Rainbow Wahine
Encyclopedia
Rainbow Wahine is the official nickname applied to all women's sports teams at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa
. All University of Hawaii teams were traditionally called "Rainbows" until controversies with the name led the University to allow its men's teams to choose their own nicknames; today, the baseball team are "Rainbows," the basketball team are "Rainbow Warriors," and football, volleyball, golf, and tennis are all "Warriors." Regardless, ALL the women's teams still officially retain the traditional "Rainbow" label. Wahine is the Hawaiian
word for "woman." During games, the Rainbow Wahine are often colloquially known as The Rainbows or ’Bows (which may be used to refer to the men's Rainbow Warrior
teams as well), and The Wahine. In conversation, the use of the word Wahines, to describe a team or multiple players is sometimes replaced with Nā Wahine ("nā" the plural definite article
in Hawaiian).
Division I bracket.
To comply with federal Title IX
these programs were created to give females an equal opportunity to compete in sports. Each Wahine sport has its own unique booster club, or support club.
University of Hawaii at Manoa
The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is a public, co-educational university and is the flagship campus of the greater University of Hawaii system...
. All University of Hawaii teams were traditionally called "Rainbows" until controversies with the name led the University to allow its men's teams to choose their own nicknames; today, the baseball team are "Rainbows," the basketball team are "Rainbow Warriors," and football, volleyball, golf, and tennis are all "Warriors." Regardless, ALL the women's teams still officially retain the traditional "Rainbow" label. Wahine is the Hawaiian
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
word for "woman." During games, the Rainbow Wahine are often colloquially known as The Rainbows or ’Bows (which may be used to refer to the men's Rainbow Warrior
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
The University of Hawaii Warriors, University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, or University of Hawaii Rainbows are the team names of the men's sports programs at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa....
teams as well), and The Wahine. In conversation, the use of the word Wahines, to describe a team or multiple players is sometimes replaced with Nā Wahine ("nā" the plural definite article
Article (grammar)
An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the and a/an, and some...
in Hawaiian).
NCAA Division I programs
The University of Hawaii has several athletic programs in the NCAANational Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I bracket.
- Hawaii Rainbow Wahine basketballHawaii Rainbow Wahine basketballThe Hawaii Rainbow Wahine basketball team competes in the Western Athletic Conference for the University of Hawaii at Manoa.-Coaches:-External links:...
- Rainbow Wahine Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- Rainbow Wahine GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- Rainbow Wahine SailingSailingSailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
- Rainbow Wahine Soccer
- Rainbow Wahine SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- Rainbow Wahine SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and DivingDivingDiving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one... - Rainbow Wahine TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- Rainbow Wahine Indoor Track & Field
- Rainbow Wahine Outdoor Track & Field
- Rainbow Wahine Waterpolo
- Rainbow Wahine Volleyball
To comply with federal Title IX
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
these programs were created to give females an equal opportunity to compete in sports. Each Wahine sport has its own unique booster club, or support club.
Graduation Rates
The following table shows the average graduation rate of student athletes competing on various Rainbow Wahine athletic teams compared to the national average graduation rate for other NCAA Division I schools.| Sport | National Average | UH Team Rate | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball | 81% | 73% | Dana Takahara-Dias |
| Cross country/Track | 83% | 63% | Carmyn James |
| Golf | 87% | 83% | Ashley Biffle |
| Sailing | N/A | N/A | Andy Johnson |
| Soccer | 87% | 65% | Michele Nagamine |
| Softball | 84% | 83% | Bob Coolen |
| Swimming & Diving | 91% | 88% | Victor Wales |
| Tennis | 88% | 78% | Jun Hernandez |
| Volleyball | 86% | 63% | Dave Shoji Dave Shoji Dave Shoji is Head Coach of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa Rainbow Wahine Volleyball team since 1975. Under his leadership, the Rainbow Wahine won four national titles .... |
| Waterpolo | 86% | 100% | Michel Roy |