I think I speak for all the CA AVP residents when I say “Thank you Jason Hodell and AVP management” for scheduling Manhattan, Hermosa, and San Fran within weeks of each other. Not having to travel back and forth from the East Coast or Midwest was a blessing!
But now it’s back to the traveling road show that is the AVP: Muskegon, Chicago, and Cincinnati the next three weeks. It’s going to be a busy last month of the season. So let me tell you where we’ve been and where we are going to prepare you for the culmination of the 2009 AVP season:
Hot: After failing to make the final in Manhattan, the granddaddy of US beach volleyball, Dalhausser/Rogers kicked it into another gear for Hermosa and San Fran. To say they dominated would be an understatement: Dalhausser had 11 aces and 23 blocks in only 5 matches in San Fran while racking up 34 blocks in Hermosa; Rogie hit 0.440% and had 48 digs in San Fran and another 62 digs in Hermosa. In fact, yours truly suffered his most humiliating defeat of my AVP “career” in Hermosa with a 21-7 meeching at the hands of the Beijing Gold Medalists! Speaking of Beijing, the lull is over for the Beijing beast…he could have picked up 9 other players on tour and won the past two finals the way he played! Don’t believe me? Consider these players (last names for time’s sake) playing along side Phil’s serve and block with the numbers previously mentioned: Mayer, Rosenthal, Lucena, Olson, Jennings, Brazao, Hyden, Medel, and Loomis. All of these players except for Medel and Brazao have won a tournament so they know how to finish. And Medel has been in two finals while Pedro is as consistent a player on tour having not appeared in a final yet. I’m not saying Rogers isn’t fantastic, because he is; all I’m saying is that Phil has been ridiculous the past two weeks, period!
Hot: Jen Kessey and April Ross. If you hadn’t noticed this season, this team has arrived! While Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh are still the #1 team on the AVP, Kessey and Ross have something that team doesn’t: a 2009 world championship. Throw in an impressive win in San Fran and another final appearance in Hermosa, and it’s safe to say this team has found its groove.
***Side note, volleyball is a HUGE momentum game. And momentum rarely comes from an athletic shift, but rather from a mental shift. It’s a feeling that occurs when your confidence is high, your energy is positive, and every play seems to happen in the moment. One thing I’ve noticed is how calm Ross/Kessey have been. They aren’t jumping higher, serving harder, or moving quicker on the court. Instead, they just have the big “MO” right now and that equals success. Take a look for yourself next time you catch their match on TV…and make sure you see their “high-5” routine which is the best on the beach!
Hot: Welcome back Kerri Walsh and Rachael Wacholder. The “Golden Girl” is back with her good friend Rachael and, despite both players having babies just a couple months ago, they are back competing. After taking a disappointing 5th in Hermosa, the two gutted out a 3rd place finish in San Fran. It is good to see them back playing. And look for them to make a run in Muskegon with Kessey/Boss at the FIVB overseas.
No Sauce: I know I am going to take a lot of flak for this next comment but I think it has to be addressed: when is the depth of the women’s tour going to catch up to the men’s side? I spent some time watching my good friend Saralyn Smith playing in San Fran. She was having a great tournament both siding out and at the net. In the mist of this admiration, it made me think: I need to watch more of the middle seeds of the women’s tournament. So I did. In fact, I was enthralled by a stadium court match in which Stonebarger/Lowe took Rachael and Kerri to a thrilling third game. With that match freshly in my mind, I set out to watch some women’s beach volleyball. What I saw was overwhelming disappointing and somewhat shocking. Top to bottom, the women’s draw lacked the athleticism, power, and explosiveness you see in the men’s game. No duh John, it's the classic man vs. women debate. Of course men are bigger and stronger, that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is the lack of consistency throughout the women’s game. I don’t know if it is a transition thing from the indoor game to the beach or what, but here are some observations: no double arm lift on approach jumps, very few jump serves and even less effective jump serves, no penetration on the block, too many plays below the net, failure to terminate rallys that have too many “pokies” back and forth over the net, etc. Volleyball is probably the most popular NCAA sport for women and turns out some great athletes. Just look at the top women’s teams: Nicole Branagh, Elain Youngs, Kerri Walsh, Misty May, Boos/Ross, Tyra Turner and Angie Akers (I’ve seen both these athletes in the gym and it’s sick how quick they are and how high they can jump). There a number of other great athletes on the women’s side, but once you get past the 5th, maybe the 7th place finishers, it is tough to find good, consistent beach teams? There are a number of young teams waiting in the wings, but if the depth doesn’t get better quickly, you’ll see less and less fans checking out those early women’s matches.
And for my final seasoning of this post…
Medium: The state of the AVP. It is always important to evaluate “success” on its own merit. That is always easier said than done because humans have expectations. Case in point: Tiger Woods can win 5 golf tournaments in 2009, or 38.5% of the tournaments he enters (which is unheard of in golf) and NOT have a successful season. Why? Because he didn’t win a major you silly goose..lol!
