LIHU‘E — The 29th annual Hawai‘i Dinosaur Volleyball Tournament kicked off on Thursday morning, bringing generations — including several father-son duos — together for the four-day event at Kalapaki Beach.
The Dinosaur and its three divisions (men’s 80, men’s 100, and women’s 75) are named for its entry requirements, where volleyball partners need a sum age of at least 80 or 100 for men, and 75 for women, in order to participate.
Since requirements are based on a combined age, the event can create pairings with a range of ages, young and old.
This year, 12 out of the more than 120 teams registered for the event were father-son duos, according to the tournament’s director Dave Chaikin.
One of those duos was dinosaur tournament veteran Kenny Lentin, a former semi-professional player, who won the tournament in 2014.
He joined forces with his son Luke Lentin in the 80s division.
“It’s my first time ever (playing in the tournament). It’s his one hundred and fiftieth time,” joked Luke Lentin, who played indoor volleyball at Ohio State University and was also a two-year captain of the team.
The duo took a break from stretching and warming up to speak with The Garden Island just ahead of their first match on Thursday.
“Oh, we’re serious. We’re gonna try to win. I’m warming up, so that means I’m serious. If I wasn’t I’d just be rolling out there,” said Luke Lentin as his father laughed.
Kenny Lentin called playing with his son in The Dinosaur “a dream,” adding that they came from San Diego, California, to play in the tournament.
“It’s just so fun to come here and the locals make us feel so welcome,” he said.
Tomas Baggio Pereira, who lives on O‘ahu, played alongside his father Luis Afonso Baggio Pereira, who traveled all the way from Brazil to participate.
Wearing yellow shirts that they had specially made just for the tournament, the duo spoke to The Garden Island just after their first match.
“We lost, but we’ll see. Hopefully we get another match at least,” said Tomas Baggio Pereira, who was cheered on by his mother Flora Baggio Pereira and wife Julia Baggio Pereira.
Although Tomas Baggio Pereira called the loss “disappointing,” he appreciated being able to play with his father.
“It was very special to actually be in a tournament with my dad, and this is very special itself,” said Tomas Baggio Pereira.
“It’s hard to find tournaments that you can play with people of different ages. So, the adding of the ages together is pretty good. It’s pretty special.”
Luis Afonso Baggio Pereira chimed in. “I love my son,” he said.
Bowen Ierna, age 59, and his son Ryan Ierna, age 25, were eating lunch on nearby lawn chairs ahead of their first match. The pair described decades of volleyball experience between them, with Bowen Ierna having been an open player (considered the most advanced level) back in the 1980s.
Meanwhile, Ryan Ierna is currently an open level player and is playing in qualifiers for the AVP tour.
The Iernas traveled from Clearwater, Florida, for the tournament and said they were enjoying “the people, the vibes, and amazing views,” on Kaua‘i. Bowen Ierna said that “knowledge of The Dino” made them want to come out and play in the tournament.
“We’ve joked around about playing it for a couple years, and we just signed up and just did it,” said Bowen Ierna, adding that he put in about three months of hard training to prepare. “I haven’t been playing a whole lot lately. So we’ll see. Love it here so far.”
Craig Leonard, 77, and his son, Brian Leonard, 29, traveled from San Diego for the tournament. They were also found relaxing on nearby lawn chairs on Thursday afternoon after completing their two scheduled matches of the day.
“We lost one and won one,” said Brian Leonard, noting that they won their first match in the 80s division and lost in the 100s division.
“We get to keep on playing,” said Craig Leonard, adding that they’ve played in three other years of The Dinosaur tournament so far.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said, noting that he believed he was also the oldest player in the tournament.
But the youngest player in The Dinosaur was eighth grader Kohala Kamalini, from O‘ahu, who played alongside 62-year-old Mark Donaldson. Although the pair doesn’t quite meet the combined qualifying age of 80, the tournament sometime allows exceptions.
“He’s the first eighth grader to ever play The Dino,” said Donaldson, who is friends with Kamalini’s father. “It was a learning experience. And I’m stoked to have done it. And I’m glad to have been able to have the opportunity with you,” said Kamalini, in a joint interview with The Garden Island after their first match.
Although they lost the match, Donaldson, who came from Southern California, said they were playing together for the first time and just finding their rhythm.
“So we lost today, but I mean … We’ll play a little better the next game and hope to get a win,” he said, adding he was impressed by Kamalini’s abilities. “He’s gonna be a player. Let me tell ya, we’re gonna see this guy when he’s about 21 on the AVP tour. I’ll tell you that right now.”
On the women’s side, Chaikin said there were no mother-daughter partners registered for the tournament. But Jaqueline Heller, who played in the women’s 75 division, said she has plans on bringing her daughter, who is currently 9 years old, once she’s old enough.
“I’m gonna play with my kid in 15 years,” she said.
•••
Emma Grunwald, reporter, can be reached 808-245-0441 or egrunwald@thegardenisland.com.
