Aʻusia ʻe ha Tokotaha ʻIloa ʻi he Volipoló ha Tuʻunga Māʻolunga ʻi hono Fakatatali ʻa e Vaʻingá kae Tokoni ki he Niʻihi Kehé

ʻOku maʻu ʻe he faifekau ko ʻení ʻa e ngaahi meʻa lelei angamaheni kotoa pē—ʻokú ne tui ha sote hina mo ha hēkesi, maau ʻene folofolá, mo maʻu ha tui fakanatula ki he ʻOtuá. Ka ʻoku ʻi ai ha meʻa ʻoku hā makehe ai ʻa ʻEletā Kēvini Semipasi mei he kakaí.

Ko Semipasí ko ha tokotaha ia ʻoku senitimita ʻe 206 (fute ʻe 6, ʻinisi ʻe 9) pea ʻokú ne vaʻinga volipolo ʻi ʻAmelika! ʻOkú ne haʻu mei Kolona, Kalefōnia, naʻá ne fakatatali ʻene vaʻinga volipoló ke ne hoko ko ha faifekau taimi kakato.

Kuo ngāue ʻa ʻEletā Semipasi ʻi he ʻēlia Papatoetoé ʻi he Misiona New Zealand Auckland, ʻa ia naʻá ne toki kamata akoʻi ai ha hoa faifekau toki hū foʻou ko ʻEletā Palaisi Seikopesoni, ʻa ia ʻokú ne pehē “ʻOku ou sio hake ki ʻolunga kia ʻEletā Semipasi,” ʻa ia ko haʻane ʻuhinga ki heʻene hoko ko e hoa takí. Ka ʻi he lōloa ʻo Semipasí, ʻokú ne anga ʻaki ʻa e faʻa sio hake ha taha kiate iá.

Naʻá ne lōloa pē talu ʻene tupu. “ʻI he taimi naʻá ku taʻu 13 aí, naʻá ku ʻosi senitimita ʻe 182 (fute ʻe ono). Ka naʻe toki kamata ʻa ʻe vave ʻeku tupú ʻi hoku taʻu hono tolu ʻi he ako māʻolungá.” Naʻá ne aʻu ki hono māʻolunga tahá ʻi hono taʻu fakaʻosí, pea hangē ko e tamaiki lōloa tokolahi, naʻe pehē pē te ne vaʻinga pasiketipolo. Ka naʻe ʻikai pehē ia.

Naʻá ne pehē, “Naʻe ʻikai pē ke u fuʻu saiʻia ʻi he pasiketipoló.” “Naʻe faʻa fakakata ʻaki au ʻe he kau faiako vaʻingá mo e tamaiki kehé, ʻo nau talamai he ʻikai te u lava ʻo puna.”

Ka naʻe kole ʻe heʻene faʻeé ke ne ʻahiʻahiʻi ha timi volipolo fakalotofonua. ʻOku pehē ʻe Semipasi, “Naʻe teʻeki ʻaupito ke u fuʻu fiefia lahi ʻi ha faʻahinga sipoti kimuʻa. Naʻá ku manako moʻoni ai! Neongo naʻe ʻikai ke u fuʻu sai fēfē, ka naʻá ku foki ki ʻapi ʻo talaange kia Mami ko e volipoló ʻa e sipoti maʻakú!”

Naʻe tokoni ha faiako lelei ʻi he vaʻinga fakakalapú ke manako ʻi he vaʻingá, pea koeʻuhí ko ʻene fuʻu lōloá, naʻa nau fokotuʻu ia ke ne hoko ko e tokotaha poloka ʻi lotomālié. Naʻe faifai pea ʻaonga ʻa ʻene “fuʻu lōloá.” Hili ha faʻahitaʻu ʻo e kalapu volipoló, naʻá ne loto-vēkeveke ke kau ʻi he timi ʻa e ako māʻolungá ke ʻahiʻahiʻi ʻene taukei foʻoú. Ka naʻe hoko ha meʻa fakamamahi ʻi heʻene fuofua vaʻingá.