I know, it is absurd to say Tiger hasn’t had a successful 2009 campaign, but that is how people think. His success is measured not against its own merit but against the expectations people have of Tiger. That leads me back to the state of the AVP…
Things are dicey right now. Real dicey. On their own merit, Manhattan and Hermosa were a huge success. Great weather, big crowds, happy sponsors, compelling finals. All signs of a healthy tour. But expectations for 2009 were very different. The Olympics were, once again, going to propel the AVP back into a main stream. Leonard Armato was lining up new sponsor deals a in case Crocs, the AVP’s title sponsor, continued on its 2008 downward spiral. Jason Hodell, AVP CFO at the beginning of the year, was going to cut costs and manage the business like a business. And the crown jewels of beach volleyball, Hermosa and Manhattan, would put a stamp of approval on a "complete" season of renewal. My how those pesky expectations get in the way of success.
Panama City was a disaster. San Diego might have been an AVP low point the past 8 years. And San Francisco was a disappointment, particularly when you look at Hermosa and Manhattan’s momentum. Every tournament was going to be a bigger success than the last and it hasn't worked out that way. Throw in the rumor that Crocs is officially done at the end of the season and you have big problems for the AVP.
Hopefully Chicago and the end of season events can build momentum, drum up sponsor interest, and save the season in total. Considering how low expectations are at this point, how can they not?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Coney Island Recap: Mild, Medium, Hot...or simply No Sauce!
Wow, what a weekend! For some reason, my latest post got dated incorrectly. It must have had something to do with the power on my laptop going out while I was writing it. In any event, if you've been wondering at all what I have been up to check out my May 26th post that mistakenly went up before my June 1 post. Long story short: working, working out, and hanging with my newly pregnant wife! Yeah, you heard me: 17 weeks strong...twins on the way :-). Life has been good since my 9th place finish in Atlanta. So with a strong wind at my back, it was off to the Big Apple this past weekend for the 2009 Brooklyn AVP in Coney Island. If you missed it, here is what happened:
HOT: Congratulations Ty Loomis and Casey Patterson! Two of the "young guns" on tour, this 7-seed marched through two of the top teams in the tournament en route to their first ever title. I couldn't be happier for Casey, as I feel partly responsible for his meteoric rise on tour. Last year before the season started he was a middle-ranked qualifier player looking for an opportunity. After playing with him in the first tournament of the year in 2008, resulting in his first ever main draw win(s) and our 9th place finish, I knew he was going to be a good player for many years on the AVP. His length (he has a 6'11" wing span to go along with his 6'6" frame) is remarkable and allows him to hit angles on the court usually reserved for taller or "jumpier" players.
Couple this win with the birth of his first child Cash Patterson, and I think it is safe to say Casey had a week to remember!
HOT: Carie Dood and Diane DeNecochea. These queens of beach volleyball became the oldest pair to ever win an AVP event...men's or women's. What's great about this isn't just that a 41 year old mom and a 35 year old tour great were able to win; instead what I was most happy about was the way their hard work, dedication, and consistency finally paid off. They have been one of the four best women's teams on tour this year. This victory was well deserved.
No Sauce: The AVP over Fourth of July in Coney Island. I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. The stands were maybe 65% full when I walked through stadium court on Saturday before the women's final. When I got outside the gates of the AVP event I ran smack-dabbed into 500,000 Coney Island visitors. So why weren't there more people at the event? Because the 4th was Saturday and families get together to BBQ, hang by the beach, have hot dogs and hamburgers, watch fireworks, and spend quality time with each other, i.e. the AVP just isn't an American tradition on the Fourth! And the 500,000 people at the beach simply refused to pay admission into the event when the previously mentioned activities are FREE. Listen, I have said it a number of times that the NY event is one of my 4 favorite events on tour because I LOVE New York! The problem is the clientele visiting Coney is not the demographic the AVP and its sponsors are going after, and certainly not on the Fourth of July. The reason the tournament worked in Boulder last year was because you had a captive audience. This event needs to make its way to Manhattan, somehow someway. Period. And oh, by the way, pick another weekend to host the AVP in the nations #1 media market.
HOT: Scott and Hyden. Some people might think not winning this event was a major disappointment for these guys. I disagree. Three weekends in a row, three straight finals, and two wins over Phil and Todd. The fact of the matter is they are clearly playing the best ball on tour right now and they have moved ahead of Rosenthal and Gibb as the second best team on the AVP. The fact that they lost a very tight final to a team absolutely en fuego is besides the point. This was Casey and Ty's weekend. 26-24, 21-19...the match could have gone either way, but Ty had 10 digs to Hyden's 5, Casey got 3 blocks to Sean's 1, and as a team they hit over 0.540%...that's good! Listen, both Hyden and Scott hit over 0.500% themselves! High quality volleyball from Hyden and Scott and a solid, solid 3 weeks.
