What a wonderful surprise senior long snapper Brodie Nakama received last Friday during practice. He has started 36 games as a walk-on for the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors over the past three seasons. In the middle of their afternoon practice the head coach, Nick Rolovich, called his team together and invited them to spend the rest of the practice at the pool next to the practice facility.
The team was advised not to use the high dives at the pool. That was before Coach Rolovich grabbed a megaphone and said he would let the players use the diving structures. The only catch was that Brodie had to be the first to dive in from the 10-meter platform. At first he was a little confused and nervous about being chosen to take the first leap, but the teammate that he was, he headed up the steps to the top of the platform. Once he arrived at the top of the platform there was an envelope taped to the platform that said, “Brodie, open please!” As he opened the letter he became a little emotional as he read what was in the envelope. It was a letter explaining that he had been awarded a full-scholarship for the 2016-2017 school year.
After collecting himself from the excitement he took a few deep breaths and jumped from the 10-meter platform into the water. Once he hit the water his teammates all jumped in the water to congratulate him on receiving the scholarship. I have seen several players get called to the front of the team meeting room and awarded a scholarship, but I have to say this may be the best presentation of a scholarship thus far. Kudos to the coaching staff at the University of Hawaii for rewarding a deserving player and making it a memorable experience for the entire team.
If you would like to see the spectacular moment caught on video please copy and paste the following link:
By Dr. Bret Simmermacher
Dr. Simmermacher is the Chair of Sports Coaching at the United States Sports Academy, and can be reached at bsimmer@ussa.edu