Naʻe manatuʻi ʻe Semipasi, “Naʻá ku puna ʻo mafao atu ke feinga ke taʻofi ha foʻi pulu, pea ʻi heʻeku tō hifó naʻá ku tuʻu ʻi he vaʻe ʻo e tamasiʻi ʻi he tafaʻaki ʻe taha ʻo e netí ʻo motu ai hoku tungaʻivaʻé. Naʻe pau ke u tui puti ʻi he feituʻu kotoa pē pea naʻe ʻikai ke u toe lava ʻo vaʻinga ʻi he toenga ʻo ʻeku fuofua faʻahitaʻu fakaakó.”

“Naʻe fakamamahi ʻeku fakalakalaka ʻi he sipoti foʻou ko eni kuó u saiʻia aí, pea mole ʻa e faʻahitaʻu kakato ko iá.”

Ka ʻi heʻeku ongoʻi taʻemalava ko iá, naʻe tupu ai ʻa e “tokotaha mālohi” ʻi he malaʻe ko iá. ʻI he taʻu ʻe tolu hono hokó, naʻe ilifiaʻi ai ʻa Semipasi ʻi he malaʻe vaʻingá, naʻá ne tohoakiʻi ʻa e tokanga ʻa e ngaahi timi volipolo fakakolisi ʻi ʻAmeliká kotoa. Naʻá ne fakasītuʻaʻi ha ngaahi sikolasipi naʻe foaki ange ʻe ha ngaahi ʻapiako tuʻukimuʻa—kau ai ʻa Stanford mo UCLA—koeʻuhi ko ha meʻa naʻá ne fuʻu fiemaʻu moʻoni: ke vaʻinga maʻá e timi tuʻukimuʻa fakafonua ʻo e ʻUnivēsiti Pilikihami ʻIongi ʻi Polovo, ʻIutaá (ʻIunaiteti Siteiti ʻo ʻAmeliká).

Naʻe aʻusia ʻe Semipasi ʻa e tumutumu ʻo ʻene vaʻingá ʻi heʻene kei talavoú ʻi he faʻahitaʻu māfana ʻo e 2022, ʻi he ikunaʻi ʻe he Kalapu Volipolo ʻo Orange Coast ʻa e feʻauhi volipolo fakafonua ʻa e Taʻu 18 ki laló. Naʻe fakahingoa ʻa Semipasi ko e fuofua timi ʻi ʻAmelika ʻe he Kautaha ʻo e Kau Faiako Volipolo ʻAmeliká. Kuo fakafehalaakiʻi ʻe he tamasiʻi naʻe “ʻikai lava ʻo puná,” ʻa e niʻihi naʻa nau ʻuluaki tukuhifoʻi iá.

ʻOku pehē ʻe Semipasi, “Hili ʻa e feʻauhi ko iá . . . naʻá ku nofo ʻi ha ngaahi uike ʻo fiefia ʻi he aʻusia kotoa ko iá—naʻá ku tui ʻeku mētali koulá . . . mo fiefia ʻi he fakalāngilangí.” “Ka naʻá ku ʻiloʻi kuo taimi ke hoko atu ʻeku moʻuí.”

Naʻe ʻuhinga ia ke tali hono uiuiʻi ke hoko ko ha faifekau maʻá e Siasi ʻo Sīsū Kalaisi ʻo e Kau Māʻoniʻoni ʻi he Ngaahi ʻAho Kimui Ní. ʻI heʻene hoko ʻo ʻiloá, mahalo ʻe pehē ʻe ha taha ʻe faingataʻa ke ne mavahe mei he volipoló, ka naʻe ʻosi fai ʻe Semipasi ʻa e fili ko iá ʻi hono taʻu 12. Naʻá ne fakaʻamu ke tokoni ki he ʻEikí ʻaki hano fakaafeʻi ʻa e niʻihi kehé ke nau haʻu kia Kalaisi. Ko e ʻalu ʻo ngāue fakafaifekaú ʻa e meʻa totonu ke faí.

