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It was bound to happen one day.
When you have one of the best facilities in the world, good things tend to come about in the form of best players.
Yes, Hawaii people, one of the best rinks for inline hockey in the world is in Kapolei. That is not bluster or hyperbole. That is the truth and you can ask any of the hundreds of players who come from all over how many other rinks compare if you don’t believe me.
But that is not the real subject of this story. It’s more about what Kapolei Inline Hockey Arenas — in the Campbell Industrial Park at 1057 Opakapaka Street — begets.
And what they have produced is some unreal hockey players, including a handful who have gone on to higher levels on the mainland.
Kapolei’s Jordan Nahoi-Baricar Will Play for Team USA
One such KIHA player — Jordan Nahoi-Baricar — will be playing for the Team USA junior men’s (18-and-under) squad at the World Skate Roller Games, which will be held Oct. 24 through Nov. 13, in Buenos Aires and San Juan, Argentina.
Jordan’s mom, Julie, tells an interesting story that led to his selection.
“Jordan spent the summer in Cali with a team (the OC Blades) and coaches to gain dual residency in order to qualify for State Wars,” Julie said. “Rules state that in order to play for a state you have to be from that state, with goalies as the only exceptions. So he did that. He worked, played and lived the roller life.”
At State Wars in Taylor, Michigan, Nahoi-Baricar scored nine goals with one assist for his California team that medaled in the 2006 (birth year) AA division.
That performance led to an invitation to play for one of the best 21-and-under teams from the West Coast, Skittles, also at State Wars. In that older age group, Nahoi-Baricar scored two goals and added four assists.
“During his time in Cali, I put his name in the hat for Worlds,” Julie continued. “Both coaches (Dan Maxwell and Anthony Violante) made their decision based off of his play for Skittles.”
The Team USA junior men’s team is coordinated by two organizations — USA Roller Sports and AAU.
Nahoi-Baricar, a 16-year-old Kapolei High student, has played at the men’s league top division at KIHA for about two years, and his older brother, Jaden, plays in the college club level at Arizona State.
Other Team USA junior men’s team members are from Pennsylvania, New York, Iowa, California, New Jersey, Illinois and Virginia.
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