Athletics
Welcome to a New Day!
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
Dexter Irvin
by Dexter Irvin
University of Hawai‘i at Hilo
Director of Athletics
As the new Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo it is an honor to be able to communicate with you on occasion through the print media. The print media has been kind and accurate to me over my thirty years of athletic involvement and I have developed many great friendships with publishers, editors, and sports writers of local newspapers. I believe that the Hawaii Tribune-Herald falls into that category of great local newspapers.
One of the issues that we struggle within our department is something that many people may relate. The question that is raised on several occasions and usually when something does not get done is … “whose job is it?”
Say the rubbish does not get taken out when it is full at home, or perhaps no one bothered to pickup up the socks in the living room, or empty the dishwasher. If assignments are not made and responsibilities followed through then inevitably the question gets ask, usually followed by a family fight or argument.
During a recent trip to Los Angeles some friends and I were crossing a busy street. I had just commented about all the trash and why it was everywhere. Just then a gentleman stopped me and asked if I could assist him with a few dollars. I said “sure, but I have a question…whose job is it to pick up all of this trash?” He waited a few seconds and then responded, “I guess if it bothers you……then it is yours!” I actually gave the guy $20 because he taught me three very powerful lessons.
Lesson #1: If I was going to complain or worry about any situation I should be prepared to do something about it.
Lesson #2: No matter how bad things may get, if I ignore it long enough, the problems becomes part of me and I quit seeking solutions.
Lesson #3: Quoting President Obama, “change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
So as not to confuse the issue, I am not advocating change for the sake of change. Change without planning, input, reason and a historical perspective is ineffective and only serves to upset the constituency.
What we are after at UHH athletics is what I call “historical progress”, progress that moves us towards the future but honors our past along with our traditions. If we can accomplish this goal then we will have welcomed a “New Day” to athletics at the UHH.