No Sauce: Hanson-Rutledge. This marks the first time in the history of the AVP women's tour that the #1 seed failed to advance to the final four. I had a chance to speak with Brooke after a tough first loss to Fendrick and Ivey, in which they dropped the third game 16-14. She mentioned there was a lot of weird plays and from the scores, I would have to agree: 10-21, 21-9, 16-14. There were only 18 registered attacks in the match for Rutledge and Hanson; that HAS to be some sort of a record low? The match featured 91 total points??? In any event, this team will look to rebound in Manhattan Beach in two weeks.
Medium: Curtis Jackson-Dave McKenzie. Look out for this team. The best duo to come out of the qualifier stormed to a 13th place finish in only their second tournament together. McKenzie is a former Long Beach State and National team standout who plays professionally overseas. Jackson is another Long Beach State/pro indoor player and a good all around beach player. They had Zimet and Morrison on the ropes in a close second game that had they won would have made for an interesting 3rd set. Look for another good finish in two weeks from this team.
No Sauce: Jonathan Acosta- Jeff Caralucci. This was an interesting pairing from the get-go. Both players are physical beasts with great athletic tools; however, they didn't click, ran into a tough draw with the hottest team out of the qualifier Jackson-McKenzie, and finished a disappointing 17th. I don't see this team sticking together for Manhattan, with Caralucci looking for a more agile defender and Acosta teaming up with someone he can share time with at the net.
Mild: Coutney Guerra-Angela McHenry (20 seed); Jenelle Koester-Diane Pascua (16th seed). these two women's teams really took advantage this past past weekend. They both finished 9th for their best finishes of the season. For Koester, the 2008 Motherlode champion, it was a flash of her untapped potential. Sometimes known more for her good looks and social appetite, Koester has long underperformed on tour. But she is a good talent and put together a solid tournament with 8 blocks, 33 digs, and two aces. Her partner Diane racked up 5 aces and 54 digs, while providing a much needed scrappy-spark for this team to win.
As far as Guerra-McHenry, they tallied 18 aces as a team and McHenry was 10th in digs with 56. I often get asked if Courtney and I are somehow related or dating because her last name is tattooed on my back. Again, "GUERRA" is my mother's maiden name and the tattoo is in memory of her death in 1999. Please, if you read this, don't ask me that question! I look for both of these teams to do well in Manhattan and build on their success.
Medium: Mike Morrison-Eyal Zimet. This team is heating up. Their third place finish is no joke. Morrison is getting better every tournament at the net and Zimet is starting to dig some balls: 81 this tourney to be exact, good for second best! These guys can score points, as evident in Morrison's #2 ranking in blocks and Zimet's #2 ranking in digs and aces. The reason they haven't done better is their sideout % is typically in the middle to bottom-half of the main draw. And Coney island was no different; however, they really generated an insane amount of defensive points en route to their best finish as a team and individually.
As for me and my new partner Mike Placek (he is the 4th guy I've played with this year as my latest partner Evie Matthews unfortunately had to have knee surgery), we had a solid tournament. We finished 9th and I was happy with my overall performance. While we still have some kinks to work out, I look forward to playing with him in Manhattan Beach in two weeks.
So that will do it for another edition of Mild, Medium, Hot or No Sauce. Until next time, we'll see you on the beach!
HOT: Congratulations Ty Loomis and Casey Patterson! Two of the "young guns" on tour, this 7-seed marched through two of the top teams in the tournament en route to their first ever title. I couldn't be happier for Casey, as I feel partly responsible for his meteoric rise on tour. Last year before the season started he was a middle-ranked qualifier player looking for an opportunity. After playing with him in the first tournament of the year in 2008, resulting in his first ever main draw win(s) and our 9th place finish, I knew he was going to be a good player for many years on the AVP. His length (he has a 6'11" wing span to go along with his 6'6" frame) is remarkable and allows him to hit angles on the court usually reserved for taller or "jumpier" players.
Couple this win with the birth of his first child Cash Patterson, and I think it is safe to say Casey had a week to remember!
HOT: Carie Dood and Diane DeNecochea. These queens of beach volleyball became the oldest pair to ever win an AVP event...men's or women's. What's great about this isn't just that a 41 year old mom and a 35 year old tour great were able to win; instead what I was most happy about was the way their hard work, dedication, and consistency finally paid off. They have been one of the four best women's teams on tour this year. This victory was well deserved.
