Sand savior Rapid growth of the women’s collegiate game energizes beach volleyball Inside:
Arizona’s Madison Witt digs in
BEACH • VOLLEYBALL • LIFE $4.99 | ISSUE #1 2014 USA
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Phil Dalhausser talks about the tough season ahead
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Learning to play in the wind
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New pro partnerships impact FIVB and AVP tours
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publisher’s letter BY JON HASTINGS
Alive and well
J
ohn Hyden was not quite born when I played in my first beach volleyball tournament back in 1971 — a rare youth event at the Manhattan Beach Pier held annually during Easter vacation. Back then it was a way to get the kids out of the house, not anything like today’s high-profile youth extravaganzas that will be on display this summer with a flurry of junior tours jockeying for position. These days parents squirm on the sidelines with every errant bump and agonizing serve into the net wondering if that play cost their kids points in the sophisticated ranking system. For me, I might get a “How did you get so sunburned?” question from my dad when I returned from the tournament. I thought about that event and the state of the game while watching USA Volleyball’s qualifier held on Santa Monica’s State Beach in late March to determine the respective men’s and women’s fourth-seeded teams in the FIVB Grand Slam in Shanghai in April. As I watched the 41-year-old Hyden look spry, confident and like the best player in the four-team men’s field that day I marvelled at his longevity and wondered if he was even alive when I first was introduced to the sport more than 40 years ago. He wasn’t, but the fact that I even had to do the math is a testament to Hyden’s hall of fame level career which is light on spectacular, but heavy on substance. For more than a few years Hyden has been on everybody’s short list as one of the world’s best sideout players. He has simply been a prolific hitter since his days at San Diego State when he once had 56 kills in a match. If he was a blackjack player Hyden would probably hit on “19.” That aggressive nature landed him a spot on the 2000 Olympic Team in Sydney, Australia. When he started his beach career in 2001 his ascent was not nearly as quick as his armswing. He won his first tournament with Mike Lambert in 2005 (they only played four events together when Hyden was pinch-hitting for Karch Kiraly). His other notable partnerships have been with Brad Keenan, Jeff Nygaard, Andy Witt and Sean Scott — good enough to help amass a total of 22 wins (19 of those with Scott). As his game got better and better it was hard not to wonder what Hyden might have done with a partner like Phil Dalhausser on the FIVB Tour. We saw a glimpse of what it would be like with a healthy Lambert. Timing never seemed right for Hyden. Dalhausser was locked in with Todd Rogers and plus he wanted to play domestically to stay closer to his family. Last year’s brief FIVB experiment with Nick Lucena proved that they are both defenders. In 2014, Hyden will have to scratch from the bottom with 24-year-old Tri Bourne to earn some money on the FIVB Tour. “If I want to make money I have to play internationally,” he said. Hyden and Bourne won that qualifier in March to earn the fourth American spot in the FIVB’s Shanghai Grand Slam in late April, but they have to travel 6,400 plus miles just for a chance to advance through another qualifier. That’s a lot to ask of a 41-year-old, even one who just may be better than Karch Kiraly was at the same age. That sounds like heresy, but just having to think about it tells us how good Hyden is still playing. DiG
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THE CHOSEN ONES Kerri Walsh Jennings. Jake Gibb. The AVCA. The AVP. When they step on the sand, they prefer to do it with Wilson. Our volleyballs are hand-crafted with a durable microfiber that’s a benchmark for outdoor players. Play with the chosen ones. Play with Wilson.
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KERRI WALSH JENNINGS 3X Gold Medalist
CONTENTS DiG 2014 #1 • digbeachvolleyball.com
6
10 THE INSIDE STUFF
16 BODY BLOG
20 WINDY WISDOM
New 2014 DiG Columnist Casey Patterson starts strong
Latest buzz about the caffeine boost
Learning to play in poor conditions can be critical
14 SAND IN MY SUIT
18 PHIL BEING PHIL
22 BEACH FASHION
Offseason helps bring in fresh perspective
Dalhausser opens up on year two of Rosie partnership
Hawaii’s Emily Hartong mantains “Aloha Spirit”
digbeachvolleyball.com | 2014 #1
24 COLLEGE RUSH
36 FITNESS
Top teams focus on push for sand national championship
Help eliminate boredom with the spider stretch
30 THE FIVB SHUFFLE
44 BEACH SMACK
Top American teams make changes for FIVB positioning
Derek Olson has followed Oregon Trail to beach goals
AIR TIME: Sean Rosenthal remains one of the world’s most exciting players. Photo: Rick Atwood Cover: Arizona’s Madison Witt Photo: Peter Brouillet
2014 #1 | digbeachvolleyball.com
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2014 Volleyball Events Date May 22-24
Event National Volleyball League • Dallas, Texas
May 29-June 1 AVP Open • St. Petersburg, Fla. June 12-13
National Volleyball League • Atlanta, Ga.
July 4-6
AVP Open • Milwaukee, Wis.
July 15-20
FIVB The Hague Grand Slam • The Hague, Netherlands
July 10-12
National Volleyball League • Cincinnati, Ohio
July 22-27
ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball • Long Beach, Calif.
July 29-Aug. 2 FIVB Klagenfurt Grand Slam • Klagenfurt, Austria Aug. 8-10
AVP Open • Salt Lake City, Utah
Aug. 15-17
AVP Manhattan Beach Open • Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Aug. 27-Sept. 1 42nd Annual Motherlode • Aspen, Colo.
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the
stuff
BY CASEY PATTERSON
TEN THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BEACH VOLLEYBALL
1. 2.
The FIVB has announced that two of their events will have $1 million in prize money and the other Grand Slam events will be $800,000. That’s the first time the FIVB has ever had that much prize money and even better is that one of the seven-figure Grand Slams will be in my backyard in Long Beach, Calif. (July 22-27). The other is the week before at The Hague in the Netherlands (July 15-20). As a beach volleyball player, this is great news. Hopefully it will become a trend in the sport and return the prize money to what it was on the AVP in the good old days.
In 2013, Casey Jennings won the Manhattan Beach Open and a silver medal in an FIVB Grand Slam and somehow was searching for a partner this offseason. Casey played with seven different partners in 2013 and still managed to bring home the granddaddy. I wonder how many guys have gone through that many partners in a season and were still able to win Manhattan. I am going to guess that he is the only one. Goes to show how much heart Casey “The White Dragon” Jennings has at 38 years old while also out-working all the young bucks. Inspirational would be an understatement. He is now playing with Jeremy Casebeer, who is a workhorse and also has the most amazing mustache on the planet. I predict great things from this team.
3.
