Roccos Rule!

(Standing L-R: Auntie I, C-hiking buddy last seen being medivac-ed down the mountain with a broken leg, PL-surprise guest and inventor of the "spike" and Auntie C-mom's fellow Michigan State alum and roommate, Seated: mom. Photo used by permission. Photo credit: G Chung)

Mom hostessed 2 surprise visitors today. Auntie I did her best to tickle mom's curiosity during the week by hinting that one visitor in particular would be a BIG surprise. One surprise visitor was C- one of the hiking group who's been on the DL since falling and breaking a leg during a hike, but the BIG surprise was PL.

Earlier this morning, when I was prompting her to guess, mom considered, then discarded one of her earliest sports teammates, PL. PL is a few years older than mom (there is someone in the above photo who is over 80) famously reclusive, preferring her garden to socializing. Back in the day, she was an outstanding volleyball player. Apparently she plays the guitar by ear, too. Geez. I looked for signs of a cape and bullet-proof bracelets, but didn't spot any gaudy insignia.

Talk story time:

To hear the ladies tell it, their volleyball team was a ragtag band that ended up destroying all opponents and winning the league trophy the 2 years it existed. I guess those poor sports at the Outrigger Canoe Club didn't like getting their 'ōkoles whipped by a motley group that had never played together so they took their league away and went home.

Mom's team was the only one with a sponsor, Rocco's Pizza, and of course, no post-game celebration would be complete without pizza and beer. I did the math and no way mom was old enough to be drinking back in the day.

Mom says no other team knew how to spike, that is, until PL and Auntie B rained down the hurt on them. At one point in the story-telling PL hopped up and swung her arm--I can attest to the fact that she's still got the power and the snap.

[Oh, and by the way Big E..I know you think my legs are pretty, but these ladies have some gams on them. Excellent muscle tone. I've got some weight and road-work ahead of me in the next 30 years. Must. Try. Harder]

Mom claims she was a defensive specialist and could get to balls no one else could. In my late teens and early 20s I coached her and various co-ed and womens' teams she played on so this is an easy claim to believe. She makes me look like a wuss. Really.

Soo-ooo, Roccos Ruled! by schooling the other 5 teams in the art of the spike, and also making fun of everyone else behind their backs. Something about a tough team from Kalihi with poor dental care nicknamed the Space Cadets?