No Sauce: The AVP over Fourth of July in Coney Island. I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. The stands were maybe 65% full when I walked through stadium court on Saturday before the women's final. When I got outside the gates of the AVP event I ran smack-dabbed into 500,000 Coney Island visitors. So why weren't there more people at the event? Because the 4th was Saturday and families get together to BBQ, hang by the beach, have hot dogs and hamburgers, watch fireworks, and spend quality time with each other, i.e. the AVP just isn't an American tradition on the Fourth! And the 500,000 people at the beach simply refused to pay admission into the event when the previously mentioned activities are FREE. Listen, I have said it a number of times that the NY event is one of my 4 favorite events on tour because I LOVE New York! The problem is the clientele visiting Coney is not the demographic the AVP and its sponsors are going after, and certainly not on the Fourth of July. The reason the tournament worked in Boulder last year was because you had a captive audience. This event needs to make its way to Manhattan, somehow someway. Period. And oh, by the way, pick another weekend to host the AVP in the nations #1 media market.
HOT: Scott and Hyden. Some people might think not winning this event was a major disappointment for these guys. I disagree. Three weekends in a row, three straight finals, and two wins over Phil and Todd. The fact of the matter is they are clearly playing the best ball on tour right now and they have moved ahead of Rosenthal and Gibb as the second best team on the AVP. The fact that they lost a very tight final to a team absolutely en fuego is besides the point. This was Casey and Ty's weekend. 26-24, 21-19...the match could have gone either way, but Ty had 10 digs to Hyden's 5, Casey got 3 blocks to Sean's 1, and as a team they hit over 0.540%...that's good! Listen, both Hyden and Scott hit over 0.500% themselves! High quality volleyball from Hyden and Scott and a solid, solid 3 weeks.
No Sauce: Hanson-Rutledge. This marks the first time in the history of the AVP women's tour that the #1 seed failed to advance to the final four. I had a chance to speak with Brooke after a tough first loss to Fendrick and Ivey, in which they dropped the third game 16-14. She mentioned there was a lot of weird plays and from the scores, I would have to agree: 10-21, 21-9, 16-14. There were only 18 registered attacks in the match for Rutledge and Hanson; that HAS to be some sort of a record low? The match featured 91 total points??? In any event, this team will look to rebound in Manhattan Beach in two weeks.
Medium: Curtis Jackson-Dave McKenzie. Look out for this team. The best duo to come out of the qualifier stormed to a 13th place finish in only their second tournament together. McKenzie is a former Long Beach State and National team standout who plays professionally overseas. Jackson is another Long Beach State/pro indoor player and a good all around beach player. They had Zimet and Morrison on the ropes in a close second game that had they won would have made for an interesting 3rd set. Look for another good finish in two weeks from this team.
No Sauce: Jonathan Acosta- Jeff Caralucci. This was an interesting pairing from the get-go. Both players are physical beasts with great athletic tools; however, they didn't click, ran into a tough draw with the hottest team out of the qualifier Jackson-McKenzie, and finished a disappointing 17th. I don't see this team sticking together for Manhattan, with Caralucci looking for a more agile defender and Acosta teaming up with someone he can share time with at the net.
Mild: Coutney Guerra-Angela McHenry (20 seed); Jenelle Koester-Diane Pascua (16th seed). these two women's teams really took advantage this past past weekend. They both finished 9th for their best finishes of the season. For Koester, the 2008 Motherlode champion, it was a flash of her untapped potential. Sometimes known more for her good looks and social appetite, Koester has long underperformed on tour. But she is a good talent and put together a solid tournament with 8 blocks, 33 digs, and two aces. Her partner Diane racked up 5 aces and 54 digs, while providing a much needed scrappy-spark for this team to win.
As far as Guerra-McHenry, they tallied 18 aces as a team and McHenry was 10th in digs with 56. I often get asked if Courtney and I are somehow related or dating because her last name is tattooed on my back. Again, "GUERRA" is my mother's maiden name and the tattoo is in memory of her death in 1999. Please, if you read this, don't ask me that question! I look for both of these teams to do well in Manhattan and build on their success.
Medium: Mike Morrison-Eyal Zimet. This team is heating up. Their third place finish is no joke. Morrison is getting better every tournament at the net and Zimet is starting to dig some balls: 81 this tourney to be exact, good for second best! These guys can score points, as evident in Morrison's #2 ranking in blocks and Zimet's #2 ranking in digs and aces. The reason they haven't done better is their sideout % is typically in the middle to bottom-half of the main draw. And Coney island was no different; however, they really generated an insane amount of defensive points en route to their best finish as a team and individually.
As for me and my new partner Mike Placek (he is the 4th guy I've played with this year as my latest partner Evie Matthews unfortunately had to have knee surgery), we had a solid tournament. We finished 9th and I was happy with my overall performance. While we still have some kinks to work out, I look forward to playing with him in Manhattan Beach in two weeks.
So that will do it for another edition of Mild, Medium, Hot or No Sauce. Until next time, we'll see you on the beach!
