HFor Players. By Players.

The Best Weekend of the Year: Two Takes on One Great Event

Beach Volleyball Around the World

Spike the Vote!

The Last of the Professional Beach Volleyball Players?

Beach volleyball fans and athletes,

Perseverance. Reflecting on the state of beach volleyball and the content of this summer’s edition of SpikeKey Beach, this

is the term that comes to mind. Universally, in order to succeed, adversity must be overcome. Adversity can exist and manifest itself in many forms. For example, in the context of beach volleyball, adversity could be the challenge of finding the right partner to take your game to the next level, or struggling to make ends meet on meager prize money in this struggling beach volleyball economy.

In the pages that follow, you will find many examples of perseverance. Each of the stories, characters, and circumstances are different, but inspiring just the same. You’ll read stories of players, teams, communities, and even countries that have toppled barriers and overcome adversity.

In candid fashion, an anonymous author shares a look at life as a professional beach volleyball athlete. The writer exposes the tours’ organizational failures, the misguided tactics of players, and prescribes some solutions for beach volleyball’s persistent problems. The player explains why they have devoted so much time, and missed important life events in an effort to reach the top of the rankings, however imperfect and subjective the rankings may be.

Similarly, not every locality is in a position or has abundant resources to nurture and sustain a thriving volleyball community. But, believe it or not, the unlikely setting of rural Wisconsin plays host to one of the most anticipated volleyball weekends of the year. Two veterans of the event share how the traditions and one-of-a-kind experience of the Waupaca Boatride Tournament helped the event grow and thrive.

Finally, you’ll also find stories of how a tiny island nation hosted its first international beach volleyball event, how an athlete from one of the country’s most land-locked communities became a fixture on the courts of Florida and California, how a life-long Florida State fan became the captain of the school’s sand volleyball team, and how cold-weather Olympic hopefuls are preparing for London.

Why do we continue to face adversity in pursuit of our beach volleyball dreams? Why do we maintain a burning a passion for beach volleyball when so many other sports are more lucrative and glamorous? Quite simply, we love the game, the beach volleyball community, the beach lifestyle, and the addictive competition. When it comes to these attributes, beach volleyball has no equal. See you at the beach!

Sean

From the Editor

Cover Photography: Marc Serota

SKB FEATURES

THE TEAM

THE TOURS5 Spike The Vote

BEACH EVENTS 12 The Best Weekend of the Year:

Two Takes on One Great Event

TRAVEL THE BEACH CIRCUIT22 Beach Volleyball Around

the World27 Beach Volleyball in the Heart of

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor

JUNIOR BEACH VOLLEYBALL31 Junior’s Schedule32 The Sand Brought Her a Dream34 Seeing Double: Conversations

with Twin Athletes

SPIKEKEY BEACH SPOTLIGHT 38 Tired of Just Playing Beach Volleyball Games?

THE BEST BODY ON THE BEACH42 Introduction to Plyometric Training 45 Eating Your Best47 Keep your Spine in Line

BEACH LIFESTYLE49 It’s More than a Game….

It’s a Lifestyle 52 The Last of the Professional

Beach Volleyball Players?

BEAUTY AND STYLE55 What’s Your Beach Bag Missing? 57 Doing Battle with the Sun 58 Bikini Care

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The crumbling of the AVP in mid-2010, in election terms, was like losing the favored incumbent candidate and it created a wide open field for the “Yes We Can” upstarts to enter. With this backdrop, 2011 was a tumultuous and uncertain season with several new tours vying to make their mark. Now in 2012, especially with the return of the AVP, the once vacant volleyball tour ticket is starting to look overcrowded with candidates in the running. Is there enough room in the sandbox for everyone? Or are we a one or two candidate sport? To help you determine how to cast your votes this election year, see the tour profiles below.

