Michelle O’Neill Tournament draws thousands

On Saturday, Sept. 10, the 15th Annual Michelle O’Neill Volleyball Tournament, which was held on Grand Boulevard beach, drew more than 2,000 participants and spectators and featured 302 teams and 1,800 players. The annual fundraiser is considered one of the biggest events of the year, and features live music, raffles, food and more.

Long Beach resident Carol O’Neill and her family started the event in memory of her daughter, Michelle, who died of cancer in 1996. Proceeds from the tournament go to the Michelle O’Neill Foundation, which supports families with children who are undergoing cancer treatment.

Last year, the foundation raised more than $130,000 through the tournament, Carol O’Neill said, noting that the event gets bigger and bigger each year.

“It was overwhelming and well attended this year,” O’Neill said. “It’s the largest single event — volleyball tournament — on the East Coast. We’re still getting donations — we haven’t finished tallying yet, but we raised more than last year.”

Fifteen years ago, what began as a modest tournament with 11 volleyball nets has expanded to a competition that now boasts 49 nets, along with food and services donated by Outback Steakhouse.

“I would say it was the best event yet in terms of donations received and people in attendance and teams participating,” she said. “But each event, starting with the first one, has its own flavor. It keeps getting better.”

O’Neill added, “Many people say it’s their favorite day of the year,” she said, noting that people traveled in from areas such as California and Puerto Rico.

“People plan their vacations around the event. Even though it is so large, though, you never lose sight of what the true meaning behind this is.”

The tournament consists of three divisions: recreational, a four-man competitive division, and a six-man competitive division.

Competitive divisions advance to the finals and are awarded trophies. This year, the team that clinched the four-man division title was Metropolis, while the Rockaway Remembers earned six-man division honors.She also added that Quiksilver representatives and pro-surfers were on hand, which heightened the level of crowds who took to the beach. “People were hanging over the boardwalk and around the courts, it was beyond exciting,” O’Neill said. “The crowd was cheering, they were wrapped up in this event.”

All along the boardwalk last weekend, thousands of American flags were on display, and participants held about 200 flags during the pledge of allegiance and opening ceremony. During the opening ceremony, Legislator Denise Ford spoke of the importance of the event and foundation’s cause, and guest speaker and resident Larry Marquino thanked O’Neill and the foundation for helping his son, Danny, who is being treated for cancer.

In addition, O’Neill said, Deacon Tom Evrard, a Long Beach resident, opened the ceremony with a prayer, and John Barnes, the recently appointed principal of Island Park middle school, was announced as the master of ceremonies.

O’Neill said she was grateful for the 75 corporate sponsors she has, as well as the raffle benefactors, who are local merchants, and those family and friends who have continued to support the foundation. She said she expects the tournament to grow over the coming years, saying that the event embodies the spirit of her daughter, Michelle, who believed in helping others.

“She was extremely fun-loving. This event represents her personality,” O’Neill said. “She had a sunny, giving personality. If she lived, she wanted to spend her life helping others. Through the foundation, that’s what’s happening.”

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