Monday, June 1, 2009
5 Things I learned in May playing on the AVP Tour!
After a grueling May that featured four tournaments, including a three week stretch that saw us play in Houston, Huntington, then Atlanta, I finally have time to reflect. In doing so, here are the five things I learned in the month of May playing on the AVP Tour:
1. The men's side is as deep as it has ever been. We had three different teams win tournaments in May: Mayer/Nygaard, Dalhausser/Rogers, Hyden/Scott. Two of the top 8 seeds finished outside the top ten in ATL. We saw Loomis/Patterson and Allen/Halverson both finish in the top 7 in Huntington. Medel/Stolfus, an 8 seed in Houston, took a third and beat the previous Riverside tournament winner Mayer/Nygaard . You have 6'8" guys like Duncan Budinger (brother of soon-to-be NBA forward Chase Budinger) coming out of the qualifer and taking 13th's! It's crazy deep and the athleticism and training going into the sport is inspiring. While the tour does not feature the same number of dynamic indoor players making the conversion like we saw in the 90's, the level of "beach volleyball" has risen drastically just in the last four years. Should make for a great summer!
2. Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh are ridiculous. Let me give you a little insight into just how dominating this team has been in the absence of May/Walsh: 5 wins out of 6 tournaments; both in the top 6 in aces per game and hitting %, and have a 35-1 match record while only dropping 6 GAMES the whole month. Come on, that's just not fair.
3. Sex sells. Every year there seems to be a buzz about some hot young player making his/her way on tour. What I have come to realize is that the "buzz" is rarely about the men and this year is no different. Say hello to Jessica Gysin and Crystal Morrison. Does anybody remember the splash Michelle More and Suzanne Stonebarger made, both very attractive young ladies who became the marketing mavens known only as "Team Gorgeous"? Well guess what, the next generation of franchise faces will once again emerge from the women's tour so long as they have a decent level of success. Oh the fickle world we live in...who am I kidding, whatever it takes to get more butts in the stands I'm all for it!
4. I love winning, it's better than losing. After getting dumped by my former partner Adam Jewell after consecutive 13th place finishes, we squared off in Atlanta. I teamed up with Evie Matthews, a squirrely Canuck from Calgary, while Adam had volleyball icon Albert Hanneman, former Hermosa Open winner, by his side. To say it got a little testy is putting it mild. After taking a number of fist pumps, flex downs, "oooosshh" and jeers from our opponents and their legion of fans, I had enough. I proceeded to stare down Adam and Albert after every crushing hit and even gave them a taste of their own medicine with an emphatic "ooooosshh" after a particularly hard hit off Adam's block out of bounds. That was the tipping point I guess. I was then called a di*% and a few other names before putting the final dagger in their hearts: after shanking the serve and making my partner work extra hard to give me a set, I calmly slapped the ball middle and ended the match. Apparently there is no love lost between Adam and I which I find amusing. I liked playing with Adam a lot. Fact is, it should be alright to have emotion from BOTH teams, not just the one with the larger fan base! After watching Albert give me us the flex down and fist pumps I thought "hey, guess it's like that." The final nail though was Adam kicking sand at me during a side change while I wasn't looking. To me, that says "prison rules" and if you dish it out you better be willing to take it, win or lose. I'm just glad we won. Which brings me to my final thought...
5. It is really tough to keep it all going at a high level! Running my business, managing my clients and employees, playing and training for the AVP, keeping my beautifully pregnant wife happy with twins on the way in December, and writing this blog is a little taxing...particularly when trying to accomplish these activities at a high level. I know I won't ever make it to an AVP final four with all these things on my plate, but I do know that having a purpose and sucking every last drop out of life is my passion. And my hope for all humanity is that we live life with purpose, passion, and an insatiable pursuit of what makes us and the those around us happy.
I read a story recently about Tom Avery, one of only 41 people to have ever traveled on foot to both the North and South poles. The 33-year old Englishman has an absolute passion for treacherous, snowy expeditions:
Avery and his four man team were on a 413-nautical-mile journey across one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth-the frozen Artic Ocean. Perilously thin ice, blizzards, temperatures of -40F, hunger and exhaustion were among the challenges faced by the men and their teams of dogs pulling 650 lb sleds loaded with provisions. Throughout the final leg of the journey, the team has to negotiate areas of open water called leads, caused by temperature rises that break up the ice. To make things even more complicated, the ice pack was drifting seven miles a day away from the pole.
But Avery, a former accountant, was up to those challenges: "My expeditions are about finding something people think is impossible and then going and doing it. It's about pushing the boundaries and doing something nobody has done before."
So come on, whatever you want, "it's possible". People have been telling me for years I can't have a "real job", a family, AND play volleyball at the highest level. To that I say,"If some desk jockey can make it to both poles on foot, then finding the time to run around in the sand with my shirt off a few days a month is a piece of cake!" I say we all get off our butts and do something we love and a whole lot of it! See you on the beach!
So what did you learn in the month of May?
