“Dis buggah now ours!” exclaimed Kahu David Kaupu at the dedication of the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
Community leaders and friends of the University of Hawaiʻi had gathered at the blessing and dedication of the complex at UH Mānoa.
“We have here a jewel that will serve as a hub of activity, for not just athletics, but for many functions of the university,” said UH Mānoa Chancellor Robert Bley-Vroman.
- Related video: Ching Athletics Complex breaks ground at UH Mānoa, July 12, 2012
- Read more: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex Dedicated, May 15, 2015
A $5-million gift from the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation made the three-story, LEED gold-certified complex possible. The complex, which was also funded by the state and university, supports a wide variety of activities and events and provides grandstand seating for approximately 2,500 fans.
It also supports women’s soccer, cross country, track and field and sand volleyball. It features a sand volleyball venue with two competition courts and more than 700 seats.
Sand bow Katie Spieler says the new facility has helped to raise the level of UH sand volleyball, which was ranked second in the nation for the majority of this past season.
“I think its the best facility in sand college volleyball right now,” Spieler said.
“That’s what it’s all about. It’s about the student athletes, it’s about the students at the University of Hawaiʻi,” said Jack Tsui, chairman of the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation. “If all of us can make this a better place to be educated and to get your degree, we’re all for that.”
During his lifetime, Clarence Ching was a loyal fan of UH athletics. It’s fitting that the complex that bears his family’s name is being spoken of as a game changer for UH athletics on many levels.
Bley-Vroman said, “I want to express the hope that this complex stands as a shining example of the kinds of ways that we can move into the future, of the partnership that we need to meet the challenges that face us.”
Spieler added, “Next year when we are an official NCAA sport, our hopes are to bring home the first ever sand volleyball NCAA championship.”
Ching Athletics Complex breaks ground