FIVB Grand Slam Bombing jump serves, Photo: FIVB split blocking, and bringing tons of fire, the new team of Brittany Hochevar and Lane Carico are fun to watch. Along with being a very exciting new team, they gave back-to-back beatdowns in the NORCECA and FIVB country quota qualifier tournaments. I have had a chance to watch them practice in Huntington Beach (Calif.), and they are going to have a good year. If Lane can bring the dance moves like Brittany, this team is shaping up to be the next 2009 Loomis/Patterson.
4.
Having balance off the court. I was guilty of not having enough balance while groveling through the qualifiers and in the main draw. I played volleyball as much as possible no matter who I could play with or what level. I was convinced that if I played more than anyone it would result in winning more. Although I got lots of reps and experience, I experienced burnouts. I would have weeks where my desire and level of play was not where I wanted it to be. I was not lifting as much as I could in fear of being sore and not able to play at 100 percent. The game has evolved and changed, so my training needed to change too. I learned that having
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Ty Tramblie Photo: Peter Brouillet
Jeremy Casebeer Photo: Peter Brouillet
Casey Jennings Photo: Peter Brouillet
balance in my life off the court resulted in more success on it. Weightlifting in the off-season/season to build up and keep my strength rather than running myself too thin playing five to six hours a day, improving my diet, and quality time with friends and family. With all my screaming and yelling on the court, it might not show, but I have learned a lot about myself and matured through creating more balance.
5.
An event in Milwaukee is on the schedule for the AVP this year. I am so excited to play there. I have watched so many old AVP videos of the Milwaukee Open and the crowd looks amazing in every one. There is a lot of culture there, and I hope to pull off a Stoklos “reverse flippy” kill to commemorate the AVP’s return.
6.
Brittany Hochevar Photo: Peter Brouillet
“The Sand Ninja” is back scooping everything in sight and driving the ladies crazy with his amazing hair. Ty Tramblie was very smart about his recovery from shoulder surgery. Most players try to come back too early and add a huge risk in reinjuring themselves. He tore his labrum in 2012 while having one of his most successful seasons. He is back playing with Avery Drost, and they hope to continue the success from 2012.
7.
I have heard rumors of Jenny Kropp Goess making a comeback this year after having twins in December of 2013. If that is true, I am amazed. Of course, with her name twice on the Manhattan Beach Pier, she could be playing at 37 percent and still stuff balls and side out. She is also a board member with me in the “Long Arm” club, so jumping isn’t as important for a comeback than people think.
Jenny Kropp Goess Photo: Peter Brouillet
8. 9. 10.
Ryan Doherty was able to touch 12 feet, 1½ inches in April this year while testing his vertical. Everyone was pretty impressed watching him touch that high. So now we can add the 3rd beach player to touch 12 feet next to Jake (Gibb) and Phil (Dalhausser). I, of course, immediately grabbed an indoor ball, set myself on a net, bounced ceiling and asked Ryan if he could do that. He replied that he didn’t need to when he could easily hit straight down over me. Collegiate sand volleyball is here to stay. I am so excited for the future of the sport on the women’s side. With young girls getting the opportunity to play beach full time in college, there is going to be so much talent for the U.S. internationally and domestically. I didn’t play beach until I was 22 during summers in college. Now girls have the opportunity to start at 12 or 13 and dream of playing on scholarship at the Division I level. This will be the third year schools with programs can play for the AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball National Championships and it could be a full-fledged NCAA championship sport by the 2017 season.
I love practicing with music. I think this is an important part of the sport. Not only to help improve your dance moves but also to embrace the lifestyle and culture of beach volleyball. Beach volleyball is unique because it brings aspects of traditional sports and also lifestyle sports. So take your portable speakers down to practice and don’t forget to have fun. It is the best sport in the world. DiG Pepperdine’s Caitlin Racich Photo: Peter Brouillet 2014 #1 | digbeachvolleyball.com
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V
ARE WE THERE YET?
olleyball is served on a silver platter of sand and sun here in Hermosa and Manhattan Beach, where the headquarters of beach volleyball would be located if our sport went completely corporate. While DiG magazine and most of the rest of the country was hibernating, we’ve been spoiled with an obscene amount of windless mornings and clear blue days. This makes for quite an interesting offseason, for when you’re not curled up inside under a blanket, you might as well be playing. I don’t have to tell you that spring is in full bloom. This means different things for different folks. A gardener will become busy planting this season’s perennials. A fashion designer will introduce their fresh new lookbook flaunting a reemergence of color. And a beach volleyball player will start acting like that annoying kid in the back of his or her parents’ minivan, drowning out the scenic tranquility with “Are we there yet!? Are we there yet!?” Man, can we just pull over for a sec and reflect on the several amazing months we just had? Can we be thankful for the occasions when we really stopped time and started noticing things, like how I’ve been tan since fall 2010? Seriously, who buys sunscreen in February? I do. And I know I’m not the only Coppertone Baby out there. November, January, March—I don’t think the South Bay goes by the same calendar as the rest of the country. While everyone else has been shoveling snow, we have been bathing in sunshine and wearing down our flip-flops. My favorite moment this past off-season occurred on a memorable October day just north of the Manhattan Beach Pier. Chelsea Hayes and I were playing big court games with a great crew of guys, all of whom don’t compete but love the sport and playing high-level ball. As the classic banter continued to be thrown back-and-forth through the net, the sun began to hang low in a cloudless sky. Just as it was about to dance on the horizon, we all fled towards the water and threw ourselves in. Laughing, diving, and
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catching waves ... I felt closer to age six than twenty-six. Just a handful of adults sucking every last ounce of daylight before “mom” called us in for supper. I kept telling Chelsea, “This is pure happiness, I am loving this, are you loving this?” Afterwards, we walked up the boulevard for a bite and some more catch-up time. The beautiful lesson here is that you can’t plan for these moments, just like you can’t plan the AVP Tour schedule. As much as I would like the tour to coordinate with my personal life, wants, and dreams (tournament stop in San Francisco, please!), that’s a mighty tall order that will never be filled. So when the 2014 AVP shedule was announced in March, I had to pick sides, eventually coming to the conclusion that college reunion edges out the first AVP stop. In other news, please be advised to sign up for your next CBVA event early, like the second you lock-down a partner. When Heather Lowe and I decided to team up for the season’s inaugural Marine Street event, 11 teams were already on the waitlist. Their new slogan should be, “don’t delay, sign-up yesterday!” Luckily, you can always count on the weekend warriors to fill the emptiness of missing a tournament. Skill and etiquette vary depending on the street (or Strand House McMansion) so play your cards right and you won’t end up feeling like a fish out of water, or like you’re the only American on the beach. Huh? Yeah, I bet you didn’t know that spring is the perfect time to brush up on your Chinese. Our desirable weather and plethora of volleyball nets are no secret, as player/coach Andrew Fuller shared on Instagram the other day, “USA, China, England, Sweden, Japan. United Nations conference at the pier this morning.” Remember to enjoy and be thankful for the days leading up to the 2014 beach season, for the days grow darker and winter is coming. I mean, summer. No wait, winter ... is anyone else curious to find out who John Snow’s birth mother is? DiG
Beach
body blog BY RUSS MARCHEWKA PHOTO BY PETER BROUILLET
CAFFEINE: FRIEND OR FOE?
