Culture and Community: Maui Trip Shapes ’Bows’ Perspective

The road to Lahaina can be naturally breathtaking.

Following the gentle curve of Maui’s southwestern coastline, Honoapi‘ilani Highway offers sweeping views of the Pacific to one side and the Valley Isle’s western slopes on the other. 

Since the events of Aug. 8, 2023, the scenic approach toward the historic town has also imparted a deep emotional impact for many traveling into West Maui. 

Three years have passed since wildfires driven by hurricane-force winds raged through Lahaina, devastating an entire community. As the arduous recovery continues, reminders of the tragedy remain inescapable, most notably a line of white crosses on a hillside overlooking Lahaina honoring the memory of those who lost their lives in the fires.

“Every time I go by there, I tear up. I get chicken skin,” University of Hawai‘i soccer coach Michele Nagamine said. “There's so much mana in that area because people are coming, they're grieving, but they're also celebrating their loved ones.”

Sharing that experience with the Rainbow Wahine was a focal point for a weekend trip to Maui to cap the team’s training camp. The ’Bows partnered with Seattle University — which features six players from Hawai‘I, including two from Maui, on its roster — in organizing the visit. Their joint efforts provided an opportunity to contribute to the community in both immediate and enduring capacities while providing perspective for the entire travel party.

The trip was highlighted by a visit to the memorial site and a service project to beautify the area by clearing invasive weeds and replacing them with native Hawaiian plants. The following day, the ’Bows and Redhawks played an exhibition match at King Kekaulike High School which was followed by a keiki clinic. 

Nagamine estimated close to 1,000 fans showed up for the exhibition match and clinic with proceeds from ticket sales donated to the Lahaina Memorial Project.

“It reminds us that it's bigger than a game,” UH senior Leila Kahoano said. “When we get moments like these to really give back to the community and give back to the lahui and support them in a way that not a lot of people get to, especially as a Native Hawaiian — to really showcase our culture and showcase everything that comes with it and the responsibility — that was a really big part of what we were doing, and it was just amazing that we got to be a part of it.”

Kahoano’s parents and siblings live on Maui and she was on her way back to the Valley Isle when the fires struck in 2023. She volunteered to take part in relief efforts in the immediate aftermath and sharing last week’s visit with her Rainbow Wahine teammates and coaching staff had a feel of a “full circle” moment. 

“To just see from that trial how much (the residents of Lahaina) have come out of it is just super empowering,” she said. “We support them through their battles and everything that they go through, and it empowers us as Native Hawaiians to step up and be there for our community.”

UH junior Piper Bertani followed coverage of the fires as a high school senior in San Jose, Calif., back in 2023 and got a first-hand look at Lahaina when the ’Bows opened preseason camp with a trip to Maui in 2024. She recalled walking along Front Street during a family vacation in her childhood, and the shock of seeing the once bustling district charred and flattened. So the opportunity to aid in the healing held special meaning.

“I feel like it was more of a reality check seeing the people and the memorial,” Bertani said. “What we could do to help plant these trees and help fix the environment itself … I think all of us are like, ‘Wow, we did something to touch this island and Lahaina itself.’ ”

Prior to the trip, the UH coaching staff emphasized the importance of recognizing the cultural significance of the visit. To that end, associate head coach ‘Ula Rowe and her sister, Kahala, led the ’Bows in weaving each ti leaf lei that the team would drape around each of the 102 crosses at the memorial.

“Ula was telling them when you give someone a lei, you're giving them part of your power and your energy, so take this seriously,” Nagamine said. “Ula led the charge on just making sure that the process was correct and pono."

After a weekend of long hours in the sun both working the land in Lahaina and competing on the pitch at King Kekaulike, Nagamine said the ’Bows returned to Manoa, “exhausted, but fulfilled and enriched.” 

And, perhaps, eager to do it all again someday.

“Just coming to school in Hawaii in general, it's such a different experience than anywhere you go in the country,” Nagamine said. "So I think we almost search out opportunities to put our players in positions where they will be of service to others and experience the feeling of making an impact in the community.

"It's almost an addictive feeling. Because once you feel the impact that you're making, I believe that you look for opportunities to continue to do that. We're hoping that the way that it made them feel ... they will look to do more of that down the road. So it was just an eye-opening experience for everyone."

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