Chang and Varvais Pair Up, Head in Winning Direction

One’s father is a film director, the Steven Spielberg of Taiwan. The other’s father was a skating champion, who made the 1976 United States Olympic team as an alternate.

With such eclectic genes, how could they lose?

David Chang and Nick Varvais haven’t this season for the UC Irvine men’s tennis team. Their streak in doubles has reached 10 without a loss.

“I think it’s chemistry,” Chang said. “We understand each other’s game and our personalities have just clicked.”

Said Varvais: “We respect each other and get along really, really well. Sometimes there is tension between players, but not us.”

Neither played doubles much earlier this season. Chang had played one match with Robbie Wilkins and another with Jeff Riba. Varvais had played one match with Brett Lucas.

But just before facing No. 1-ranked Stanford, the two were working out together in a doubles drill. Coach Steve Clark noticed and decided to give them a try. Chang and Varvais earned Irvine’s only victory that day against the Cardinal.

They had five victories as the No. 3 doubles team, then were moved up to No. 2 and have won five more times.

“Actually, my dad was the first one to suggest we be teamed,” Varvais said. “About a month before, out of the blue, he said I should play with David. Somehow he could tell we would be good together. I’m still wondering myself.”

Maybe it was Doug Varvais’ eye for duos. He had been a top pairs skater, teaming with Lisa Carey to win the national amateur championship in 1974. They were alternates on the Olympic team two years later.

Nick would go watch his dad play tennis with friends, then started to get involved.

“I would stand at the net and swing at the ball,” Varvais said. “When I got older, my dad asked me if I wanted lessons.”

He won the 18-and-under title at Ojai when he was 17 and reached the semifinals the next year.

While Varvais volunteered, Chang was drafted, by his teacher.

Chang’s father, Tsung-Che Chang, an award-winning director in Taiwan, played tennis, but for recreation. It was when David Chang was in elementary school that he was ordered, more or less, to take the sport more seriously.

“I had this teacher for an exercise class and she was into tennis,” Chang said. “To pass her class, you had to play.”

Chang started private lessons when he was 13 and continued playing when his family moved to Diamond Bar the next year.

Of course when Chang was a senior at Diamond Bar High School, Varvais, then a sophomore at Westlake, wasn’t his biggest fan. The two faced each other twice, with Chang winning both, once in the Southern Section team championships and once in the section’s individual tournament.

“I hated him back then,” Varvais said. “It wasn’t his fault, it was his high school. But I didn’t like him. He was tough on calls. I like that now, we’re on the same team.”

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Tsung-Che Chang has won several “best director” awards in Taiwan, David Chang said. His most famous film was “The Battle Over Jang Bridge” about the Chinese air force in World War II.

As a kid, David Chang was a source of cheap labor; he had small parts in a few of his father’s films.

“I got to say ‘Where are my parents?’ in this one film,” Chang said. “I was usually the crying 8-year-old kid. He couldn’t afford me now. I’d cost six figures.”

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Track Coach Vince O’Boyle reached into his bag of tricks for the Big West Challenge. Needing javelin throwers to help his men’s and women’s scores, he quickly trained a couple last week.

Jason Smith, a long jumper, placed third with a throw of 155 feet. Jamie Vaicaro, a distance runner, also competed in the event, although she wasn’t quite as successful.

Vaicaro, a softball player at Katella High School, volunteered.

“I thought it would be similar to throwing a softball,” Vaicaro said. “It wasn’t.”

Smith, on the other had, was drafted.

“He has a groin problem so he can’t jump and he’s a senior, so we had to find something for him to do,” O’Boyle said. “I saw him throw a football one day and he had good form.”

The Irvine women won the meet and the men finished second.

Sprinter Florence Sterni (100 and 200 meters) and hurdler Kristine Bostick (100 and 400) were double winners. Irvine won every running event except the 3,000.

In the men’s competition, Ray Lie won the 100 and Robert Frichtel won the 800.

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Marine Cano, women’s soccer coach, is back in training for what will likely be his last hurrah.

Cano, a former professional goalkeeper, will play in a week-long 35-and-older tournament in Puerta Vallarta, beginning at the end of April. He will have knee surgery soon after, which will likely end his playing days.

“It’s a couple old pros I played with, a few guys I knew in college and a couple guys from the old neighborhood,” said Cano, 43. “They needed a goalie and called me. Hey, someone has to do it.”

Yeah, but would it be Cano if the tournament was held in Tulsa?

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Robert Allaire, a senior on the water polo team last fall, was selected to the fall/winter District VIII All-Academic team.

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Coming Attractions

Here’s a look at key upcoming events for UC Irvine:

* Women’s tennis plays at UC Santa Barbara at 1:30 on Friday and at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Saturday at 10 a.m.

* Men’s and women’s track and field compete in UC San Diego Invitational Saturday. Running events begin at 9:30 a.m. and field events at 10 a.m. Sprinter Florence Sterni is close to dropping below 12 seconds in the 100 meters after running 12.05 at the Big West Challenge Cup last weekend.

* Men’s volleyball hosts Cal State Northridge Saturday at 7 p.m.

* Golf plays in the U.S. Intercollegiate Saturday through Monday at the Stanford University Golf Course. Andrew Wen is the Anteaters’ top player, with a 72.83 average.