A
Everyone understands that the drug we all use for a kickstart is here to stay, so rather than condemn it, here are some tips on how to use it wisely
h, spring is in the air! In nature that usually means baby animals. Speaking of baby animals, I’m proud to announce that I am a dad now. My son, Lochlan, was born during the Huntington Beach tournament last year, October 19th, 2013. He’s actually the inspiration for this article. For those of you who are already parents or those who simply have very busy lives, sleep is the new commodity. If it traded on the stock exchange, the price would be higher than gold. At the Marchewka household, we are currently dealing with two months straight of 2-4 hours of sleep per night. Hence, the topic of this month’s column: caffeine! I’m a purist when it comes to striving to put only the best stuff in my body. That’s why I thought I would break down caffeine a little bit for you and offer my take on stimulants from a health perspective. I have scoured the Internet reading more scientific studies and long-term observations than I care to say. There are just as many risks and warnings of over-consumption of caffeinated beverages as there are reported benefits to moderate ingestion of teas, coffees and chocolates. There’s no doubt that you can overdose with this drug, but moderate intake likely has some benefits. As a new parent, I’ve got to admit I haven’t been able to get through the last couple months without it. My experience with writing this article has been challenging to try to remove my bias and just report what I know to be true with a little twist of intuition. Caffeine is a stimulant, and what it does is cause our pituitary gland to release hormone messengers that tell the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline. This can be fine in the short term, but who do you know who drinks coffee only before they go to the gym? Exactly. Coffee, tea and energy drinks have become an everyday routine for many of us. In other words, this is more of a public service announcement, not a plea for you to give up caffeine. That would be a pointless effort, in my opinion. However, if I can get you to understand the mechanism of caffeine, then maybe you’ll be able to reduce your dependency on this drug so as to avoid some of the potentially harmful side effects. Moderation people – moderation … Caffeine = Adrenaline. Makes sense, right? That’s not the whole story. When caffeine is being touted as anti-cancer, it’s being talked about as coffee, green tea, yerba mate or chocolate. Reading between the lines, all these plants contain unique arrays of phytochemicals and antioxidants. My first piece of advice is that if you’re consuming caffeine, do it in a “whole-food” way that contains antioxidants and phytochemicals instead of synthetic caffeine extracts like in most energy drinks, energy chews and sodas. There are some forward-thinking energy drink and supplement companies using green tea and green coffee bean extract as a natural caffeine source. I would recommend those over the caffeine isolates because they’re likely to contain many of the beneficial compounds that have health-protective properties. My second piece of advice is just as important. Cut down and randomize
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your caffeine consumption. It’s a drug and we’re addicted. As someone who has been drinking it recently, more than ever before, I believe there are real and significant risks to weigh against the temporary high. The adrenal glands that produce adrenaline also produce cortisol and androgen hormones. Pay close attention here because passing on information like this is why I write these articles. You know how when you get a brand new phone it works amazing and goes two days without needing a charge? You try to follow the instructions to let the battery drain all the way before charging it, and let it charge until at 100 percent before unplugging it. Real life sets in and you charge it when convenient, don’t charge it all the way before using it, and then all of a sudden you have a phone that dies after a few minutes of playing Bejeweled or Candy Crush (don’t act like you don’t). Sound familiar? Imagine your adrenal glands are kind of like your smartphone. Caffeine puts your body in a fight or flight stress response. This turns on your adrenal glands, pumps out adrenaline and gives you a temporary high and subsequent burst of energy. However, doing this consistently over time, we need more and more caffeine, and just like that cell phone battery, our adrenal glands don’t recharge all the way and get drained much faster. By throwing off the output capacity of the adrenal glands, we can potentially increase the release of cortisol, which some of you may recognize as one of the main hormones associated with weight gain. Conversely, over consumption of caffeine may affect the production of androgens that are some of the most important hormones in our body – like testosterone and a lot of others you haven’t heard of but are critically important. This can negatively affect daily energy, sex drive, and it also speeds up the aging process by altering your hormone balance, which is critical to aging at a normal rate. Like many other drugs, you need to consume more and more caffeine to get the same initial reaction. This is why some Starbucks drinks have 400mg of caffeine in them! So you need to get more caffeine and more consistently to keep getting the same feeling. In the end, this is a dangerous game to play with your body. Conclusion: Caffeine is here to stay. I get it. If you’re going to drink it in one form or another, try to get it from plant sources. The nutrition label is supposed to reveal if it’s a food-sourced caffeine or simply a synthetic addition. Seriously, consider reducing your intake of caffeinated beverages. We only get one body, and in my experience of working with people who have adrenal fatigue, you DON’T want that to happen to you. By the way, I started a new Instagram account to share some of my favorite recipes: www.Instagram.com/worldhealthhub. DiG Russ Marchewka’s commitment to better nutrition has earned him the nickname “Mr. Healthy” on tour. He has spent the last eight years studying how nutrition affects his volleyball game. For more, visit his website, WorldHealthHub.com or check out his page: YouTube.com/VolleyballNutrition.
Go, daddy The big guy, Phil Dalhausser, is expanding his family and preparing to expand his career victory total INTERVIEW BY DON PATTERSON Photos: PETER BROUILLET
T
his being Phil Dalhausser’s first year as a father, his training routine in 2014 was a little different than it was in previous preseasons. Instead of practicing and then going to the gym in the afternoon, he got up early to lift, then practiced, then hung out with his son, Sebastian, who will be a year old in June. “It’s been the best offseason ever,” says Phil, whose family will grow once again in August when he and his wife, Jen, are expecting a baby girl. The flipside is that being a dad makes it that much tougher to get on a plane and fly to faraway spots, but that’s what it takes to be one of the top – if not the top – pro beach volleyball players in the world, so travel he will. He takes to the air in late April with second-year partner Sean Rosenthal, looking to add to impressive career accomplishments that include 72 career victories (eighth on the all-time men’s list) and an Olympic gold medal (Beijing, 2008). DiG caught up with Phil before the season to get his take on life as a dad and hear his thoughts on the competition he’ll face in 2014. Now that you have Sebastian, it’s gotta be a lot harder to get on a plane and leave home for an extended beach volleyball road trip. Yeah. Last year, in the first six weeks after he was born, I was around for only 10 days, which wasn’t easy. But now he knows me, and when I walk into the room he smiles, so it’ll be even tougher this year. How’s your preseason training going with Rosie? We actually switched sides. I’m on the left
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again, back home where I belong. With him on the right, I thought I could help him a little bit on two if he’s struggling. It’s going good. He’s picked up playing the right really quickly – quicker than I expected and quicker than I did last year. Not too many men’s teams do a lot of hitting on two. Can you think of any that have used that as a weapon in recent years? Lambo (Mike Lambert) and Karch (Kiraly). Lambo was on the right side, which makes it
harder, but Karch’s ball control was so good that he could dime a pass exactly where Lambo would want it. So is it something you’ll do just to help Rosie or will you use it as a weapon and be more proactive with it? I think a little more proactive just to give him a break here and there. If guys are ripping serves at him, it’s going to be tough for him to set me on two. But if a guy is just plopping serves over, then I’ll take advantage of that and give Sean a
break and try to side out on two. Rosie said at the end of last season that he wanted to get in better shape this year to get his body ready for handling all the serves. Are you seeing a fitter Sean Rosenthal in 2014? He’s been in the gym with USA Volleyball, so he has put his work into it. The (main) thing is working out through the whole season because during the season you try to maintain so you don’t fade at the end of the year, so we’ll see what happens during the season. Maintaining that muscle during the season is so important because it’s a long season. You can play great for three or four months, but most of the big tournaments are at the end of the season, so you have to be strong throughout. Hopefully he will stick to lifting. If he does, I think we’ll be fine.
