Aloha everyone.

Mahalo for being here and welcome.

The City Council's honorary certificate program honors and acknowledges those individuals and groups who have made an impact in our local, national, and international communities.

Mr.

Clerk, our first recipient.

Good morning, Mr.

Chair, Council members and guests.

Our first presentation congratulates the Manoa Ten and Under All-Star Baseball team for earning the 2025 Hawaii State Championship and the 2025 Pacific Southwest Regional Championship titles.

This presentation is made by Councilmember Nishimoto.

Thank you, good morning, guests.

This year, two teams made Hawaii proud by competing at the Cal Ripkin World Series.

The Manoa All-Stars and the Hawaii Elite both competed at the highest levels.

Congratulations to both teams for representing Hawaii on the national stage and to the Hawaii Kai elite for capturing the world, the Cal Ripkin World Series title.

The Ten and Underage Group is especially meaningful for its influence on aspiring players.

Seeing two Hawaii teams compete in the championship highlights the excellence of Hawaii baseball and celebrates the remarkable talents our islands bring our islands bring to the sport.

The championship itself was a true celebration of Hawaii's youth baseball.

It's an honor to recognize Monoa 10U All-Stars who represented our community with tremendous pride.

You embody the Aloha spirit on the national stage, proudly showcasing the exceptional talent and unwavering heart of our communities to the entire country.

Congratulations to Monoa 10U All-Stars and Hawaii Kai Elite on their incredible achievements.

This presentation is made by yourself, Council Chair Waters.

Thank you.

The Honolulu City Council is both thrilled and honored to recognize and celebrate Hawaii Kai Elite Baseball for their remarkable achievement in capturing the 10 and under Cal Ripkin World Series Championship title this August.

Proudly representing Hawaii Kai, the island of Oahu, and Hawaii on the national stage.

We have the champs with us today.

Please raise your hand when I call your name to be recognized.

All right.

Folks, you remember, you may remember he was a key player for the Aea team that won the Junior League Series in 2021, capping their championship defense with his walk-off home run.

Awesome.

We also have coaches Shane Butcher, Danny Lee and Garrett Yamamoto, and our young athletes Kainalu Lee, Ashton Jeter Butcher, Waikia Wong, Zaidlin Moniz, Austin Cruz, Micah Kiramura, Grant Yamamoro, Tais Yamara, Kilinahe Pedro, Parker No, Josiah Paiva, Gage Sylvester, Kepa Koga, and Nixon Kiefer.

Hawaii Kai Elite Baseball was founded in 2023 as an all-star team from the Hawaii Baseball League and has quickly become a symbol of excellence and sportsmanship in youth baseball.

The team first traveled to the eight and under Pacific Southwest Regional Tournament in California, winning the championship.

Then in 2024, traveled to California for the nine and under Pacific Southwest Regional Tournament, capturing that championship and earning an automatic bid to the 2025 Cal Ripkin Ten and Under World Series.

Hawaii Kai Elite Baseball has achieved numerous milestones since its founding, including the 2023 Eight and Under Pacific Southwest Regional Championship, the 2023 Toshiro Kawamura Tournament Championship, 2024 9 and under Pacific Southwest Regional Championship, 2024 Toshiwa Kawamura Championship, the 2025 Kawaii Annual MLK Championship, the 2025 KAC 10 Under Memorial Day Classic Championship, and now the 2025 10 and under Cal Ripkin World Series Championship.

Awesome.

Yeah.

In August 2025, Hawaii Kai Elite Baseball made history in Indiana with a dominant 10-0 shutout victory over their opponent in the championship game, capping off an incredible run for the squad who dominated the competition.

The team allowed just four runs in eight games while also scoring an impressive 69 runs through the tournament.

Wow, that literally gave me chicken skin.

That's pretty amazing.

The mission of Hawaii Kai Elite Baseball is to instill lifelong lessons to the game of baseball.

The team holds high standards for attitude, effort, accountability, responsibility, and availability while emphasizing excellence both on and off the field.

Their motto is play hard, play fast, have fun, and be a good teammate.

This reflects their commitment to teamwork, character, and sportsmanship.

Coaches and supporters probably recognize their players' hard work, dedication, and sacrifices, spending countless weekends and any free time in practices and scrimmages to perfect their craft.

Now, therefore, the homeless city council proudly recognizes and commends Hawaii Kai Elite Baseball for bringing home the 10 and under Cal Ripkin World Series Championship title for their inspiring representation of Hawaii baseball on a national stage and their embodiment of teamwork, perseverance, and the aloha spirit.

The council extends its deepest Mahalos and warmest congratulations, wishing a continued success to the team and all future endeavors.

You've made Hawaii proud.

And may I say, can you guys play stay home and play for UH Baseball when that time comes, right?

Mahalo and congratulations.

Awesome.

Good morning, everybody.

You know what?

We got some awesome athletes, yeah in the islands.

Come on, we gotta keep them home.

Yeah.

Congratulations to the Whissawahoo 12 U Boys soccer team who were the 2025 National AYSO Games Champions.

Come on in their division.

This is how you know you're from Hawaii when you call yourself the Whistle Wahoo Hammers.

These young athletes live up to their formable name, showcasing skill and teamwork held this past July at the Orange County uh Great Park in Irvine, California.

The competition attracted 348 teams and 4,800 players from across the United States.