Spike the

oteBy Caroline Allen

The“Deep-pockets”Candidate:

Back after its debut season in 2011, the Jose Cuervo series kicked off at Milwaukee’s Bradford Beach last July, helping to fill the gaping 2011 tournament void, but perhaps more importantly, bringing a high level of professionalism and attractive purses to quality-starved players and fans. The 2012 schedule will include seven events with stops in Ft. Lauderdale (May 25-27), Belmar, NJ (June 22-24), Chicago, IL (July 13-15), Hermosa Beach, CA (July 20-22), Bradford Beach, WI (Aug. 4-5), Manhattan Beach, CA (Aug. 24-26), and Huntington Beach, CA (Sept. 21-22). Purses will range from $60,000-$150,000 per event.

www.joecuervoprobeachvolleyballseries.com

The“Write-in”Candidate:

And just when you thought the AVP was officially and terminally out of the running, it’s back! The volleyball world was skeptically-excited (fool me once, shame on you…fool me twice, shame on me) to hear the AVP has been purchased by Donald Sun and will be given new life. The challenge for 2012 will be finding room on an already crowded tournament and Olympic-dominated schedule.

www.avp.com

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The“Un-funded”Candidate

The Wide Open tour will be back in 2012 but without its title sponsorship from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (rhymes with “Sorona”). There is an ambitious schedule posted, including eight stops around the US, but no indication yet as to what the purses will be. Let’s just hope any new sponsors maintain the party atmosphere and great ball we have come to expect from Wide Open.

www.coronalightwideopen.com

The“Veteran”Candidate

Volleyball veteran Albert Hannemann founded the National Volleyball League in late 2010. The tour will have six stops this year, kicking off with the Preakness event in Baltimore on May 15-17. NVL excited volleyball fanatics, and lowered our work day productivity, by announcing it will provide a free live stream of the action online! Other fan favorites on the schedule are Waupaca, held in Oshkosh, WI (July 11-15), and the 40th Annual Motherlode Classic, held in Aspen, CO (Aug. 30-Sept. 3).

www.nationalvolleyballleague.com

Whether you’re playing, cheering, heckling, or drinking – and those are not mutually exclusive options – make sure to come out and participate in what is sure to be a great season of beach volleyball!

I started playing in the Waupaca Boatride Tournament (US Open of Grass Volleyball) when I was fifteen years old, that was 1992. It was the largest tournament I had ever taken part in up to that point. I have not missed a Boatride since. Talk to the vast majority of players in the tournament

and you’ll hear they share the same story—once and you’re hooked. It’s a big reason for the enormous field every summer.

As I grew older, the event continued to take on new and unique meaning for me. That’s another great thing about the Boatride. You could ask 50 different people about their favorite part, and you would receive 50 different responses, ranging from when and how they would get there, what supplies would be needed for camping, which hotel they would stay at, where they get the party supplies, favorite restaurants to visit, must stop bars on the road trip to the tournament, and their pre-tournament parties, which have become things of lore. These parties go down around elaborate campsites, one and two man tents, giant RV’s, pontoon boats, and jet skis.

The idiosyncrasies and traditions of the Boatride are countless. But the actual “boat ride” from which the tournament’s name derives will always be at the top of the list. The boat ride itself was real simple; we would rent two double-decker boats and stock them with half-barrels of beer (and whatever liquor

we could sneak on when no one was looking). Then we would cruise Wisconsin’s famed Chain O’ Lakes. Forty five minutes to an hour into the cruise, the boats would dock together in the middle of the biggest lake. Planks of wood were laid between the boats, allowing people to walk from boat to boat to party until the half barrels were empty (which happened way faster than we ever wanted it to). The keg stands off the side of the boats were particularly popular for the new comers and oh so fun to watch.

We would then go back to the bar where the boats were rented. Bands and DJs awaited our arrival, and the party continued late into the night. But it didn’t stop there, as many would return to their campsites, hotels, or sometimes to the backs of pick-up trucks to party into the wee hours of the Wisconsin summer morning.

The editor of SpikeKey asked me to share memories or stories about the tournament and I thought long and hard about how to do this and give a true representation of how I feel about the Boatride and its development over all these years. I came up with a list of players that on all levels helped this tournament grow and contribute in ways they might not even know they had. This list includes some past winners and great players, but all of them are incredible people and that is what makes the Boatride special for so many, especially me. In no particular order, Tom Galecke, Jason Smith, Kurt and Katie Officer, Eddie Zelhofer, Dave Miller, Scott Towne, Jim Booz, Jeff Vandenheuvel, Paul Natzke, Jim Gressel, Rick Miller, Mark Underwood, Irv Schutte, Jay Hooper, Scott Prox, Marty Matthias, Paul