“I used to be the big man, but not so much anymore. There are probably five sevenfooters out there now. I feel like I have to flex my muscles a little bit, like ‘I’m still the big man out here.’”
On the subject of staying in shape, that’s one of your focuses in your new sponsorship with Gillette – sharing tips on achieving peak body performance. Hit the high points for us. One thing I’ve really focused on is diet. Lunch and dinner, I try to have half of my plate green, which is way harder to do than it sounds. Does mint chocolate chip ice cream count? To me, mint and ice cream just don’t go together. I hear it’s really popular, Two-time Olympian Phil Dalhausser hopes to put up better numbers in 2014 with his partner Sean Rosenthal. but I just don’t understand it. But eating a lot of greens keeps you slim, and when you body shave, you have a haes), to be a team as well. six-pack to show off, so I like to keep it smooth and tight with the Gillette body shaver. Brazil is the big rival for the U.S., but there are a lot of great teams from other countries, So you’re going to be smooth and ripped this too. year? Yeah. Europe has caught up. The Dutch have That’s my goal, and I’m well on my way. two massive teams, and the team from Latvia – they won the world tour title last year. The Who are you going to need to watch out for tour is so deep it’s ridiculous. Italy has good this season on the FIVB Tour? teams. Spain has a good team. Germany has Well, the Brazilians changed teams again. four or five good teams. Russia now has a really Pedro (Salgado) is now playing with Emanuel good team with that 7-footer, (Konstantin) (Rego). Alison (Cerutti) is playing with Bruno Semenov. Obviously, Jake (Gibb) and Casey (Schmidt), which will be interesting. Bruno and (Patterson) are going to be a good team. So it’s Pedro had a great year last year. I don’t know tough, and there’s a lot of parity. I don’t think why they’re splitting them up. anybody will win more than three tournaments. The Brazilian federation kind of controls who I would be really surprised if someone does. plays with who, so I think they’re trying to set up for 2016, and I think they’re trying to phase Being 6-9, you could hit over just about out Emanuel and Pedro. I think they want everybody earlier in your career, but now there Alison and Bruno to be a team. And two young are a lot of huge blockers out there. guns, Evandro (Goncalves) and Guto (CarvalYeah. That’s not the case anymore. I used to
be the big man, but not so much anymore. There are probably five seven-footers out there now. I feel like I have to flex my muscles a little bit, like “I’m still the big man out here.” It helps my game a little bit. I don’t want to lose to those young punks. It’s a motivating factor. I want to prove that I’m still the best big guy out there. You’re 34. That’s not old, but it’s not young. Is there more urgency in your training than maybe five or six years ago? No. I’m doing the same thing that I have been doing the last eight or nine years. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Guys like Emanuel – he’s 41 now and playing great. Ricardo is 39. Todd is 40. So I’m not really worried about age. It’s just a number. It’s really how you feel. My body is feeling great. I have had some problems with my knee, but I discovered acupuncture, which really has helped out. So I feel pretty good going into the season. Are there some other U.S. teams besides Jake and Casey that you expect will make a little noise this year? I think Nick (Lucena) and Ryan (Doherty) will have a couple of good finishes. Ryan moved back to Orange County from Santa Barbara, so he’s playing more than he was up in Santa Barbara. I don’t think he’ll ever be a conventional volleyball player. He started late, so he doesn’t have the perfect technique, but his awkwardness works sometimes. And with Nick running around his block – Nick is one of the quickest guys around. I think they’ll have a couple of good finishes. And the fourth spot is kind of up for grabs. John (Hyden) and Tri Bourne won the country quota, so they’ll be at the first two FIVB tournaments, so it will be interesting to see how they do. Hey, Casey Patterson and April Ross have fans who wave big cutouts of their faces. Might we see a Phil big face or two this season? Absolutely not. No. Share your thinking on that decision, Phil. Someone made something that was almost like a bobblehead of me … not really a bobblehead – it was like a much smaller version of the big face with a little handle on it that you could shake back and forth. I was embarrassed about that. I don’t want a big face out there of me. In other words, you know what you look like and don’t need to be reminded? Yeah. My ugly mug doesn’t need to be blown up any bigger than it is. DiG 2014 #1 | digbeachvolleyball.com
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Winning in the Getting the best of your opponents often means staying one step ahead of the weather. With that in mind, we reached out to some of the top players in American beach volleyball to find out what they do when the atmosphere around them is huffing and puffing By Cassie Ronda
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was vacationing in Huntington Beach this summer when my sisters and I decided to warm ourselves up with a lively game of pepper before getting into the freezing cold water. Our plans were quickly ruined by the mischievous gusts of wind that kept grabbing our volleyball and depositing it near a flock of seagulls several yards away. After several of our attempts to pass and set to each other resulted in the ball landing on unsuspecting sunbathers, we decided swimming in the icy Pacific sounded more appealing than trying to deal with the crazy wind. Perhaps you have had a similar experience while playing volleyball outdoors. Sand players from all levels – and grass players, too – are sure to be familiar with the weather-related difficulties inherent to the sport. But in order to be competitive on the sand, it’s important to learn how to use the wind as a tool instead of letting it negatively influence your game. To get a few tips on how to do this, I talked to three Olympic-level beach players: Todd Rogers, Holly McPeak, and April Ross. DiG: When and where did you first learn the beach game, and is there anything about the “where” that gave you an early advantage when playing in the wind? TODD ROGERS: “I started playing beach the summer after my freshman year of high school. I grew up in East Beach, Santa Barbara, which is known for being pretty windy, and that made me a ball-control player. I don’t mind playing in the wind at all. It’s part of the fun of the game!” HOLLY MCPEAK: “I grew up playing on the beach even more than indoor and came to understand at a young age that wind is just a part of the game. Something you learn right away is the good side to playing in the wind; new players don’t always realize this. The fact is, you can deal with 95 percent of windy conditions.” APRIL ROSS: “I didn’t start learning the beach game until after I played indoor in college and three years professionally in Puerto Rico. I was about 23 or 24 years old when I came out to try the beach, and my first intro was in the deep sands of Hermosa Beach [California]. The weather there is pretty ideal. It wasn’t until I started participating
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Surviving the storm Nick Lucena rips a jump serve into the wind at the AVP event in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2013. Mastering the elements can be a key to success at the pro and amateur level. (Photo: Kohjiro Kinno/AVP)
