Football photo tour = increased Slurpee™ sales

Waipahu. Kapolei. Radford. McKinley.

The football season is still hibernating for fans who turn out for games and only games. For hard-core believers who actually attend practices — yes, there are a few of them out there — the arrival of fall practice couldn't have come soon enough.

For us in the media, it's a time to absorb as much information in a relatively miniscule amount of time. That includes continual trips to high schools near and far. Already, I've been to Waipahu, Kapolei, Radford and McKinley for photos. It's the nature of the beast. And the tough part is, coaches honestly can't give us a complete rundown. That's more true now than ever. Why?

The early school year is the norm now at every public school. Gone are the days, and I mean long days that put players in a daze, when teams had on-campus camps. Two-a-day practices. Even three-a-days. No, instead, the players have it easy compared to the "olden days" of long workouts. Back then, water was a reward, not a necessity. Crazy. But true.

With school in session, coaches only get one practce in the afternoon to assess their personnel. Not easy when there are large turnouts and cuts to be made. For me, the early school year is no source for joy. Before, our photo shoots were spread out through the day at each team's convenience. Now, everyone has photo shoots scheduled between 3 and 6 p.m. (with the exception of Saturdays) which means a lot of overlap that makes my life not so happy.

But it's not all bad. Turnouts in recent years aren't what they were in the 1970s and '80s, even with games televised live. That has to help coaches who want to keep every kid who turns out for the team.

One interesting aspect of the recent sports season changes by the HHSAA is that more volleyball athletes are coming out for football. Boys volleyball was moved to the spring, so every school may have a player or two contributing to the football squad now. Can one player make that much of a difference?

Potentially, yes. Where there's parity, and there's a lot in the OIA, one play can turn a game around. And all it can take for one play to work or fail is the decision of a single player.

So much in store as the season awaits and pictures are taken from Waianae to Kaiser. Slurpee™ sales are going up, I can guarantee you this.