On Tuesday, May 28, 2013, Fire Station 94 hosted the finals of the LAFD Spring Doubles Handball Tournament. The captains and crew of Fire Station 94 were excellent hosts and made everyone feel welcome. They set up a video feed to the kitchen, which accommodated the overflow and allowed guests to watch the action while they were eating lunch.
Returning the finals to a Fire Station provided spectators with the opportunity to concentrate on the game being played, and enthusiastically give their support to the players. A Taco Cart was hired, and lunch was served from 1100-1400 hours for the players, guests and crew of Fire Station 94.
Ryan Carlos and Joe Steiner from Fire Station 92 won their first LAFD “A” Division title after playing one of the toughest draws in recent memory. They defeated teams consisting of John Libby & Ladd Stilson, and Rex Villaubi & Joe Castro before defeating Eddie & Juan Marez in a tiebreaker final. This is a team to watch in the future – Ryan Carlos is an exceptional young player who covers the court with speed and agility and Joe “Dirty Right” Steiner has outstanding instincts and reflexes which allow him to dominate the frontcourt.
The “Bruise Brothers” – Kevin Schilling (73-B) and Chris Tavera (64-B) – are the newest “A” Team on the LAFD. They defeated Sergio Guzman (73-B) and David “DD” Diaz (13-A) in a tiebreaker “B” Final. Schilling and Tavera dominated the first game with pure power, ending nearly every rally with a kill shot. Guzman and Diaz rallied to win the second game with a strategy of moving the big guys around and using their superior speed to score points. The big fellas went back to murdering the ball in the tiebreaker, winning 11-4.
The “C” Division started with a full bracket of 16 teams. Marcus Meza and Rob Robbins from Fire Station 66 defeated Al Balestra and Carlos Vera from Fire Station 11 in a battle dominated by hustle and determination by both teams.
The final in the Masters Division was one of the most competitive matches all day. Eddie Marez (2-C) and Don Paone (Retired) defeated Joe Castro (Batt. 5-C) and Rex Villaubi (63-C) in a display of skill, strategy and shot making that was very impressive. This match ended in an 11-10 tiebreaker that took 4 side-outs to complete.
Although the crowd had thinned, the “C” Masters proved to be a very competitive and entertaining match. Tony Arnado (50-B) and Tim Aguayo (1-A) defeated Fernie Jimenez (2-C) and Sammy Quan (2-B) in another tiebreaker. It appeared that Jimenez and Quan had the game won with a 10-5 lead. But Arnado and Aguayo got the side out and finished the game scoring 6 points in a row to win 11-10.
First time winners Adin Waldrep and Galvin Yanagisawa both from FS 11-B defeated veterans Tom Nyberg (26-C) and Sean Kennedy (11-B) in the final of the “D” Division. This bracket started with 21 teams and reinforced the fact that LAFD handball is growing. These players were very competitive, and displayed a strong understanding of the fundamentals of handball. All winners received embroidered backpacks.
By the Commissioner