in tournaments that I really got to practice playing in the elements, so I was kind of just thrown into the deep end of the pool in that regard; my learning curve had to be pretty steep.” DiG: What’s your most vivid memory of a match or tournament where the weather was a big factor in the outcome? HOLLY: “Marseilles, France. The mistral winds always came during the tournament. Some players would avoid the tournament altogether because of the wind. The ball would actually blow out of your hand while you were serving, so you would
have to serve underhand. I wasn’t embarrassed to serve underhand. It’s just what had to be done.” APRIL: “There have been many, many windy tournaments, maybe the worst one ever was in The Hague, Netherlands a few years ago. It was some of the worst wind I’ve seen while playing, and it was raining at the same time. We played a team from Poland in the losers’ bracket, a team we should not have too much trouble with normally. They just kept serving us these super high balls, hitting them as hard as they could into the wind to the point where they were
so high and deep we couldn’t touch them if we jumped. But because the wind was so bad the ball would find its way back into the court for an ace. I would say normally we do better in the wind, but that time it definitely worked against us.” TODD: “Definitely Marseilles, France. The mistral winds there are insane. They last anywhere from one to five days and can get up to 60-80 miles per hour. FIVB has actually called unplayable wind days. Usually in the wind you have a good side and a bad side to the court, but with these mistral winds it gets to the point where the good side becomes the bad side because you can’t even serve into the court. I watched a game where people would just pass it over on one and let the other
team deal with it. [Laughs].” DiG: Could you share some tips about what has helped you deal with the wind and use it to your advantage? APRIL: “I believe the most important change you can make when playing in the wind is to try to keep everything lower than normal. If you are going to play in [strong] wind, you also have to be cognizant of getting your hitting arm up as early as possible so that you can swing at the ball as quickly as possible before the wind has a chance to move it out of position. Also, realize that a perfect pass is going to be almost impossible, so the setter needs to be ready to chase the ball down and put up a decent set. Lastly, keep the ball in bounds at
all costs. If you can’t get a kill, at least make sure the other team has to play the ball.” TODD: “I have two main things. The first has to do with the mental part: Realize that everyone has to deal with [the wind]. Making excuses doesn’t help you, and the person who makes the least amount of errors wins. And the second thing is to keep the ball low – minimize the effect the wind has on the ball.” HOLLY: “You want the wind in your face – hitting into the wind is always good. Do whatever you can to play into the wind, and set up your partner to do so. It’s important to take advantage when you’re on the good side and score. Also, always practice in windy conditions.” DiG 2014 #1 | digbeachvolleyball.com
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5.0
Hawaii
Versatile collegiate star Emily Hartong racks up big numbers while performing in front of her appreciative island fans
Suit: ROXY Stylist: Courtenay Photo: Sherry Harper Wong
E
mily Hartong was on both the giving and receiving end of the “Aloha Spirit� during an illustrious four-year career at the University of Hawaii. She became only the eighth Hawaii player in history to land herself on the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America team three straight seasons, including the last two as a first teamer. Some people would give their right arm to experience the adulation and support Hartong received from the passionate volleyball fans who follow the Rainbow Wahine on the island
of Oahu. That’s kind of what she did. After averaging more than a “Hawaii 5.0” (5.24 points per set to rank eight nationally) in her senior season she had to forego her final campaign on the school’s sand team to recover from surgery to repair a torn labrum in her right shoulder. The Los Alamitos, Calif. native, who was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year last December, expects to make a full recovery in time to play professionally. The beach game is on the backburner while the 6-2 outside hitter weighs her option to play in Europe.
“I am very grateful I was able to play in a program that supports its volleyball team like nowhere else,” Hartong said. “It is so inspiring when you understand how important our matches are to the fans.” Hartong, 22, is scheduled to graduate with a communications degree in May, but she said not even a full public relations campaign could fully convey Hawaii’s passion for the game. “I knew the fans were into the team before I committed,” said Hartong, who has a 6-5 twin brother (Bradley) who is a catcher for Indiana University’s baseball team. “Although
I didn’t really comprehend to what level until I got out there and performed on the court. You get the same support from them off the court.” The shoulder surgey curtailed Hartong’s plans to immediately pursue the U.S. Women’s National Team after attending tryouts in January at the American Sports Center, but she said that goal was not over. “Right now I am focused on getting stronger and pursuing volleyball as a profession,” she said. “It’s easy to get inspired and stay that way when you play volleyball in Hawaii.” — Jon Hastings
2014 #1 digbeachvolleyball.com |
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Progress and p
The third season of women’s collegiate sand volleyball has been the most competitive yet as the total field grows to more than 40 teams
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he USA Volleyball Collegiate Challenge held in Hermosa Beach, Calif., the second week of April could be called a “double prelude.” First was the signal that the third AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball Championships set for May 2-4 in Gulf Shores, Alabama, will be the most competitive in the sport’s brief history. On a broader scale the message was even more clear – there will be no slowing down the rise of the college game as it continues to grow in popularity. With more than 40 schools fielding teams in 2014 and full-fledged NCAA Championship status likely for 2017, schools that got out of the gate early clearly have the advantage. USC head coach Anna Collier had the vision to sign freshman Sara Hughes to a sand scholarship when she was a junior in high school. Hughes has teamed with teammate Kirby Burnham in her first season to form one of the favored duos for the national pairs championships in May. Hughes and Burnham defeated Pepperdine’s Kellie Woolever and Kelley Larsen in the championship match of the gold bracket. That capped a perfect weekend for the Trojans, who won all three Pepperdine’s Kellie Woolever of their matches to remain the top-ranked team in the nation reached the finals of the Hermosa and now are all but assured of one of the six team bids for Beach event with partner Kelley Larsen. the national championship. The second-ranked Waves had split two Burnham is now in a position to pick up national titles like dual matches with top-ranked USC and tailbacks used to win Heisman Trophies at Southern Cal. She are bidding to become the first team to win two national titles. won last year’s pairs championship playing with Stevi Robinson and the senior has made a seamless transition to the sand-schooled
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potential
USA Volleyball hosted the Collegiate Challenge in Hermosa Beach, Calif., in early April, attracting four of the top six ranked teams in the country.