1. The men's side is as deep as it has ever been. We had three different teams win tournaments in May: Mayer/Nygaard, Dalhausser/Rogers, Hyden/Scott. Two of the top 8 seeds finished outside the top ten in ATL. We saw Loomis/Patterson and Allen/Halverson both finish in the top 7 in Huntington. Medel/Stolfus, an 8 seed in Houston, took a third and beat the previous Riverside tournament winner Mayer/Nygaard . You have 6'8" guys like Duncan Budinger (brother of soon-to-be NBA forward Chase Budinger) coming out of the qualifer and taking 13th's! It's crazy deep and the athleticism and training going into the sport is inspiring. While the tour does not feature the same number of dynamic indoor players making the conversion like we saw in the 90's, the level of "beach volleyball" has risen drastically just in the last four years. Should make for a great summer!
2. Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh are ridiculous. Let me give you a little insight into just how dominating this team has been in the absence of May/Walsh: 5 wins out of 6 tournaments; both in the top 6 in aces per game and hitting %, and have a 35-1 match record while only dropping 6 GAMES the whole month. Come on, that's just not fair.
3. Sex sells. Every year there seems to be a buzz about some hot young player making his/her way on tour. What I have come to realize is that the "buzz" is rarely about the men and this year is no different. Say hello to Jessica Gysin and Crystal Morrison. Does anybody remember the splash Michelle More and Suzanne Stonebarger made, both very attractive young ladies who became the marketing mavens known only as "Team Gorgeous"? Well guess what, the next generation of franchise faces will once again emerge from the women's tour so long as they have a decent level of success. Oh the fickle world we live in...who am I kidding, whatever it takes to get more butts in the stands I'm all for it!
4. I love winning, it's better than losing. After getting dumped by my former partner Adam Jewell after consecutive 13th place finishes, we squared off in Atlanta. I teamed up with Evie Matthews, a squirrely Canuck from Calgary, while Adam had volleyball icon Albert Hanneman, former Hermosa Open winner, by his side. To say it got a little testy is putting it mild. After taking a number of fist pumps, flex downs, "oooosshh" and jeers from our opponents and their legion of fans, I had enough. I proceeded to stare down Adam and Albert after every crushing hit and even gave them a taste of their own medicine with an emphatic "ooooosshh" after a particularly hard hit off Adam's block out of bounds. That was the tipping point I guess. I was then called a di*% and a few other names before putting the final dagger in their hearts: after shanking the serve and making my partner work extra hard to give me a set, I calmly slapped the ball middle and ended the match. Apparently there is no love lost between Adam and I which I find amusing. I liked playing with Adam a lot. Fact is, it should be alright to have emotion from BOTH teams, not just the one with the larger fan base! After watching Albert give me us the flex down and fist pumps I thought "hey, guess it's like that." The final nail though was Adam kicking sand at me during a side change while I wasn't looking. To me, that says "prison rules" and if you dish it out you better be willing to take it, win or lose. I'm just glad we won. Which brings me to my final thought...
5. It is really tough to keep it all going at a high level! Running my business, managing my clients and employees, playing and training for the AVP, keeping my beautifully pregnant wife happy with twins on the way in December, and writing this blog is a little taxing...particularly when trying to accomplish these activities at a high level. I know I won't ever make it to an AVP final four with all these things on my plate, but I do know that having a purpose and sucking every last drop out of life is my passion. And my hope for all humanity is that we live life with purpose, passion, and an insatiable pursuit of what makes us and the those around us happy.
I read a story recently about Tom Avery, one of only 41 people to have ever traveled on foot to both the North and South poles. The 33-year old Englishman has an absolute passion for treacherous, snowy expeditions:
Avery and his four man team were on a 413-nautical-mile journey across one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth-the frozen Artic Ocean. Perilously thin ice, blizzards, temperatures of -40F, hunger and exhaustion were among the challenges faced by the men and their teams of dogs pulling 650 lb sleds loaded with provisions. Throughout the final leg of the journey, the team has to negotiate areas of open water called leads, caused by temperature rises that break up the ice. To make things even more complicated, the ice pack was drifting seven miles a day away from the pole.
But Avery, a former accountant, was up to those challenges: "My expeditions are about finding something people think is impossible and then going and doing it. It's about pushing the boundaries and doing something nobody has done before."
So come on, whatever you want, "it's possible". People have been telling me for years I can't have a "real job", a family, AND play volleyball at the highest level. To that I say,"If some desk jockey can make it to both poles on foot, then finding the time to run around in the sand with my shirt off a few days a month is a piece of cake!" I say we all get off our butts and do something we love and a whole lot of it! See you on the beach!
So what did you learn in the month of May?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Getting Ready for Brooklyn...AVP style!
So you want to know what I have been doing the past month while my blog sat bare? Well, I've been getting ready for the Brooklyn Open! How have I been getting ready you might ask...working out at Unlimited Fitness in Hermosa Beach, training with my new coach Scott Davenport, and winning the USA Volleyball's International Development Qualifier in Long Beach June 27-28th. More on that in a bit.
