Published Saturday, May 5, 2007 1:00 AM PDT
Sports
UC Irvine's Chai adds more than numbers
VOLLEYBALL: He works as statistician for Anteaters and is beloved member of the team, which plays for national title today.
By Barry Faulkner
The UC Irvine men's volleyball traveling party boarded a flight Tuesday for Columbus, Ohio, where the Anteaters would begin their quest for their first national title in the four-team NCAA Championship.
On board were players, coaches, support staff, administrators, parents, fans, and one Robert Chai, whose contribution to the program, many agree, is too complex to categorize.
The seats next to Chai, whose official title is team statistician, were coveted assignments indeed. The 35-year-old special education teacher is known for his booming laugh, a smile that can lighten the most competitive snarl, and a gentle, jovial manner that is both soothing and fun to be around.
"I don't know if you can put a title on him," Anteaters senior setter Brian Thornton said of Chai. "He is kind of everything for our team. They give him the title of statistician, and he does that. But he does much more than that. He basically brings what everyone brings to the team, and that's whatever they have. He gives us whatever he has."
What Chai has is boundless energy, a passion for the sport, sincere affection for the players, and a virtually lifelong friendship with Coach John Speraw.
Chai and Speraw grew up together in Arcadia and played volleyball together at Arcadia High. They remained close when Chai attended Long Beach State and Speraw became an All-American middle blocker at UCLA.
After college, Chai, an Arcadia resident, began his teaching career in Pico Rivera, working with students who have autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome and other developmental disabilities. It's a job, he said, he still finds rewarding.
Speraw remained at UCLA as an assistant coach, where he was tutored by legendary Bruins Coach Al Scates. Scates has coached UCLA to 19 of the NCAA titles Speraw's Anteaters will pursue today.
UCI (28-5), the No. 2 seed, meets No. 4-seeded Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (23-7) in today's title match at 4 p.m. It could lead to the crowning point of Speraw's building of UCI during the past five seasons, and also a pinnacle of his friendship with Chai.
The Chai-Speraw friendship dates back to September, 1975, when they were 5 years old. Both remember their initial meeting in surprising detail.
"I was heading down Magellan [Road], the street I lived on, then took a left on Victoria [Drive]," Speraw said. "When I got to the corner of Victoria and Golden West [Avenue], where the bus was going to pick us up for the first day of kindergarten, there was Rob coming down his driveway with his mom. We walked to the bus stop together and we've been good friends ever since."
Good friends may not fully describe the bond the two men maintain.
"John is the first friend I made outside my family," said Chai, who while in high school convinced Speraw to ditch baseball for volleyball, the sport Chai had become fascinated by while watching the United States men's team win the gold medal in 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. "And he's the best friend I've ever had. I've told John a few times how proud I am to see where he is now as a coach. He was NCAA Coach of the Year last year and has his team in the Final Four for the second straight year. He also became an assistant Coach with USA Volleyball. If he were an executive with a Fortune 500 company, he'd be super rich."
When Speraw was hired at UCI before the 2003 season, Chai followed heartfelt congratulations with an offer to help.
"John was absolutely stoked to get the job at Irvine, and I was stoked for him," Chai said. "I told him 'Whatever I can do to help, I'm there.' "
Speraw, who in five seasons has coached UCI to more victories (97) than the program achieved in the 13 years before he arrived (92), said he was anxious to bring Chai on board.
"He has always been so supportive of me and he loves the game," Speraw said.
The first season, Chai, then just a volunteer, said he attended practices, sat on the bench with the team and "was a 100% supporter of Speraw at Irvine."
By the second season, Speraw delegated Chai to man the computer statistics machine he has operated ever since during UCI matches. Chai also has become the team's unofficial video coordinator, breaking down tape on future opponents for scouting purposes.
Chai, who is single, drives to Irvine between four and seven days a week after his duties from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Burke Middle School in Pico Rivera. He said he typically arrives back home around 11 p.m.
"People ask me why I do it," said Chai, who also coaches girls in the Fountain Valley-based Team Complete Athlete club volleyball program. "But volleyball is a big part of my life and I really enjoy the game. And with John being the head coach, I get to enjoy spending time with a good buddy of mine."
Speraw is among those who marvel at Chai's dedication.
"We don't pay him much, and he drives a lot, but he does it because he loves the game and he's a good friend," Speraw said. "He's gregarious, he has a great perspective, and he's a pleasure to have on the bench."
Chai has earned the respect and friendship of the players, to whom he dispenses near-equal amounts of playing tips, good-natured ribbing and unyielding support.
"The guy is so spunky, he's a good character to have around," said senior Matt Webber, who earned first-team All-American honors while helping UCI reach the NCAA semifinals and finish 27-5 last season.
"He likes to joke around and he's a funny guy," said sophomore Brent Asuka, the national newcomer of the year as a freshman libero last year. "He can rip guys and guys can rip him. He can be serious when he's helping us out with video, but mostly, he likes to laugh."
Laughter may be his most valued contribution, Speraw said.
"He's gregarious and he has got a great laugh," Speraw said. "You can hear Robby laughing all the way down the street and you know he's coming. And that's always a good thing."
Chai said he is not afraid to be the target of humor, as when assistant coaches Mark Presho and David Kniffin frequently instruct the public address announcer to introduce him before road matches as "Robby the Chai guy."
"We get a kick out of that," Webber said Chai's unique introduction. "When it happens, everyone on the bench is usually laughing."
Chai, though focused on pregame preparation, said he is happy to amuse.
"It usually catches me off guard, because the P.A. announcer is the last thing I'm thinking about when we're getting ready for a match," Chai said. "But if it puts a smile on our guys' faces and it helps get them fired up, I'm all for it."
As Chai says, whatever he can do to help.
