2012 INDUCTION CEREMONY & DINNER

Hawai'i Swimming Hall of Fame's fifth event was held on November 3, 2012.  14 people were inducted. Short bios are included further below: 

SWIMMING:
Matt Biondi
Toyoko Takeyama
Julia Murakami Woolsey
Zachary Zorn

MASTERS SWIMMING:
Nadine Takai Day
June Ford
Brett Phillips
OPEN WATER SWIMMING:
Nadine Takai Day
June Ford
Rick Heltzel
Brett Phillips
Paul Stader

​WATER POLO:
Aaron Chaney
COACHING:
Spencer Shiraishi
Ken Suenaga

CONTRIBUTOR:
Malcolm Cooper
Danny Kaleikini

CLASS OF 2012

MATT BIONDI
Matthew Nicholas Biondi, born and raised in California, was a world-class swimmer in high school, college and in three Olympics. He competed in the Summer Olympics in 1984, 1988 and 1992, winning a total of eleven medals (8 gold, 2 silver and1 bronze). During his career, he set three individual world records in the 50-meter freestyle and four in the 100-meter freestyle.  At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Biondi won five gold medals, setting world records in the 50-meter freestyle and in three relay events.  He moved to Hawaii with his wife, a Hawaii native, and was a teacher and swim coach on the Big Island for about five years.  He later moved back to California.  Biondi is also a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame.
AARON CHANEY
Aaron Chaney, a Hawaii native, excelled at water polo from his high school days at Punahou when he played on two state water polo championship teams, to college where was on the UC Santa Barbara national championship team in 1979.  He returned to Hawaii to coach water polo at Iolani for 19 years, then moved to California where he coached the Corona del Mar girls team to five state titles.  He also was a well-respected referee at the collegiate and international level and officiated at both the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics.  The “Aaron Chaney Distinguished Referee Award” awarded by USA Water Polo, the governing body for water polo in the US, is named after him.
MALCOLM COOPER
Malcolm Cooper grew up in upstate New York, began swimming competitively at age 11, became a high school All-American swimmer, then swam at Harvard where he was an All-American and All-Ivy, 1975-79.  He moved to Maui in 2000 and began swimming in US Masters as well as coaching the Maui Masters Swim Club, and at Seabury Hall and King Kekaulike High.  He became Hawaii LMSC’s Chair in 2009 and expanded, promoted, and supported US Masters Swimming in Hawaii.  In 2011 he was awarded the “US Masters Swimming Dorothy Donnelly Service Award” for his contributions to USMS.  In 2019 he was inducted into the Hawaii Sports Officials Hall of Fame for his excellence in officiating. 
NADINE TAKAI DAY 
Nadine Kathie Miyoko Takai (later Day), born and raised in Hawaii, was an exceptional swimmer at the high school (Pearl City), collegiate (Northwestern) and US Masters Swimming (Illinois) levels and set numerous USMS national and world records, was selected to several All-American teams, and qualified for the US Olympic Swim Trials in 1988.  She also dominated open water competition with four consecutive first woman finisher and two second woman finisher awards in the Waikiki Roughwater Swim, 1983-88.  She also contributed to swimming outside the water as an executive in various USMS offices, including president of USMS.  She received the following honors by USMS:  US Masters Swimming Dorothy Donnelly Service Award (2007), Ted Haartz U.S. Masters Swimming Staff Appreciation Award (2015), and the Capt. Ransom J. Arthur M.D. Award (2016).
JUNE FORD
June K. Ford was recruited by Coach Al Minn to swim for the University of Hawaii in 1982.  She had been a two-time All-American swimmer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Div. II) in 1980-81.  In her junior and senior years at UH she was an NCAA qualifier in the 200 butterfly, and she achieved All-American status in the 400-medley relay in her senior year.  In 1984, she also qualified and competed in the Olympic Trials in the 200-meter butterfly.  In 1987 she began swimming in USMS and set numerous national and world records in her age groups through 2005.  She also coached swimming at the age group, high school and university levels.
RICK HELTZEL
​Richard A. Heltzel is one of the most dominant open water swimmers in Hawaii.  He has 29 Top-Three finishes in the prestigious Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 miles), including a First Overall in 1984 and 14 First in Age Group finishes.  In the “Double Roughwater” (4.4 miles) he was First Overall 12 times and First in Age Group 16 times; in 2019 he made history as the oldest First Overall finisher in the “Double” at age 62.  He placed first and third in the 1991 and 1993 National 10K Hawaii Open Water Championships.  In 2006 he swam in the US OLYMPIC 10K TRIALS QUALIFYING EVENT held in Hawaii and was second finisher in the Men’s division.  