Since I have been working out a lot, people are asking me: "John, how do you workout for the AVP?" Well, take a look...
Since I have been working out a lot, people are asking me: "John, how do you workout for the AVP?" Well, take a look...
So that's just a sample of the exercises we do at the gym, and it seems to be paying off. This past weekend my friend Ivan Mercer and I won the IDQ tournament in Long Beach, CA. The tournament was put on by USA Volleyball and qualified us to play in a NORCECA event in the near future. We were excited because after getting blown out the first game against Duncan Budinger (brother of recently drafted, former fellow Wildcat, and new Houston Rocket Chase Budinger) and Dane Jenson, we pulled it together and won the next two games for the "W". For some reason, that beach has been good to me: Eyal Zimet and I won two of the AVP Developmental events year and then this one. I look forward to another Long Beach event :-)
So now it is on to Brooklyn for my first AVP event in over a month. Stay tuned for my predictions which are coming tomorrow. Until then, have a great day and make sure you use sunscreen!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
San Diego Recap: mild, medium, HOT...no sauce!
As I walked up to the tournament site on Friday, I couldn't help but wonder how exactly I would describe the event location for the 2009 "San Diego Open". Fact of the matter, when you watch the video, you'll ask yourself the same question I did: why is the tournament being held on an Indian reservation 50 miles east of the beautiful San Diego coast line? One reason: $$$! It is speculated that Harrah's Rincon Casino and Resort paid the AVP around $100,000 to host the event; therefore, I can't blame the AVP for taking the payout as the tour drives towards greater profitability. All things considered, the site was really cool. It is just too bad more fans weren't there to find out.
So the results are in and here's what's mild, medium, and HOT...and what simply has no sauce at all:
HOT - John Mayer/Jeff Nygaard. Not only did this team win their first title together, it was the teams they beat to do it. First, they knocked off the Olympic gold medalists Dalhausser/Rogers. Then, in a rather routine final, they beat the number 2 seed and #2 US Olympic team of Rosenthal/Gibb. It was the combination of Nygaard's timely blocks and Mayer's plethora of digs, 76 to be exact, that propelled them to their first title. Couldn't 't have happened for two nicer guys.
HOT - Nicole Branagh/Elaine Youngs. Three tournaments, three victories. Enough said. The best team on the women's side hands down.
No Sauce - Jenny Kropp/Holly McPeak & Russ Marchewka/Albert Hanneman. Kropp/McPeak continue to struggle as they finished 9th. As of press time, Holly McPeak announced her retirement. While I accept the AVP's announcement, I'm not convinced Holly is done. In fact, I saw her just a day ago doing her patented pier-to-pier run between Hermosa and Manhattan in the deep sand! I hope this is not the last we have seen of her. On the other hand, we have definitely seen the last of Hanneman/Marchewka. For a third consecutive tournament, they failed to win a match and both player's point totals have plummeted.
HOT - Brooke Hanson/Lisa Rutledge. I wrote about this team in my San Diego recap and spoke highly of them in my San Diego preview. Boy, did they show up BIG! They made it to their first final and had a great all around tournament. No other team is getting more digs and blocks than them right now, and if their side out game gets more consistent, we will be seeing them in a lot more finals. and what else would you expect from a fellow Arizona Wildcat in Rutledge!
Mild - Turner/Akers. I predicted the top four seeds would advance to the final four on the women's side and I would have been right if not for this disappointing finish. While Akers had a solid all-around tournament recording 39 digs, hitting (.485, 6th best), and recording 5 aces, Turner was off. Nobody had a better stat line in Riverside than Turner, but it wasn't there this tourney. It seems like when one player is on, the other is a bit off. Look for them to steady out in Houston.
Medium - Brad Keenan/Nick Lucena. In one of the most entertaining matches of the weekend, old partners squared off against one another when this team played against John Hyden/Sean Scott. There was plenty of talking and lots of fire, with the match ending after Nick Lucena punted a ball, walked under the net to shake hands, and forfeited the final 2 points! But with all that, Keenan/Lucena are getting better and teams know it. They finished 5th and their international experience will continue to build as they skip the Houston Open to play in the FIVB tourney in Rome.
No Sauce - Paying players to play so guys that would otherwise not be in the main draw get into the event. By all accounts, there were at least 4 teams (and two more rumored), where a player compensated another player with more points in order to get into the main draw. I am going to save my thoughts for another post, but what I will say is that this practice is keeping more talented players out of the tour and effecting the product at the events. While these teams are improving, it undermines the integrity of the sport.
Yours truly? Well, at the end of Friday I was the fourth highest side out player in the event. After the final ball hit the sand Sunday I was in the bottom 5! I played my worst match in over a year Saturday morning and cost Adam and I a chance to play for 7th. Instead, we took another 13th. Since it was so tragic I am not going to go any further. Instead, check out some video from a better match and stay tuned for my Houston preview!
