David
strides onto the battle field and stops. Leaning down, he picks up three
small pebbles off the ground and glances at his adversary -Goliath- a looming
black silhouette against an orange setting sun. David, not intimidated
by looks alone, places a pebble in his make-shift sling shot and lets it
fly.
The small stone zips
past Jeremy Olson and "Ting!" bounces off a large delivery truck on the
side of the road. Pint-size Kyle Maligro laughs and jumps aside as
Jeremy retaliates with a handful of gravel.
It seems as if, even
while walking up the street for lunch, Kyle and Jeremy just can't seem
to stay out of trouble. Not that it matters, the two of them lend
a little balance to the Kauai Classic Team- a group of four Christian bodyboarders
who, with a wing and a prayer, have been rocking the bodyboarding industry.
Harry Antipale, the unofficial "leader" of the group walks a few cautious
paces behind the two goofballs. The strong silent type, he prefers
to hang back-"speak softly and carry a big stick," you might say.
But most of the people
living on Kauai have a good reason to speak softly, or maybe even whisper.
Here, life takes its own precious time-cars go by a little slower, morning
dew drips from the rainbow-colored flora and fauna, and palm trees sway
gently above in the cool tropical breeze. It's no wonder they call
it the "Garden Isle."
The team lives on
the south side of the island in the town of Kalaheo. With a population
of only about 2,500 people, it's no surprise that, here at least, Team
Kauai Classic is a household name.
As they pile into
the Camp House Grill, Jason Brown (an old teammate) meets they at the door
with a hug.
As the three of them
find their seats around the table, Chris Tennberg walks in - a little late.
Chris' girlfriend, Kim Brashier, is a teacher at Kalaheo Elementary School.
After lunch she wants Chris to talk to her class about being a pro bodyboarder.
She called the house threatening to "kill him if he forgets." As
the waitress comes around to take the orders, Kyle fills his hand with
Tabasco sauce- the hot kind. Smiling like a court jester, he leans
over to Harry and asks, "Is it hot?" Harry shrugs. "Don't know,"
he replies. Kyle downs the Tabasco, gasps, and runs to the bathroom.
Everyone
knows Kyle as "the spaz." Not that he's immature for a 23-year old,
he just has a lot of energy. "God make me that way," he explains.
"Some people think that God's this big guy who sits on a throne telling
people: 'You must do this and that.' That's not true. God is fun, funny
and humorous... He accepts people for who they are. "And Kyle, in turn,
has a special ability with kids; he too accepts them for who they are.
That's probably one of the main reasons he devotes every Wednesday night
to his Junior High Christian Youth Group.
The only framed photograph
in Kyle's room is of his dad, riding a longboard in the cold waters of
California. Right below the picture, on Kyle's small desk sits an
out of place jar of salsa, medium chunky. Next to the salsa Kyle
has a list of things to do for the day:4. Call Sara. When I ask Kyle about
Sara he just smiles, glances at the ceiling and refuses to answer.
And, by the way, you wouldn't believe his ceiling. Glow in the dark
spacemen, stars, and UFOs are pasted everywhere. They're free in
every specially marked box of Fruity Pebbles- Kyle's favorite cereal.
Kyle, however, insists that Chris Burkhart and Jason Brown (two past team
members-Chris went solo, and Jason injured his back) stuck them to the
ceiling before he moved in. Yeah, right. Finally, on the top shelf
of Kyle's dresser sits an empty bottle of Jolt Cola, the label claims:
"Twice the Caffeine." He sure doesn't need it.
One time Kyle and
some friends were daring each other to do some wild and crazy things.
Kyle dressed up as a girl, got a chainsaw and started it up in the house
screaming: "I'm so tired of mosquitoes in the house, I'll kill'em all!"
Before doing any major damage with the chainsaw, he make a mixture of three
parts sugar and one part water- downing it all. "He had sugar stuck
between the cracks in his teeth," says Kyle's friend, Tyrone Fitzpatrick.
"We ate dog food that night."
Go to page 3
If
you have any questions about the Kauai Classic Team email the coach: classic@aloha.net