Firefighters play Olympic team in close game

Angelique Flores and Torus Tammer

FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- A basketball game Monday between a group of local

firefighters and the Chinese Women’s Olympic team surprised spectators

with its close score.

The women beat the men of the Valley Grove team, made up of Fountain

Valley and Garden Grove firefighters, with a final score of 86-81 at the

Fountain Valley Recreation Center.

Fountain Valley Mayor Guy Carrozzo, City Manager Ray Kromer, Fire

Chief Bernie Heimos and Police Chief Elvin Miali attended the two-hour

game that drew about 100 spectators.

“They really aren’t afraid of getting in there and mixing up with the

guys,” Keith Von Hault, a retired Fountain Valley firefighter who watched

the game.

The women were in town as part of their 30-game tour in the United

States. They expected an easy win and welcomed the invitation from the

firefighters.

After playing only women’s teams during the tour, the Chinese players

said they wanted some competition and thought they might get a little

from the men.

And they did.

The firefighters put up a good fight, riding neck and neck with the

women throughout the game. The Valley Grove team isn’t new to

competition. They brought home their own gold medal last month at the

state Olympics for firefighters.

However, this was the firefighters’ first game against a women’s team.

The Chinese Women’s Olympic team members “were laughing when they

heard they were going to play a bunch of firemen,” Fountain Valley Fire

Capt. Joe Cucinotti said. “They’re in great condition. And they were

surprised about our good condition. They had to adjust to our strength.”

The men, not used to playing women, had been practicing with a women’s

size basketball. However, the women, who can play with both sizes, wanted

to play with the standard men’s size basketball during Monday’s game.

Size was no issue to the women, who stand an average of 6 feet tall --

with several as tall as 6-foot-4. The men of the Valley Grove team range

from 5-foot-4 to 6-foot-4.

“Games like this are good opportunities for us to play American-style

basketball,” said Lijie Miao, one of the Chinese players. “I like playing

against guys. We very much appreciate that these men are playing us

today.”It’s not unusual for the women to play against men because, in

China, there isn’t a women’s team good enough to provide sufficient

competition for them, player Wei Ping said.

The Chinese women were happy to show their skills to the firefighters

and to the spectators. The team took time to talk with youngsters in the

audience, who thought the Olympic athletes would slaughter the

firefighters.

“Every time the firefighters got a point, the Chinese girls’ team got

one back,” Fire Prevention Specialist Kathy Williams said.

Cucinotti, though not trying to downplay the women’s athletic prowess,

attributes his team’s loss to having team members half the size of the

women and playing with the men’s standard size basketball after

practicing with the smaller, lighter women’s ball.

“The boys did well for only having seven in the game. Also, the boys

are considerably older, “ said Louis Burkhart, a retired Fountain Valley

firefighter

The men, unsettled with their loss, challenged the women to a rematch

next year. The women accepted.

“We can beat that team,” Cucinotti said. “Next year, we will.”The

firefighters dedicated their game to Fullerton Fire Chief Steve

Magliocco, who died of cancer July 22. Services were held the day of the

game, but the men had already committed to play.

“But our hearts were with the Magliocco family,” Cucinotti said.