The Spark
March 20, 2025
At the 2025 Southwest Age Group Regional Championship (SWAGR), Cole and Kacey met young athletes from across the western states. Again and again, they heard the same question: Why aren’t meets like SWAGR, Western Zones, or Sectionals ever held in Hawaiʻi?
Looking around the North Natomas Aquatic Center in Sacramento, Cole began thinking about VMAC back home—and what it would take for Hawaiʻi to host competitions at that level. North Natomas had features VMAC lacked, including a large covered grandstand, generous team staging areas, modern locker rooms and restrooms, an updated bulkhead, and newer starting blocks.
Cole shared the idea with Kacey, and the two began talking about what a renewed VMAC could mean—not only for swimmers, but for athletes, families, and the broader Hawaiʻi community. That conversation became the spark for what would eventually grow into the VMAC Renewal Foundation.