The Best Weekend of the Year: Two Takes on One Great Event

By Jason Wheelock

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The Waupaca Boatride is a one of a kind tournament because of its wide variety of game types, its tremendous size and the atmosphere and excitement that 5,000 players and fans bring to the weekend. The event is unlike any other weekend tournament on the volleyball circuit. Players of all types

and spectators alike travel from all around just to be a part of it. This event plays host to every level of volleyball, starting with the lowest level ‘BB’ and the highest level, ‘Open’. Divisions have had as many as 200 teams! Waupaca is most well known for the Saturday grass triples tournament. But my brother Brian and I always begin the weekend off playing the beach doubles tournament on Friday. This year’s beach

doubles tournament lasted until 11:45PM and we had to start grass 3’s at 8AM the next morning. It takes a lot of energy but is well worth the effort and, of course, you always have adrenaline to help push you through such long days. Last year was great for us. We took second in the beach doubles tournament on Friday, and won the grass triples on Saturday in the Open divisions. Competing at Waupaca in the Open division is unlike anything else I have experienced. The later rounds of the beach doubles and the grass triples tournaments produce tremendous crowds. A full weekend of volleyball, camping, live music with family and friends and the event’s sheer size make Waupaca the best event of the summer.

Brian and Tim are brothers from St. Paul, MN. They both played collegiate volleyball and now are competitive beach doubles partners. They travel around the country with the help of their sponsor, Anytime Fitness, and compete in the NVL, Wide Open Tour, and Jose Cuervo tour.

By Tim Bomgren

Paske, Dave Bayer, Joe Lynch, Justin Schnor, Mike Dahlquist, Scott Oeth, Adam VanOort, Ben Shamrokh, Todd Reimer, Bryan Murray, Dan McHugh, Jason Mullholland, Chuck Rue, Mike Lester, Cory Phelps, Brian Peterson, Dan Schultz, Mike Dauernheim, Andrew Sederberg, Dave Carlson, Evan Berg, and Chris Hayworth.

I know that seems like a long list, but it’s not even close to the list I originally put together. I didn’t mention any of the amazing talent on the women’s

side or any of the next generation of outstanding players that play today.

As you may have figured out by now, this is one of my favorite tournaments and weekends of each summer. Although I may not be playing in the Boatride for many more years, it will always be a part of my life. My son attended his first Boatride last year at the tender age of six months. Hopefully one day he will continue the Wheelock Boatride tradition.

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November 3rd -10th, 2012

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November 11, 2012Divisions• King and Queen of the Court

(Invite Only) Invitational Tournament • AA Women’s, Grab Bag format

(Open to Public) • AA Men’s (Open to Public)• Limited Space

PRIZES* CASH * CASH* PRIZES * CASH* PRIZES

November 11, 2012Divisions ( ALL JUNIORS)• 18 and Under Division• 16 and Under Division• 14 and Under Division• 12 and Under Division• Limited Space

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Around the World

Cristin Alexander

Height: 6’0Born: Cayman IslandsResides: George Town, Cayman IslandsEducation: University of Western Ontario where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology

Can you share any examples of how your work on the court helped to prepare you for Miss World and Miss Universe?

I would probably say that the discipline involved with being a national-level athlete prepared me for all the hard work I would face going into both Miss World and Miss Universe. I already knew what it was to train hard and focus on the end goal, so I just kept doing what I had been doing all along, just in a different arena. The only skill I had to get the hang of was doing my hair and makeup in less than an hour.

Miss Universe and competitive beach volleyball are two totally different animals. Was it like worlds colliding?

I began playing beach almost three years ago when I returned from university and at that point I had so many things I wanted to do, one of which was

entering Miss Cayman Islands. When I actually ended up winning, I tried hard to balance training, tournaments, work and my Miss Cayman commitments. There was very little down-time and It took some getting used to, but it really taught me time management skills and balance. The competitiveness I developed in volleyball definitely came to the surface when I was competing in the pageant world.

How would you consider the level of play in Cayman?

I think Cayman beach volleyball has come a long way in a very short time. There is definitely room for growth and improvement, but I think we play at a relatively high level. We have been privileged to play against some extremely competitive teams and each time we learn a little more about our game. It’s all a process. I am lucky to have such an amazing partner as well. It makes a world of difference to play with someone so experienced and supportive.