Sara Hughes has been a freshman sensation at USC where she plays in the No. 1 position for the Trojans.
Delainey Aigner-Swesey of defending national champion Long Beach State has been battling to keep the fifth-ranked 49ers in the tournament discussion. Only six teams earn bids into the national championship event. Hughes. “Sara and I have been playing really well
together,” Burnham said. “It’s fun to just see ourselves improve and play smoother and smoother. We haven’t played that Pepperdine team yet so it was fun to get to play them.” The pair left Hermosa Beach with a 19-match winning streak intact (27-3 overall). USC’s lone loss this season was in early March to 2012 national champion Pepperdine (5-0) in Malibu, but the Trojans avenged defeat one month later by calming the No. 2-ranked Waves on their home courts (4-1). The rubber match was a likely possibility with national title ramifications on the line in the Gulf Shores in May. 2014 #1 | digbeachvolleyball.com
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collegiate sand
Florida State’s Aurora Davis (left) and Jace Pardon were 30-1 in mid-April, splitting head-to-head meetings with USC’s top tandem of Sara Hughes and Kirby Burnham. Seminoles’ coach Danalee Corso said her top team had the potential to win a national title.
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Arizona’s Sarah Seiber is part of a strong freshman contingent for the Wildcats’ inaugural sand season. Arizona’s No. 1 doubles team is freshman twins Madison Witt (on the DiG cover) and McKenna Witt from Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, Arizona.
UCLA sand coach Stein Metzger had 18 career victories as a pro.
Teaching pros HEAD COACHES
Stein Metzger (UCLA) Mike Dodd (St. Mary’s) Danalee Corso (Florida State) Eyal Zimet (USF) Scott Wong (Hawaii) Nina Matthies (Pepperdine) Anna Collier (USC) David Fischer (Louisiana-Monroe) Olivia Simko (Cal State Bakersfield) Beth Van Fleet (Georgia State) Rita Crockett (Florida International)
Junior Katie Mosher of Florida State has been a fixture in the Seminoles’ program for three seasons. Fourthranked Florida State was the first school to offer sand volleyball scholarships.
Former beach pros join the coaching ranks
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ro beach players and real jobs seem like an oxymoron, but not with the advent of coaching positions on the collegiate landscape. With more than 40 NCAA schools adding sand volleyball as an official sport less than three years since its ASSISTANT COACHES inception in 2012, Misty May-Treanor (USC) coaching opportunities John Mayer (Loyola Marymount) are popping up for an Brian Corso (Florida State) array of current and forAndrew Fuller (USC) mer beach pros needing Sarah Straton (UCLA) supplemental income. Sara Dukes (Stanford) (Have you met many who don’t?) Jenny Johnson Jordan (UCLA) It helps to have an Damien Scott (Georgia State) Olympic medal on the Dhiraj Coats (Cal State Northridge) resume, but even an Claire D’Amore (Arizona) AVP main draw appearance or two is helping get beach players positions on coaching staffs at several universities. Some complete with salaries, medical and pension plans – although that is not the norm just yet. With the number of schools with sand programs expected to triple in the next five years, the demand for coaches with pro experience will soon dwarf the supply. Above left is a list of head coaches and assistants with some pro playing experience.
2014 #1| digbeachvolleyball.com
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collegiate sand
2014 AVCA Collegiate Sand Championships When: May 2-4 Where: Gulf Shores, Alabama (The Hangout) TV: CBS Sports Network Defending Team Champions: Long Beach State Number of teams: 6 Team favorites: USC, Pepperdine, Florida State, Hawaii, Long Beach State, Florida International, St. Mary’s.
Pepperdine’s Lara Dykstra was an AVCA Collegiate Sand All-American in 2013 and is well on her way to repeating the feat this year. The Waves have been a dominant team in the first three seasons of sand volleyball.
Pairs Championships: (16 teams): No. 1 team from the six teams competing in the Team Championships (6); No. 2 teams from the four Team Championships final four (4); four teams advance out of 10-team Best of the Rest tournament (two pools of five) to be played Friday and Saturday (4); two teams advance from pool play event between No. 2 pairs from fifthand sixth-place team finishers and the two third-place teams in the two Best of the Rest pools (2). Pairs favorites: Sara Hughes and Kirby Burnham (USC); Lara Dykstra/Becca Strehlow (Pepperdine), Kelley Larsen/Kellie Woolever (Pepperdine); Karissa Cook/Brittany Tiegs (Hawaii); Aurora Davis/Jace Pardon (Florida State); Jordan Shaw/Samantha Tinsley (St. Mary’s); Jessica Mendoza/Maryna Samoday (Florida International) DiG
USC’s Kirby Burnham is one of the nation’s best at the net, winning the national pairs title in 2013 with Stevi Robinson. Teammate Alexa Strange had plenty to cheer about in Hermosa Beach.
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complete your backset
For the past decade, DiG has been the premier magazine of beach volleyball. Only $22 for five issues. Subscriptions, back issues and more available at at digbeachvolleyball.com
1.866.368.5652 digbeachvolleyball.com
Sweet Sweat Defensive wiz Brooke Sweat has a new partner in veteran Lauren Fendrick. “I’m learning a lot from her, learning from the way she works,” Sweat says. “She’s a tremendous blocker. I’ve always hated going up against her. It will be fun having her on my side of the net.” (Photo: Peter Brouillet)
Top players eye summer battle on both the international and domestic fronts
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aiting for the beginning of beach volleyball season is like waiting for a pizza when you’re really, really hungry. And after a long offseason, who isn’t hungry? Tons of intriguing American teams are readying for battle as the first tournament nears. The international schedule kicks off in late April
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with back-to-back FIVB tournaments in China and will peak for American fans at the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball, which is back for year two in Long Beach, Calif., in July. Just to ensure another strong field, the FIVB Grand Slam portion of the Long Beach event will offer the richest purse in beach volleyball history – $1 million.
