The big payoff

Dreams are easy to create, but it takes hard work to make them

reality. In life, and in this competitive society we live in,

sacrifice can be the ultimate difference-maker to achieve your goals.

Aaron Chaney is living proof of that.

He had a home in Hawaii, where he grew up. After earning an

undergraduate degree in business economics at UC Santa Barbara, where

he helped the men’s water polo team win the NCAA championship in

1979, and after attaining his Masters degree in educational

psychology at UCLA, Chaney went back to Hawaii.

He coached boys water polo at Iolani Prep School for 19 years, and

also coached the girls for five years. Chaney led his boys team to

three Interscholastic League of Honolulu titles. He was a mathematics

teacher and he was comfortable with where he was at. But comfort

levels had nothing to do with Chaney’s goals.

Chaney, who is the coach of the Corona del Mar High girls water

polo team, is a referee and his goal has always been to officiate in

the Olympics.

In Hawaii, he could not get as many games to officiate, and he

knew he would have to move to the mainland if he really wanted his

dream to come true. In June of 2000, he said good-bye to Hawaii and

hello to California.

“I was there for 19 years,” Chaney said. “I gave all that up for

the Olympics.”

And, so the story goes, Chaney worked his tail off. He worked at

NCAA games. He was a referee for the FINA World Championships this

year and in 2001.

He worked as a volunteer in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and the

2000 Games in Sydney, Australia. But it wasn’t enough to be a

volunteer. He wanted the real thing.

Three weeks ago, he received the news. He was selected to be an

official for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. He was the only

referee chosen from the U.S. He received several e-mail messages from

his friends in Hawaii, congratulating him.

Chaney is excited, to say the least, for the Olympics, but if 2004

wasn’t his time, he would have been pleased with moving to

California, regardless.

“I came to realize that if I didn’t make it, I think the three

years I’ve spent here were still worthwhile,” said Chaney, who guided

the CdM girls water polo team to CIF Division titles in his first two

years. “All of the traveling I’ve done for the many games, I wouldn’t

be able to do, obviously, if I had stayed in Hawaii. And, working at

CdM has been great. I realized that being at CdM was really

important. I knew it would be worthwhile to work toward the Olympics,

and making the Olympics would be icing on the cake.”

*

Chaney coached the Sea Kings to a Division IV championship and a

Division II title last season. Christina Hewko, Danielle Carlson,

Daniela DiGiacomo and Brittney Bowlus were key players in the

back-to-back championship runs. The quartet graduated last year and

Chaney will be faced with a new challenge this season.

Hewko’s younger sister, Camille, will be one of many there to

help.

*

Chaney will not be the only local person at the 2004 Olympics.

Former Newport Harbor standouts Aaron Peirsol and his younger sister,

Hayley, are also planning to earn their tickets to Athens.

Aaron, the world-record holder in the 200-meter backstroke, was

recently in Southern California when the University of Texas competed

in a swim meet at USC.

“It was awesome,” he said. “I hadn’t been that calm since the end

of the summer. I was with family. Everything was good except for the

dry ash falling down [from the fires].”

*

In addition to talking about the fires, Peirsol also discussed

other current events, such as the new drug scandal breaking out in

amateur and professional sports. Peirsol, a silver medalist in the

2000 Olympics, has never taken steroids or any other drugs to enhance

his performance. He prides himself that he is a natural health nut

and only “cheats” when he eats chocolate chip pancakes.

“I’ve never been offered [steroids],” Peirsol said. “People know

I’m not going to take it so they don’t waste their time. Besides, I

really think you have to have the motivation to go and get it.”

Peirsol does not tolerate athletes who use drugs.

“If someone has to do that to perform well, then change sports for

crying out loud,” he said. “If I get beat in the Olympics and the guy

who won is taking drugs and he doesn’t get caught, he shouldn’t be

there.”

*

In high school news, the pool at Newport Harbor is set to open

next week, just in time for the girls water polo season. The Sailors

have a quarterfinal game at El Toro today at 11:30 a.m. If Newport

had won the coin toss, the game would have been at CdM because

Newport’s pool was filled last weekend and the chemicals need to

settle before it can be totally ready.