“ʻIo, naʻe faingataʻa ke tuku ʻa e vaʻinga volipoló . . . ka naʻá ku lotua ʻa e fili ko ʻení, pea naʻá ku falala ko e palani ʻa e Tamai Hēvaní maʻakú, ke u ngāue fakafaifekau ʻi he hili ʻa e ako māʻolungá.”

ʻOkú ne pehē naʻe hoko ʻene fili ko ia ʻi he konga kimuʻa ʻo ʻene moʻuí, ke faingofua ange ʻene lava ʻo mapuleʻi ʻa e ngaahi meʻa kehe kotoa pē naʻe mei hoko ko ha fakatūkia ki heʻene ngāue fakafaifekaú. “ʻE fiemaʻu ke ke fakapapauʻi ʻokú ke lotua foki ʻa e fili ko iá, koeʻuhí ke ala maʻu ha ngaahi fakakaukau ki he meʻa ʻokú ke fie fakahoko ʻi hoʻo moʻuí, ka ʻe malava ke kehe ʻa hoʻo palaní mei he palani ʻa e Tamai Hēvaní maʻaú.”

Koeʻuhi ko ha faingataʻa fakaevisa ki Nuʻusila, naʻe kamata ʻa e ngāue fakafaifekau ʻa Semipasí ʻi he Misiona West Virginia Charleston. Naʻá ne sio tonu ai ki he faingataʻaʻia lahi fakaʻekonōmika ʻa e kakaí, ka naʻe mamata ʻa Semipasi ki heʻenau loto-fakatōkilalo ʻo fekumi ki ha fakahinohino fakalaumālie ki heʻenau moʻuí.

Ko e Ongoongolelei ʻo Sīsū Kalaisí ʻa e talí.

ʻOku kehekehe lahi ʻa e tūkunga ia ʻi Nuʻusilá, ka ʻoku fekumi foki ʻa e kakai ʻi hení ki ha tali ki he ngaahi fehuʻi ʻo e moʻuí. ʻOkú ne hoko atu ʻo pehē, “ʻOkú ma fakakaumeʻa ʻi he feituʻu kotoa pē ʻokú ma ʻalu ki ai, talanoa ki he kakaí mo vahevahe mo kinautolu ʻa e Palani ʻa e ʻOtuá ki he Fiefiá.” Naʻá ne pehē, “ʻOku faingataʻa ʻa e ngāué, ʻoku fakasītuʻaʻi kimaua…. ka ʻokú ma maʻu ha tui lahi te ma maʻu ha kakai ʻoku nau fekumi ki ha liliu fakalaumālie ʻi heʻenau moʻuí. ʻI he taimi ʻoku nau mateuteu ai ke fanongó, te ma ʻi ai ke tali ʻenau ngaahi fehuʻí mo tokoniʻi kinautolu ke nau ako ʻa e meʻa ke nau faí.”

ʻOku pehē ʻe ʻEletā Semipasi, “ʻI heʻeku fakakaukau atu ki heʻeku moʻuí, ʻoku ou lava ʻo mamata ki hono tali ʻe he ʻEikí ʻeku ngaahi lotú, mo tokoniʻi au ke u ʻilo ʻa e taimi lelei taha ke ngāue aí. ʻI heʻeku fai ʻa e ngaahi meʻa ʻi he founga ʻa e ʻEikí, naʻá ku lava ai ʻo maʻu ha kole ke vaʻinga ʻi ha kolisi ʻa ia te ne lava ʻo fakaʻatā ke u ngāue fakafaifekau pea hoko atu ʻeku taumuʻa volipoló ʻi he hili ʻeku ngāué.”