Posted on: Tuesday, April 22, 2003

Local athletes fell ill at Reno hotel

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer

About half a dozen people from Hawai'i who went to Reno, Nev., for a girls club volleyball tournament were among about 80 people who became ill over the weekend, one of the players said yesterday.

Alicia Arnott, a 17-year-old from Maunalani Heights who plays with the Maunalani Volleyball Club, said she and her father, Tom, became sick early Sunday morning and were treated at a local emergency room. She said she was vomiting and her dad had a 103-degree fever.

Arnott said she knew of another Hawai'i player who was taken to an emergency room and two or three other girls felt sick but didn't seek medical attention.

Officials yesterday were trying to determine the cause of the illness, Tracie Douglas, spokeswoman for the Washoe County District Health Department, told the Reno Gazette-Journal. Arnott said department officials took samples from those who became ill and said they would notify them if a cause is determined.

Arnott said she missed a day of play because of the illness. "Some teams had to forfeit their games," she said.

Many, but not all, of the people who became ill stayed at the Reno Hilton, officials said. Workers at the Hilton yesterday sanitized guest rooms and ice machines. Initially, Arnott said, they thought they had food poisoning but now don't know what to think. "I had body aches and the chills," Arnott said.

Arnott said three club teams from Hawai'i participated in the Reno Far Western Junior National qualifiers. A total of 2,160 players on 360 teams took part.