experience the excitement of arena football!
DATE: March 30, 2003 (Sunday)
TIME: 6:00pm Kickoff
LOCATION: Neal S. Blaisdell Center
CONTACT: For more information contact us at:
733 Bishop Street Suite #2500
Honolulu, HI 96813
808-532-7362
808-537-9165 (FAX)
**2003 TICKET PRICES
*Time is going fast and so is your opportunity to purchase THE BEST SEATS in the house for Hawaiian Islanders Season Tickets! The season is just around the corner and the team is gearing up for an exciting season, so act quickly on the hottest tickets in town. Call 53-ARENA or visit us at www.hawaiianislanders.com and reserve your seats now!
SEASON TICKETS
Lower Arena Reserved Sideline Seating $80
SPECIAL PRICE!
General Admission Upper Arena Seating $65
Students/Junior (ages 17 & younger) $40
Suite Seating (individual) $120
Full Suite (27 seats) $3,250
SINGLE GAME TICKETS
Lower Arena Reserved Sideline Seating $15
General Admission Upper Arena Seating $10
Students/Junior (ages 17 & younger) $7
Suite Seating (individual) $22
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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
