It’s not everyday you can combine a volcano, the Grinch who stole Christmas and the NCAA but here we are.
In case you haven’t been watching the news lately, Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has been extremely active the past several weeks. Lava flows have destroyed homes, created new coastline on the big island and been quite the (dangerous) sight for those near and far.
Video shows conditions at Kapoho Bay during a helicopter overflight on 6/4/18, around 6:15 AM and again around 1:38 PM; lava nearly fills the shallow bay.https://t.co/gkUkkYpYJi pic.twitter.com/K9bM0JVK6h
— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) June 5, 2018
It seems the state’s flagship football program wanted to do something to help out residents in the area so Rainbow Warriors head coach Nick Rolovich decided to try and hold one of his team’s summer camps in the area. NCAA rules have clamped down on holding such camps a certain distance from campus however so the program went about getting a waiver to go through with their plan, which was approved and has allowed the planning process to continue.
“Because UH-Hilo is the sister campus, or whatever you want to call it, we asked if we could have it there because of the volcano,” Rolovich told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “I’m glad the NCAA had a heart for this one. Remember the Grinch who stole Christmas? At a certain point, his heart grew and it grew and it grew.”
Kudos to the folks in Indianapolis for doing the right thing in this case and for Rolovich making a fantastic reference to said decision. It’s always good to hear a bit of humor in the light of such a serious situation on the islands and to see the football program getting involved in doing their part to rally support around those who need a pick-me-up after several long weeks.