Why Is Hand-Carved Bowl Special For UW Football?
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
Each time Washington gathers for a pregame meal there is a wooden bowl filled with fruit on the buffet table. At home and on the road, the bowl travels with the Huskies.
It even has its own duffel bag. Entrusted to Conor Knowles, the assistant director of operations, this item of sentimental significance has turned into a tradition for Washington in 2014.
Called a poi bowl, it was presented to the Huskies when they arrived at the team hotel in Hawaii before the season opener. Hand carved out of Koa wood, which is unique to the Hawaiian Islands, the bowl was a gift from defensive end Psalm Wooching’s father, Luki, a master carver.
“He carved it for our team and we’ve been putting fruit in it for our pregame meal,” Psalm said. “We all partake as a family.”
In Polynesian culture, the serving dish is a “family bowl” filled with poi, a mixture of mashed taro and water that is scooped out of the bowl by hand.
“It’s a bowl where everyone partakes in eating,” Psalm said. “It shows unity and coming together as a family.”
The gift was presented to Washington coach Chris Petersen in the same way it would have been given to the head of a Polynesian family. Luki handed it to Psalm, Hau’oli Kikaha, Danny Shelton and Micah Hatchie, who passed it on to Petersen.
After Petersen was presented with the poi bowl, the teammates stepped backward, making sure they continued to face their coach, a sign of respect.
“You never want to turn your back when you present something,” Psalm said.
Once the gift was turned over to Petersen, Psalm wasn’t sure what would happen to the bowl. He never expected it to turn into a tradition. Then he saw it on the buffet table before Huskies’ second game against Eastern Washington.
“I better cherish this moment, because it might be the only time,” he said.
Then it was there the next game.
“This is crazy,” he said. “This is special. My dad didn’t even know they were doing that. A few games back I snapped a picture of it and sent it to him. He’s really humbled and touched.”
The best traditions start organically, the byproduct of a simple gesture at the right time. The poi bowl has woven its way into the fabric of Washington’s football program.
“It’s specific for our team,” Psalm said. “No one else in the world has that bowl.”
