By BILL O’REAR
By BILL O’REAR
Tribune-Herald sports editor
Longtime referee Andy Smilovici has been calling volleyball matches in Hawaii for 30 years. But it wasn’t until he worked the Haili Volleyball Tournament 15 years ago that he fell in love with the event and ohana that surrounds the annual spikefest.
“I’ve been coming to Hawaii since 1982 when I first did the USAVB Nationals in Hilo that year,” he said Tuesday afternoon before officiating a girls juniors division match at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
“I’ve done four Final Four men’s tournaments and regional women’s play. At that high level, you have very few mistakes and the competition is outstanding. But when I came to do the Haili, I fell in love with the people, the tournament play, the innocence of the youth, the smiles on the kids’ faces and the enthusiastic support of the fans.”
He praised the Haili tournament’s “family” that comes together each March to put on a weeklong event that has attracted thousands of volleyball players during its highly successful 55-year run — including 126 teams this week in various youth and adult divisions. The tournament runs through Saturday with daily dual-court matches at Hilo Civic, Waiakea High, UH-Hilo and Hilo Armory. The finals are Saturday at the Civic, starting at 9 a.m. with the last match at noon.
“It’s all about the aloha spirit,” said Smilovici, a 62-year-old customer service agent for United Airlines out of Philadelphia. “I get emotional and tearful coming back each March for the Haili. It’s a wonderful experience and it’s contagious — once you’ve done one, you definitely want to come back.
“I pay my own way out here and volunteer as a referee. But no one gets paid for helping in the Haili tournament — it all comes from the heart. It’s like my dad used to tell me, ‘Giving comes from the heart with no expectations.’”
Smilovici, who looks a lot like a 5-foot-8 Super Mario while standing on the platform officiating the match, is serious when working the games, but he often breaks into a smile while watching the youngsters play.
“These young kids will make some errors, but they always have smiles,” Smilovici said. “Volleyball is a family sport and it’s so nice to see the support these kids get during the Haili — from everyone involved, it’s a big team effort.”
And Smilovici considers himself the luckiest person in the Civic.
“I’m the spectator with the best seat in the house,” he said with a broad grin. “I get to watch 12 good players who compete just for the fun of it. But I work very hard at officiating. I’m always critical of myself because I’m looking to improve and call the best game I can for those players on the court.”
Smilovici said the ageless Elroy Osorio, a longtime USVBA official, and Haili tournament co-director Lyndell Lindsey invited him to work the Haili in the 1980s after he developed a lasting relationship with Osorio at national tournaments on the mainland.
“I’ve always called Elroy my uncle,” Smilovici said. “I met him in 1978 in Albuquerque and I’ve always looked to him as a mentor and a leader. Lyndell, I would always see her play in the national tournaments and we became friends. I told her, ‘I heard you have a tournament in Hilo, I’d like to come, and she said please do.’”
“For Andy, coming to officiate in the Haili each year is like coming home for him,” said Lindsey, who co-directs the tournament with sister Sweetie Osorio. “It’s the highlight of his year, he really loves it. He’s part of the family and he just loves the people here.”
Smilovici joins several Oahu referees and some Big Island officials to call the Haili matches.
“We have about two dozen volunteer referees this year,” Lindsey said. “Wayne Lee and Pat Akana help us officiate and bring in the teams from Oahu. It really makes a big difference for us with all of these referees. They take care of everything on the court and makes our (organizers’) job much easier.”
Over the years, Smilovici has officiated volleyball, soccer and basketball on the mainland, at the youth, high school and collegiate levels. But he still likes the simplicity of sports that shines through when players compete for fun and not in a win-at-all-costs situation.
He also understands the joys of sports and the hardship that mankind has had to endure over the years.
“I grew up in Romania and moved with my parents to the United States when I was 15,” he said. “My grandparents died in concentration camps in World War II and my parents survived even though they were held in concentration camps. I’m the only child and I grew up playing soccer and volleyball and played at Ball State University.
“Ball State’s volleyball teams did well, but a few years ago they talked about dropping the program. I called the coach up and offered to come and officiate their games for free. I’ll do anything to help out and that’s why officiating in the Haili tournament each year has become so important to me. I feel like a kamaaina and truly love the aloha spirit — you’re just not going to find it on the mainland.”
Over the years, he’s developed close relationships with volleyball coaches, officials and fans across the country — including former University of Hawaii men’s coach Mike Wilton, current UH-Hilo women’s coach Tino Reyes and former UCLA standout and ex-University of Cincinnati women’s coach Reed Sunahara.
“I don’t travel as much as I used to,” Smilovici said. “I still do some college, high school and junior level games as well as some tournaments. But when it comes to the Haili, it’s more than just calling a game, it’s more about family and the wonderful relationships we’ve built over the years.
“I want to keep coming back as long as I can. I’m thankful for this opportunity to be part of a big happy volleyball family. There’s just nothing out there in volleyball quite like the Haili — with the aloha spirit and people giving back to others.”
Net notes: The Juniors’ 10s, 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s division championship matches will be played on dual courts today at Hilo Civic, starting at 4 p.m. The division awards ceremony will be held about 7 p.m. after the last match. At the remaining three sites — Waiakea High, UH-Hilo and Hilo Armory — play starts at 4 p.m. with men’s and women’s B division action.
On Thursday, the adult divisions heat up as the men’s and women’s AA start play around 6 p.m. at Hilo Civic as well as some men’s and women’s A matches there and at other locations.
On Friday, the men’s and women’s AA teams battle at Hilo Civic, starting at 11 a.m., with the men’s A starting at 1:30 p.m.
On Saturday, all the division championships will be played at Hilo Civic, starting with the women’s masters 45 at 9 a.m. and running until the men’s and women’s AA at noon.
There is no admission charge to watch the tournament and food concessions are available.