Thank you to my sponsors for your continued support and we'll see you on the beach!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Cards on Capitol Hill
One of my goals in 2009 is to be more active with my philanthropic endeavors. Two seasons ago I donated all of my volleyball profits to Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation. It was a great experience and if you are looking for a top rated charity (http://www.charitynavigator.org/ is the largest charity evaluator online) Starlight is a great organization. For nearly 25 years, Starlight Children's Foundation has dedicated itself to helping seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities. So I am always looking to help out when I can.Well one of the benefits of being a pro volleyball player is that great opportunities present themselves from time-to-time. Even though my last name isn't Walsh or Rogers or Gibb, because of my unique position as a business owner and a top 45 player, stuff presents itself. So when a friend of mine invited me to Washington D.C. to rub shoulders with Senators, Congressmen, and other quasi celebrities to help raise money for cancer, I said "Love to!"
Now, I did not win the charity poker tournament, but I did upload some pics and video of my sightseeing...which was a lot more exciting than my horrible poker play! For the record, my three 10's got beat by a runner, runner (yeah, last two cards of the flop), runner, runner straight...really?! That's why it's called gambling!
San Diego: German for "The AVP is coming to Town"...
I have been AWOL since Riverside, but there is good reason. I have been working feverishly the past two weeks at the office, as April has been a very busy month. Between meeting with numerous existing clients, prospective clients, running two separate companies, interviewing for an open position, and a trip to D.C. for a fundraiser (I'll be putting up a post in the next couple days on that amazing experience), there hasn't been much time get out to the beach. Good news is this has been a great month in that we've have helped a number of companies simplify their transportation models while saving money. But wait a minute, you don't come here looking for news about the logistics world...
So here is my much anticipated predictions for the 2009 AVP Crocs San Diego Open presented by Johnsonville:
- Jen Kessey and April Ross will break through for their first victory of the season
- With the first round single elimination format, the top 4 seeds on the women's side will advance to the cross over; having to play one less match and beginning the tourney at 9th will play a huge factor
- Look for Zimet/Morrison, who have been playing some great ball thus far this year (not to mention Eyal was my partner last year en route to 4 major cash titles including the Seaside Open in OR), to upset the number 14 seed of Metzger/Dykstra. Speaking of Metzger/Dykstra, if you have never seen Stein Metzger play, you better hurry. Rumor has it he only has three tournaments left. He is one of the true personalities in our sport and his passion up close is a lot of fun to watch, so don't miss out!
- I am looking for another big tournament out of Hanson/Rutledge and Hochevar/Fopma on the women's side, with my sleeper team being Burdine/Fontana. I like the athleticism from these teams, and if you didn't read my Riverside post, Hochevar is rocking the best "do" on tour right now, a cross between Pink and Chris "Birdman" Anderson of the Denver Nuggets...Google him.
- Look for a great 8-9 match up on the Men's side with Mariano/Ratledge squaring off against Medel/Stolfus. These four players have Orange County roots and often train against each other. Whenever you get guys that know each other and have history like these do, words can be exchanged. I have heard a few "donkeys" (and for those of you keeping track at home, this is not an endearing term on tour) screamed through the net in previous Medel and Ratledge match ups...can't wait!
- I am looking for a big tourney from Nick Lucena/Brad Keenan. This team took a 9th recently at the world tour event (known as the FIVB) in Brazil. Traveling to Brazil together should improve the team chemistry, and the 3 wins, including one over a very good Brazilian team, will give them added chemistry entering San Diego. I suspect they will make it to their first cross-over bracket this weekend.
And lastly, Moran/Jewell. As you know, I don't like to predict my finish, rather, I like to focus on the process. Adam, my partner, thinks he has the swine flu; don't worry, he doesn't...he just likes to be dramatic! Needless to say, we got just one practice in together since Riverside. Oddly enough, this might be just what the doctor ordered. With Adam's illness and shoulder problems, rest is what he needs. And really, nobody is going to serve him anyways. If I can continue to side out at the level I have the first two tournaments of the year, we should put ourselves in a position to win our first round match against Williams/Rambis, the 12 seed. Mark Williams, a beach volleyball Olympian for Australia in 2000, is one of the best players on tour, period. He can take over a match with his block or serve, so we need to be cognizant of him at all times. Jesse Rambis, the son of Lakers coach Kurt Rambis, has steadily improved the past two seasons. It all comes down to energy. If Adam and I stay positive and on the same page, fight through his illness and lack of practice together, we've got a shot to get past the single elim round and make it the field of 16.
And that's it. Let's see if my predictions come to fruition. Speaking of energy, I need to recharge after a 48 hour whirlwind trip to D.C. So tee-minus 36 hours until San Diego...German for "whale's v******"...I hope Ron Burgundy makes an appearance. :) that was pretty bad, I need to go to bed now. See you on the beach!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Get inside the world of beach volleyball!!