The rejuvenated AVP’s seven-stop schedule gets rolling May 30 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Hard to think this season will be anything less than great. Too many good teams for it not to be. On the women’s side, three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings and her new partner, April Ross, will lead the way, and they should grab a good chunk of the first-place
Good stuff Seven-foot Ryan Doherty can make life miserable for both AVP players (like Evan Engle in this photo) and FIVB attackers. Notre Dame graduate Doherty has formed a new partnership with Nick Lucena, giving the duo a great defender and a monster block. (Photo: Peter Brouillet)
money here at home and also on the international tour. Hey, they were good at the end of last season without much time together following Kerri’s swift return from maternity leave. So with a preseason of hard work behind them, watch out. How good were they looking? “They’re Kerri and April – they’re always going to look great,” says Brooke Sweat, who trained
against them in the preseason with new partner Lauren Fendrick. “Their offense is just awesome.” Adds Summer Ross: “Seriously, who do you serve on that team?” Good question. On the men’s side, the favorites for a second season in a row are Phil Dalhausser and Sean Rosenthal. They’re looking for more success this
season after a 2013 that was good – they tied with Latvia for the most international wins (3) – but not as good as a lot of people thought it should have been, especially in the closing weeks on the AVP Tour, when they took a fifth and a 13th in the final two tournaments. Phil has switched back to the left – “back home where I belong,” he says – and Rosie has vowed 2014 #1 | digbeachvolleyball.com
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Slick Nick Nick Lucena’s all-out, fiery attitude makes him long on defense, even if he can be short with refs. His dig ratio will likely improve playing behind 7-0 Ryan Doherty, who is still refining his all-around game. (Photo: Rick Atwood)
Prime time April Ross, who is already an Olympic silver medalist and world champion, is primed for the best volleyball of her career with new partner Kerri Walsh Jennings. (Photo: Peter Brouillet)
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to stay in better shape so he can withstand the storm of serves he is likely to face throughout the season. A strong No. 2 on the men’s side is another second-year team: Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson. These guys were very good last year and should be even better this year – good enough, in fact, to challenge Phil and Rosie. Deeper into the men’s and women’s field, there are intriguing partnerships. This will be summer No. 2 for Summer Ross and Emily Day, who managed six wins over Walsh Jennings 2013. Summer spent the offseason loading up on carbs and hitting the weights, putting some muchneeded armor on her willowy frame. Look for these two to be tough again – but don’t expect another pile of wins over Kerri now that Kerri is with April. Ain’t gonna happen. Other women’s teams to watch: FendrickSweat, Brittany Hochevar-Lane Carico, Whitney Pavlik-Jennifer Fopma, Heather Hughes-Christal Engle and Tealle Hunkus-Kim DiCello. The men’s field, below the top two teams, is plenty deep as well. Veteran John Hyden and Tri Bourne were coming on strong at the end of last season, and they should continue to make strides, although they have a tough road on the FIVB, where they’ll start off in the qualifier. Fiery defensive player Nick Lucena has teamed up with the big baseball guy, 7-1 Ryan Doherty, and they have potential if they can click. Another veteran, Beijing gold medalist Todd Rogers, has partnered with Theo Brunner, who approaches Phil with his athletic ability but still needs to polish his game. They’ll be interesting to track, as will John Mayer and Brad Keenan, who have played in 40 events together since 2006. Enough talk. Serve it up, and let the games begin. DiG
On the ball Brittany Hochevar has teamed with young star Lane Carico and made some early noise by winning an FIVB qualifier in Southern California to earn a spot in the FIVB Shanghai Grand Slam. Holly McPeak says they are a great ball control team that “touches everything.” (Photo: Peter Brouillet)
Hungry for more The Summer Ross diet will be full of wins and calories in 2014. “I’m eating more. The season is so grueling. You go over to Europe and you lose 10 pounds.” (Photo: Peter Brouillet)
Triple threat
Venerable veteran Todd Rogers, 40, will again be a factor in 2014. Rogers’ new blocker, Theo Brunner, picked up his first career win at the AVP Championships in Huntington Beach last October. (Photo: Peter Brouillet)
Kerri Walsh Jennings will begin her first full season with new partner April Ross with the same fiery attitude she displayed during her decade-long run with Misty May-Treanor. (Photo: FIVB)
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Still jammin’
Perfect partner Jake Gibb, who finished 2013 dominating with Casey Patterson, has reached superstar status on both the domestic and international tours with his solid work ethic and consistent play. (Photo: Peter Brouillet)
Casey Jennings, part of the old band, will defend his Manhattan Open title with next-generation product Jeremy Casebeer. (Photo: Peter Brouillet)
Beach bites n ASICS signed a sponsorship deal with three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, who will wear a new line of performance sportswear in 2014. n Six of the seven AVP Tour stops this year will feature 16-team main-draw brackets for both genders. The lone 32-team draw will be at the Manhattan Beach Open Aug. 15-17. n The AVP signed a two-year agreement with IMG to manage event operations and assist in sponsor sales. Barefoot Wine has also returned to the tour as a sponsor. “We are excited to partner with the AVP for its 2014 season, as we feel strongly that the Barefoot brand fits the beach volleyball lifestyle,” said Peaches Brady, brand manager for Barefoot Wine & Bubbly. n The National Volleyball League announced a seven stop pro series that will offer close to $300,000 in total prize money, including the $25,000 season opener in Dallas May 22-24. The 16-team event will kick off the NVL’s new “Saturday Night Lights” theme that will be part of the entire tour. Tour founder Albert Hannemann said the NVL is still intent on providing opportunities for pro players even though some of the league’s focus has been directed toward the new NVL/Rox Junior Series. The junior series hopes to attract hundreds of affiliates via a national ranking system and the Junior Beach Global Challenge July 31-Aug. 3 at Port Saint Lucie, Florida. DiG
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DIG DEEP
PHIL DALHAUSSER
KERRI WALSH JENNINGS
SUMMER ROSS
APRIL ROSS
EMILY DAY
2014
AVP
TOUR
Get tickets at avp.com! #AVPBEACH CASEY PATTERSON
JAKE GIBB
ST. PETERSBURG OPEN May 29-June 1 MILWAUKEE OPEN July 3-6 SALT LAKE CITY OPEN August 7-10 MANHATTAN BEACH OPEN August 14-17 CINCINNATI OPEN August 28-31 ATLANTIC CITY DO AC INVITATIONAL September 5-7 AVP CHAMPIONSHIPS AT HUNTINGTON BEACH Sept 25-28
NO. 1
fitness TEXT BY CURTIS JACKSON EXERCISES DEMONSTRATED BY GIGI CRESTO PHOTOS BY DON LIEBIG
SPIDERMANS This non-boring stretch gets you ready to play OK
, so let’s see a show of hands from all those athletes out there who love to stretch! Chances are, exactly zero people raised their hands to that one. Let’s be honest, most of us athletes view stretching as one of the most boring things on earth. Well, in my gym we don’t like boring. I get to constantly come up with ways to keep our workouts fun, interesting and effective. That is why Spidermans are a staple at Jackson Strength. They simultaneously warm the body, stretch key muscles and prepare the body for performance. All of this in a fluid, moving exercise that is anything but boring. To begin this exercise, start in a push-up position (photos 1 and 5). As you can tell, this looks just like a plank but from the hands instead of the elbows. This means you are already getting an anterior core exercise. From here, you’re going to step forward with your left foot. You want to step far enough so that your shin is perpendicular to the ground and hold for three seconds. This is going to give you a nice stretch in your groin and adductors, muscles that get tight from repeated jumping. From there, you’re going to balance on your left hand and reach up to the sky with a straight right arm (photos 2 and 7). This is going to improve mobility in your thoracic spine, which will help keep your shoulders healthy. Next, you’re going to put your right arm down and reach up with your left. Your body should be in a perfect straight line when in this position (photos 3 and 6). Once you’re done with your left arm, go back into the original plank position (photos 1 and 5). To finish the Spiderman we are going to stretch the piriformis muscle. It is an external rotator of the hip. When it gets tight, it can wreak havoc on the knees, hips and lower back. We get to this muscle by dropping into a pigeon pose for five seconds (photo 4). From there, you go back into the plank position and do the other side. At Jackson Strength, we typically do this five times on each side, which is plenty to get the heart pumping, the blood flowing, and the body prepared to smash volleyballs! DiG
NO. 2
NO. 3
NO. 5
NO. 6
NO. 4
Curtis Jackson is the head strength and performance coach for Jackson Strength in Solana Beach, Calif., where he specializes in vertical jump, speed and high-performance nutrition. If you would like more info on training and nutrition for volleyball athletes, you can sign up for his newsletter at JacksonStrength.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksonstrength.