Cayman Islands

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Jennifer Bily

Height: 5’10Born: Atlanta, GeorgiaResides: George Town, Cayman IslandsEducation: Savannah College of Art and Design, Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) from Life University Website: LifeExtensionCayman.com

What was the highlight for your team in the 2011/2012 season?

We recently had our first tournament victory. Physically, we played well but it was also a breakthrough for our mental game. We beat teams we haven’t before, stayed focused and finished strong. It felt really good.

What makes the Cayman Islands a great place for beach volleyball?

The environment for beach volleyball in the Cayman Islands is quite perfect. We have white sandy beaches, gentle breezes, a warm climate all year-round, and the gorgeous Caribbean Sea just paces away from the courts. We feel there is a strong niche here in Cayman for sports tourism. We are a quick flight from the US. Accommodations are very

reasonable in the “offseason” with great weather any time of year.

From Carl Brenton, Board Member and Beach Coordinator, Cayman Islands Volleyball Federation (CIVF)

The support during the NORCECA tournaments we hosted shows how excited people are to come watch high level beach volleyball in Cayman. People talk to me all year around how they can’t wait for the tournament to come back again and how they had such a great time at the last one.

With the development of the public beach over the next year we really think the expansion will make our beach even better suited for holding these big events. Now that the FIVB and NORCECA have seen the quality of tournaments that

we can produce and the great infrastructure that we have here in Cayman, I am sure that we will be able to get an FIVB event here at some point. Whether it is a challenger event or a single-gender event will depend on several factors, including sponsorship, but I definitely know that we can produce a world-class event.

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2012 Olympic hopefuls Josh Binstock

Age: 31Height: 6’5Born: TorontoResides: Richmond HillEducation: Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College,

BPHE from the University of TorontoWebsite: www.road2london2012.com

Martin Reader

Age: 28Height: 6’7Born: Comox, BCResides: CourtenayEducation: The University of British ColumbiaWebsite: www.martinreader.ca

Team Canada: What are your team goals for 2012?

Qualify for, and medal at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Could you give us a snap shot of your off-season training schedule? Did you travel outside of Canada to prepare for the upcoming beach season?

We just had a brand new Olympic-standard indoor beach volleyball facility built for us in Toronto. By Olympic-standard I mean sand quality and depth, along with FIBV nets. Unfortunately we have to train inside all winter as the national team coach, Lennard Krapp, and program are based there. If you want to be on the national team, and be a part of the program, you must live in Toronto. Other than Toronto, there is only one other city with an indoor beach volleyball facility in Canada, Vancouver.

Our off-season training schedule:

Mon/Wed/Fri: practice from 8:30-11:30, strength training in gym from 2-4 (heavy). Tues/Thurs: practice from 8:30-11:30, strength training in gym from 12:30-2 (light - shoulder and core maintenance), conditioning in the sand from 3-4. Saturdays: competitions days vs other teams in the program.

Our out-of-Canada outdoor off-season training started at our first NORECA tournament in the Cayman Islands, so I guess that doesn’t really even count as off-season training. But we used the Cayman Islands and consequently the Boca Chica (Dominican Republic) NORECA tournaments as warm up tournaments for the FIBV.

Team Canada: The climate isn’t ideal for beach volleyball in Canada. Does that have an effect on the perception of the sport across the country? Is it gaining popularity or still under the radar?

Surprisingly it doesn’t have an effect on the perception of the sport. I can’t actually speak for the whole country, but in Toronto, we have an amazing, huge, natural beach with over 100 courts.

Martin: Why did you make the transition from professional indoor to the beach game?

I blew my shoulder out and needed surgery on my labrum. After not playing for a year, I didn’t think I was going to be able to play competitive volleyball again. The great thing about beach though, and the reason I made the switch, is that you can be successful without having to hit the ball as hard as you can every time. It requires overall athleticism. As opposed indoor, where you can be good at one skill and poor at the rest of the skills yet still compete at a high level.

Another reason I prefer beach over indoor is because you have more control over the outcome of the match. If you are playing badly indoors, you can have your teammates bail you out or get subbed off, and the team can still win the match. Whereas on the beach, you have to play well or you will definitely lose since you can’t get subbed off and hide behind your teammates. You have to touch the ball every rally.

