Legrand lifts his
By Jack Wyatt
team to gold title
Special to the Star-BulletinWhen Lee Legrand crumpled onto the Ft. DeRussy beach after slamming his big toe hard into the sand, the fledgling volleyball pro nearly broke down and cried. The untimely accident came during the final minutes of the men's Gold Division championship yesterday on the Ha-waii stop of the Cuervo Gold Beach Volleyball Tour.
''My teammate, Wayne Seligson, and I were just one point from victory when I came down on the court too hard,'' Legrand said.
It wasn't so much the pain of pulling the tendon, he explained, but the thought of not being able to go on and win the game, and to lose out on that $1,000 "winner-takes-all" purse and a free trip to the mainland.
"I had to continue. I owed it to my teammate," Legrand said.
Thanks to a quick tendon reset by a sports trainer friend, and a lot of encouragement from fans, Legrand hobbled to his feet.
And then, Legrand, with an assist from Seligson, went on win the point, and the game, topping Sean Scott and Al Hannemann, 15-13.
All four men's finalists, although they play for money on the mainland, call Hawaii home.
Helen Reale and Mary Baily, volleyball pros from Southern California, flew here at their own expense to compete.
And by winning the women's Gold Division, their investment paid off.
Reale-Baily defeated Janice Harrer of Hawaii and Kristin Atkinson of California, 15-8.
"We wanted a quick win and then to get back to Los Angeles, where we have young children to take care of," Baily said.
The 10th and final stop on the Cuervo tour drew 58 two-player teams, grouped into six skill divisions, from beginners to professionals.
"A kind of 'peoples' volleyball tournament," said novice player Brad Toma.
The competition began Saturday and was held on 12 Ft. DeRussy Beach sand courts.
The men's championship was never more than an ace or kill by either team apart.
Both teams thrilled beachside spectators with their smashing hits, spectacular digs and well-executed blocks and sets.
"The plays I felt were most exciting were the guys running down balls that went into the crowd," said volleyball follower Thelma Freitas of Maui.
"A tough, hard-hitting match," Seligson said. "With prize money, a Florida trip, and with the prestige of winning the Cuervo, there was much at stake today."
The Legrand-Seligson team led most of the game but never by more than three points.
"Having played on the same Punahou School team, and now on the same team as professionals, we had the advantage - we know each other's moves," Seligson said.
In the semis, Legrand-Seligson defeated a strong Steve Li-Alika Williams team, 15-10.
In the other semi, Scott-Hannemann topped Kanoa Ostrem-Mike Lambert, 15-7.
In a fast start to the women's gold final, the Baily-Reale duo charged ahead 13-2 before their opponents knew what had hit them.
"What can I say?" Harrer remarked, "Our team simply played poorly."
In their respective charge to the finals, Baily-Reale beat former University of Hawaii at Hilo players Tanya Fuamatu and Peka Malae, 18-16.
Atkinson-Harrer topped former University of Hawaii players Robyn Ah Mow and Chastity Nobriga, 15-8.
"Hawaii has some talented young women, who with practice could make it successfully on the pro tour," Baily said.
In addition to the $1,000 per team prize money, the men's and women's Gold Division winners receive an all-expense paid trip to Florida to compete in the $30,000 Jose Cuervo National Beach Volleyball Championship, Oct. 25-26.