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NO. 7
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clinic BY WILL MONTGOMERY PHOTO BY PETER BROUILLET
Passing grade Being braced and ready for the unexpected when receiving serve will help you yield better results in crunch time and translate into wins on the court
T
here is no absolute way to pass perfect, but being consistent with your preparation and following proven fundamentals can yield success in perhaps the most important part of the game. • I try to pass every ball in a balanced position in my midline. But against great servers, I often times end up passing in a less than ideal position. • I train passing with the assumption that the ball may always take an unexpected turn. Preparation is key here. If the ball moves and I expect it to, I am ready to adapt. If it doesn’t move but I was ready for it, the pass becomes simple. • Whether it is a good float serve dancing its way over the net or the wind moving it around, I have found success
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dropping to a knee and allowing the ball to lose velocity as it approaches me. As the ball slows down, it becomes easier to track and easier to ensure a crisp contact. • “Attacking” the pass prematurely can leave little room for adjustment if the ball moves. When I am on a knee, I have the ability to adjust to any last second moves it may take. If it comes high, I can gently rise off the ground. If it sinks low, I am already prepared to smoothly scoop it up. If it drifts sideways, my low center of gravity will allow me to stay balanced as I contact the ball. DiG Will Montgomery, 24, is a top young AVP pro who is in the USA Volleyball beach pipeline. The Santa Barbara High School alum was a libero at UC Irvine.
rewind BY JON HASTINGS PHOTO BY PETER BROUILLET
The other KK Karolyn Kirby was the first East Coast women’s player to make her mark on the professional circuit. Kirby, a native of Brookline, Mass., where they still don’t have a decent sand court, posted 67 tournament titles in a career that spanned 16 seasons. A member of the Volleyball Hall of Fame and a four-time MVP of the Women’s Professional Volleyball Association, Kirby was a classic fivetool player. Kirby was considered tall for her era (5-11) and she was named the WPVA’s best setter six times. A prolific attacker at both Utah State and Kentucky for coach Mary Jo Peppler (who she credits with much of her success), Kirby played in the professional indoor leagues in Europe as well as enjoying a long stint on the U.S. Women’s National Team. Her 67 total beach wins ranks her behind only the most exclusive company: Kerri Walsh Jennings (113), Misty May-Treanor (112) and Holly McPeak (72). Kirby enjoyed successful partnerships with Jackie Silva, Angela Rock, Nancy Reno and Liz Masakayan. She won three FIVB titles with Reno to earn the world’s No. 1 ranking during the 1993 season and her 27 overall titles with Masakayan ranks fifth all time. Kirby, 52, currently coaches at Cuyamaca College near San Diego and runs the West Wind Volleyball Club (named as a tribute to her migration from the East Coast). She gives high praise to her first coaches, Scotty Mose and Barbara Crane, to help get her career started. Peppler, however, had the most influence. “I honestly know that everything that came after that was due to the continued coaching and mentoring from Mary Jo,” she said. “She taught me how to win and be a champion. So I had a little luck and some great opportunities at a time when there were few at best for a New Englander. I mean, seriously, the beaches are mostly rocky back there.” DiG
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beach smack INTERVIEW BY CONNOR HASTINGS • PHOTO BY DON LIEBIG
DerekOlson DiG: Describe the state of Oregon in 10 words or less. D.O.: Rain, trees, and tie-dye T’s. When did you know that you’d passed your dad as the best volleyball player in the family? Well he stopped before I started so there was never a “passing of the torch” family moment, but I will say that I still haven’t filled his shoes. My dad in his prime would beat me now. If ESPN were going to make a documentary about your volleyball career, what would you want the title to be? To play off of one of my favorite “30 for 30” documentaries “You Don’t Know BO” it would be “You Don’t Know DO” and would profile my professional volleyball and future pro lawn-bowling careers. Do you wish the standard for hand-setting was more strict or less strict? More strict, as in the way hand-setting was intended. Plus, I want to encourage more referee and angry-player altercations. What’s usually the biggest obstacle between you and maintaining your training schedule? Rest. I always feel like I need to be doing something to be better. My coach, Steve, always reminds me “It’s not about what you can do, it’s about what you should do.” If you were named president of the University of Oregon, what changes would you make around campus? I would hire myself as head coach of the new sand volleyball program before someone discovered I was in over my head as president and consequently forced me to resign. What were your impressions when you first moved to California? 1. Why do I have to pay more for gas when I’m the one doing the actual labor? 2. Nobody that lives in San Diego is actually from San Diego and 3. Sunburns in December feel pretty good. What would be your ideal theme for a high-school prom? It wouldn’t be formal and wouldn’t require expensive tuxedo rentals. Like, a “recession” party where everyone has to wear clothes that add up to under $20 … price tags remain on. Which scenario sounds more appealing: Teaching a kindergarten class for a year or serving on the crew of a freighter ship for a year? Although being on a ship for a year sounds adventurous I’d say kindergarten class. My mom teaches elementary school and my dad used to teach as well so it’s in my blood. I think kids that age are hilarious. What do you do when you’re in the later stages of a match and you feel like you have nothing left? The only time I ever feel like this is when I start cramping. If it’s a CBVA I’ll ask for a beer and if it’s a professional event I’ll ask for a medical timeout … and then find a beer. What would make 2014 a satisfying year for you? One of my goals for this year is to make an AVP final but I don’t think I will ever be satisfied. There’s always something else to accomplish. DiG Derek Olson, 30, had a breakout season in 2013 with a fifth-place AVP finish in Santa Barbara and a fifth in an FIVB event in South Africa. A northwest native and graduate of the University of Oregon, Olson’s father, Brock, won the Seaside Open a record five times.
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APRIL ROSS, @AprilRossBeach
TWO PLAYERS, 1 HEART.