Canada

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Baltimore Beach is on the Volleyball Map Eleven years ago, Todd Webster was granted permission by the Baltimore Department for Recreation and Parks to set up sand courts in the very heart of Baltimore’s downtown Inner Harbor. This is how Baltimore Beach was born. Since its inception, the courts have attracted players of all levels as well as interested spectators. There are seven sand courts developed for league play, training, and open play.

Last year, during the spring and summer seasons, more than 1,500 volleyball players visited the beach every week. Every year, more than 13 million tourists visit the Inner Harbor. Both the residents and tourists have been attracted to the charm of having the courts in Baltimore’s downtown.

Social Pagewww.baltimorebeach.com

Local GrubMaryland is famous for its Chesapeake Bay blue crabs. But being a diverse city, you can find food for every appetite. If you happen to be playing on Baltimore Beach, stop by “Little Havana”, “Don’t Know”, or “Uno’s”. These local favorites offer volleyball players great deals on their menus. Be sure to mention that you play at Baltimore Beach!

NightlifeCharm and history is what you will find in historic Fell’s Point. Its pubs and bars provide trendy and nonstop entertainment. Located on the harbor and famous for its maritime past, Fell’s Point now boasts the greatest concentration of bars in the city. Not to be outdone, Canton is considered Baltimore’s hippest neighborhood. Another popular neighborhood is Inner Harbor East, which maximizes the existing history, culture, tradition, and economic vibrance of the Inner Harbor. In addition, Federal Hill, located near Camden Yards is a good spot to find live music.

DancingGet ready to dance the night away after midnight. “Power Plant Live” is Baltimore’s premier dining and entertainment destination; and it’s just one block from Inner Harbor. You will find a myriad of clubs with hot DJs that will to have you dancing all night long.

Upcoming Volleyball Tournaments and LeaguesFourth of July Hat Draw Tournament: teams are assigned at random according to skill level. Best of all, Baltimore Beach is one of the BEST places to view Baltimore’s Inner Harbor July 4th fireworks!

Beach volleyball in the heart of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor

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The Big Kahuna Tournament: Baltimore’s annual end-of-summer beach volleyball party! National Volleyball League Tour: check out the first stop of this professional circuit as, Baltimore hosts the NVL Tour. Final matches will take place at the Pimlico Race Course for The Preakness.

Volleyball ObsessedBaltimore Beach operates for 7-8 months, weather permitting. During its closure, most players opt for indoor volleyball or other sports. That is, unless you’re part of the volleyball-addicts, who play outdoors year round! The lowest temperature they dare to play at is about 42

degrees. All it takes is replacing bathing suits with Under Armor thermal leggings and mocks, and swapping sand socks for Vibrams. Some even sport special gloves to prevent hands from getting cuts from the cold. If you don’t mind wind gusts over 15 mph and damp sand courts, outdoor play may be for you no matter what season. A lot of other cities have indoor sand courts, but not Baltimore.

Community LeaderMarija Stoilkovic

Train HereBaltimore Beach–seven beach courts at Rash Field. Times/Dates: League play runs Sunday through Friday, 5:30pm - 10:30 pm. Open play is every weekend, all day. Drop-In play most weekends, check the website for specific days and times.

BALTIMORE HAS A BEACH?Yes...seven (7) courts on over 1000 tons of sand located at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

So...put a beach break in your week.

• Beginner-Advanced leagues with coed, men’s, women’s, junior’s, 2’s, 4’s, and 6’s divisions

• 1,500+ players, 300 teams per week, so there’s plenty of competition

• Spring & Summer Sessions, all divisions cometing one night a week, Sun-Fri

• Olympic class equipment, the same we use to host professional (NVL)

• Drop-in play and/or tournaments most weekends

* The beach is also available for organized group events or team exercises.

Check us out at: BaltimoreBeach.com or info@Baltimorebeach.com

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Aurora’s Big BreakMy parents played backyard volleyball all throughout my childhood, but I was never really interested in playing. When I entered into the 6th grade however, I came home with a flyer for volleyball tryouts and told my Mom I wanted to do it. My mom was of course all for it, and started practicing with me on the sand volleyball court in our backyard. A few short weeks later I made the team, beginning my volleyball career.

The summer before I entered 9th grade, I found out about beach volleyball tournaments. They looked like so much fun. I wanted to start competing in them right away. Once I did, it didn’t take long before I was hooked! I started playing on the beach every chance I got, all while playing indoor for my high school and club.

