Among the benefits of charity tournaments is not only the opportunity for average athletes to play with pros, but also to play with emerging talents. In the early 1970s, the talk of charity tournaments in Palos Verdes was a skinny 12-year-old named Tracey Austin.
The talk of last year’s Surf and Turf tournament at the Manhattan Beach pier was 12-year-old Casey McGarry. His calm, consistent play in the high pressure position of setter won the volleyball championships. It helped that his hitter was 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist Eric Fonoimoana. But on Saturday, McGarry proved last year wasn’t a fluke by again setting for the winning team.
This year his hitter was Chris Brown, a solid player, though as the American Martyrs’ eighth grader diplomatically put it, “not as good as Fonoi.”
But despite his second consecutive Surf N’ Turf championship, McGarry wasn’t the talk of this year’s tournament. That honor went to spindly, 10-year-old Maia Hannemann, who battled through four rounds of eliminations, playing in the middle of the back row. She kept her teams hopes alive by consistently digging blasts ill-advisedly targeted at her by power hitters like “Tall Paul.” A player with slower hands and less steely nerves would have wilted under the afternoon-long onslaught.
In the championship match Hannemann moved up to setter, where the comparisons to McGarry were brought into sharp focus.
Though she didn’t have the benefit of an Olympic gold medalist on her team, Hahnemann’s hitter was a past Hermosa Open and Manhattan Open winner. Adding more pressure was the fact that her hitter was also her dad, Albert Hannemann, the founding president of the National Volleyball League.
If dad hadn’t mentioned it, no one would have guessed the two had never played on the same team before. Despite their opponent’s deeper talent, Team Hannemann kept the outcome in suspense until relinquishing the final side-out under old school rules.
“I was amazed at her composure,” dad said after the tournament. Even the tears of disappointment his daughter let slip were recognized as evidence of a bright competitive future. “She just hates losing,” dad explained.
Aside from genes, Maia has the benefit of good coaching. She started playing volleyball two years ago for Mizuno, a club team coached by Matt and Joy Fuerbringer. Matt and partner Nick Lucena are currently 2012 Olympic team prospects and Joy coaches at UCLA.
The Third Annual Dig for Jimmy Surf N’ Turf benefited Fonoimoana’s Dig for Kids foundation, which provides athletic and academic assistant to underprivileged students, and the Jimmy Miller Foundation, which provides ocean therapy for individuals facing emotional and physical challenges. Among Saturday’s participants were Marines from the Wounded Warriors Battalion at Camp Pendleton, where the Jimmy Miller Foundation provides weekly surf lessons.
In the morning, the 16 four-member teams, assigned A, B, C and D players by the tournament directors, competed in clean, fast, shoulder high surf. The volleyball competition filled the afternoon.
“It’s like a reunion. It’s what we did growing up,” said Fonoimoana, who surfed and played volleyball with Jimmy Miller at Mira Costa High School.
Between games, competitors enjoyed burritos from the El Gringo Guac truck and Hawaiian music and hula dances by the Rose and Bill Laoagi’s Nualanis Polynesia.
McGarry’s and Brown’s championship volleyball team was rounded out by Ryan Ulrich and Tamara Lentz.
The surf title was won by John Ward, Taylor Hine, Jake Johnson and Scott Sherf.
Pagan and Matt Chernega both were awarded perfect 10s for exceptional surfing and Mia Hannemann was named tournament MVP.
Sponsors included El Gringo, Sector 9, FRS, Bud Light, the City of Manhattan Beach, LA County Lifeguards and Body Glove.
For more information visit JimmyMillerFoundation.org or Dig4Kids.org.
Upcoming: The Spyder Surf / South Bay Boardriders contest, the last of the six contests series is Saturday at 7 a.m. at the Manhattan Beach pier. To register visit SouthBayBoardRiders.com.
