By Una Murray  

The Outrigger on the Lagoon – Fiji was one of 40 teams participating in this year’s Fiji Hotel Workers

The Outrigger men’s team playing against Likuliku Resort in the quarterfinals

Volleyball Tournament. As one of the tournament officials, I was thrilled to be a part of this exciting event. This year, the tournament was held at Nassau Park in Levuka. Fiji Hotel Workers Volleyball Association President Jack Stark said, “We decided to take the tournament to Levuka to help tourism in the old capital, as most hotel workers have not been to this paradise. The association would also like to contribute to the skills and knowledge of volleyball, especially in schools and with youth in the villages.”

The FOR’s men’s team and mixed team were the reigning champions and faced strong challenges from 19

The Outrigger Team’s group photo with the Mayor of Levuka Town, Mr. George Gibson

hotels, plus Airports Fiji and South Sea Cruises — but they were ready. The FOR’s women’s team, which has not enjoyed great success in the past, was looking to change their luck. The teams have been training for this event from the start of the year, and the goal was to keep our championship status.

All the training and hard work paid off — for the fifth year in a row, both the men’s and mixed teams took home the title. In a tightly-contested battle against newcomers Airports Fiji, the men’s team kept their cool when they fell behind. Led by Nainima, Pule, and Mala, the FOR team staged a comeback by taking control of the game and forcing Airports Fiji to commit errors. In the end, it was 2-1 for the FOR team!

John Saumaki and Joeli Dumaru Nailiko accept the Men’s Team trophy from Mayor George Gibson