I played fast pitch baseball as a little leaguer while in the seventh and eighth grade living in Palolo Valley on the island of Oahu with my immediate family. For two season these sports occupied my time aside from my school work at St. Anthony's Catholic School that which I attended with my sisters Luana, Berna and Sisi and Mino who was considered our big brother while we lived in the Valley. We all were Sacramented at St. Anthony's, in taking our first Holy Communion. We also made it out of Palolo Valley Housing after my second season of play, and eventually into a 3 bedroom apartment near the University of Hawaii.
I played First Base for the Palolo Tigers, and eventually made it to post season play on the Palolo Valley's Little League Baseball All Star Team. It was due to my above average hitting percentage, but our All Star Team lost in the first round during the Island Little League Championship Series.
And as for our football team, we were fortunate to have some pretty good players such as myself, that we went two straight seasons in being undefeated champions in our pop warner league. We were the Palolo Vikings, and I played Offensive Guard, Defensive Linebacker and were on every special teams unit we had, not to mention being one of the Team Captains. It kept me focused and on a constructive active schedule, away from the life of the gang bangers that did exist within our Valley Housing environment.
Unlike many parent's today, it was me that took the initiative to play football and baseball at that young age; my dad or mom didn't have any influence in my choice of sport, nor the decision to participate in any. And it's always been that way; natural for me to pick up on, and to start to play various kinds of sports most of my life. Just like it's natural for my dad to take the initiative and go walking in the mornings alone or with ma; well now it's on his own treadmill. It's natural for him to go to the golf driving range, to work on his short and long games in this sport of golf, that strongly interests me today as well. Sports and Singing goes very deep and wide in my dad's side of the family. My mother's side of the family however, has more extended family members that have served or are still in the US Armed Forces of the Military which includes myself of course. My mother's side of the family also has more college graduates, which includes my sisters Luana, Berna and myself.
Therefore, I would say that I have both my mother's and father's primitive nature for Sports, Singing, Serving our Country as a US Navy Sailor once, and also having the Passion for Higher
Learning. However, the biggest most important issue that my parents have in common that goes deep and wide on both sides of our family, is having a strong prayerful life. They've both have been devoted Catholics all of their lives, and it's this one common pious value that continues to divinely and gracefully bless our generation and the next to remain closer together without a doubt.
Most Sincere,
Mickey Tovio Scanlan