DANNY KALEIKINI
Danny Kaleikini is best known as a singer, entertainer, and musician in Hawaii.  He was proclaimed as “Hawaii’s Ambassador of Aloha” by Gov. Waihee in 1988.  However, outside of the entertainment industry, he is a lifelong lover of the ocean and supporter of water sports.  He was personally acquainted with many of the early inductees to the Hawaii Swimming Hall of Fame, and he promoted, supported, and contributed to the Hawaii Swimming Legacy Project, the parent of the Hall of Fame, since its inception.  He was master of ceremonies at the first three HSHOF induction banquets.
JULIA MURAKAMI 
Julia Murakami (later Woolsey), born and raised on Maui, learned to swim competitively under famed Coach Soichi Sakamoto on Maui.  She became a national champion in the backstroke, winning the 100-yard backstroke at the US Indoor Nationals at age 13, and she swam on the Medley Relay at the US Outdoor National Championships which earned the bronze medal.
BRETT PHILLIPS
Brett Phillips was a high school state swimming champion and All-American at Kailua High (Class of ’76), swam for the University of Wisconsin, 1976-79, where he won the 1650-yard and 400-yard freestyles at the Big Ten championships in 1978.  He also excelled in the open water with three First Overall finishes in the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (1974, 75 and 79).  He began swimming in US Masters Swimming in 2000 after a 20-year break from swimming and set numerous national and world records in his age group from 2000 to 2004.
SPENCER SHIRAISHI
Saichi Spencer Shiraishi, born and raised on Maui, was a swimmer, Army veteran, engineer, Boy Scout leader, author, and a swim coach (for over 60 years).  He joined the Army after high school and swam in the European Command championships where he set many US Army swim records.  Upon his return to Hawaii he coached at Maui Swim Club and was instrumental in the building of the Olympic-sized swimming pool at the War Memorial in Kahului.  In 2010 he wrote a book, Plantation Life and Beyond: Adventures of a Boy Scout, Swimmer, Soldier, Coach, and Boy Scout Leader.  He passed away in 2013 at the age of 87.
PAUL STADER
​Paul Gerard Stader, was born and raised in California and swam for UCLA, but he visited Hawaii often as a child and learned to love the ocean, and he is now a permanent resident of Hawaii.  He holds the distinction of finishing First Overall in the Waikiki Roughwater Swim four times, 1976-78, 1980, the only person in the first 50 years of the event to have that number of wins.  This event draws some of the best open water swimmers from Hawaii, the US West Coast, Australia and Canada.  He was 16 when he won his first one in 1976, and in 1979 he was just 2 seconds from winning a fifth.  
KEN SUENAGA
In 1967, Ken Suenaga started his coaching career with the Palama Swim Club. In 1968, he founded Pearl City Aquatics. In 1972, Ken established Pearl City High’s swim team. Coach Ken’s past swimmers set numerous local meet records, State records, Northwest Region records, Western Zone records and National Top 10 and Top 100 times. He has served as the Hawaiian Swimming LSC General Chair, Technical Planning Chair and Safety Coordinator. He has also played an integral role in establishing the annual Western Zone Swimming Championship which was started in 1976. He served in the Korean War as a combat medic/Airborne. 
TOYOKO TAKEYAMA
Toyoko “Toyo” Takeyama, a premier backstroke specialist, born and raised on Maui, was a member of Coach Soichi Sakamoto’s famed Three-Year Swim Club, which was dedicated to swimming and winning medals in the 1940 Olympics (unfortunately cancelled due to WW II).  However, she qualified for the 1940 US Outdoor National Championships and swam on the 300-meter Medley Relay which earned the bronze medal.
ZACHARY ZORN
Zachary Zorn (born in Ohio) swam for UCLA, and in 1967 he was a member of the USA Swim Team in the Pan American Games and won a silver medal.  In 1968 he won the 100 free at the NCAA National Championships.  He also qualified for the US Olympic Trials and set a world record in the 100-meter freestyle at the trials.  At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics he earned a gold medal as a member of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay team and placed eighth in the individual 100-meter freestyle.