My senior year I was playing in a beach volleyball tournament at Siesta Key and surprisingly was offered a scholarship to play indoor at State College of Florida in Bradenton. I accepted the scholarship and played there for two years.

During my last year at SCF I came into contact with coach Chris Poole the head coach at Florida State University. He told me that FSU had decided to have a sand volleyball team and he wanted me to play for him. I could not believe it! Growing up I was always a big FSU fan, but I had never even dreamt that I could possibly play for them. After a lot of praying, I decided to take coach Poole up on his offer, hit pause on my indoor career and play sand volleyball for Florida State University.

How Collegiate Sand Volleyball Competitions WorkThe formatting for college sand events is very different from what I was use to. We

Aurora NewgardCaptain, Florida State University sand volleyball teamMajor: Social Science | Gradation Year: 2013

The Sand Brought Her a DreamAurora Newgard in Her Own Words…

have a team of 15 girls. In one event 10 girls get to play at a time, five teams of two.

There are two different kinds of events that we would play in. The first is called a dual and is played between two

schools. It is played almost exactly like tennis. Each school has a #1, a #2, a #3, a #4, and a #5 team. In a dual, the #1 team plays the other schools #1 team, #2 plays #2, and so on. Each team plays the best two out of three. And then the school who wins the most matches (best three out of five) wins the dual.

The second type of event we have is called a pairs tournament. This is played with multiple schools, each team in pools. Everyone comes out of pool play and is then seeded according to how they finished. It’s single elimination from there on out. After the tournament is over each school earns points depending on how each of their five teams finish.

Advice for Catching Your Own Big BreakMy advice to any high school student who wants to play beach volleyball in college is to never sell yourself short or give up on something just because you think you can’t do it or aren’t good enough. In high school, I had a funky arm swing and couldn’t hit very well. My club season of my 10th grade year I had a coach who worked with me on my swing and although it took a while to get, it finally started clicking and my sophomore year in college I had the most kills in the nation for NJCAA. So dream big and never give up! “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” -Phillippians 4:13

• 2011/2012 Accolades • AVCA 2012 Sand Volleyball

All-American• 1st place at the University of

Southern California tournament• 1st place at the Florida State

tournament• 1st place at the Fiesta on

Siesta tournament

• 2nd place at the Winter Haven tournament

• 2nd place at the University of North Florida tournament

• All tournament team at the University of North Florida tournament

• Ranked #1 going into nationals• 5th place finish at nationals

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SEEING DOUBLEConversations with twin athletes...

SEEING DOUBLE

1. Do you have similar physical strengths as your twin with respect to volleyball? 2. What are the advantages of playing sports with your twin? 3. What do you find difficult about being on the same team as your twin?

Faith Price • Setter• Sophomore• Left-handed• Older Twin

1. How do people tell you apart from your twin? 2. Do you expect more from your twin than you do out of your other teammates?3. What are the advantages of playing sports with your twin?

Hope Price • Outside Hitter• Sophomore• Right-handed • Younger Twin

1. Physically, we are very similar to one another. We both have muscular body types. I have stronger legs, while my twin has stronger arms.

2. When we started playing volleyball, we chose different positions. So far, the best advantage is the ability to practice each of our individual volleyball skills together. I’m a setter, and my twin is an outside hitter. The ability to get in extra practice and repetitions outside of team practice greatly helped improve our game. Oftentimes, our opponents become confused in identifying who is the setter and who is the hitter. A personal and mental advantage of having my twin is that we always have someone to talk to and share our feelings with. We have so many memories we make every day on and off the court!

3. I become more easily frustrated with my twin versus my other teammates. If she is not playing well and making mistakes, I feel her performance reflects negatively back on me. I put more pressure on my twin on the court, which can lead to more sisterly arguments at home.

1. We are identical twins, so telling us part is very difficult. Some people say our voices sound the same too. We try help people out by sharing our twin identifier: Faith freckle, Hope nope. Faith has a freckle near the left side of her nose and I don’t.

2. Yes, I expect more out of Faith than my other teammates. I know Faith’s volleyball ability, and I am confident in her volleyball skills because I get to see her practice every day. I am comfortable putting more pressure on her than my other teammates.

3. Often, during a tournament or game situation, I can predict what my twin’s next move will be. This is a great advantage if I am playing with her. On the flip side, I know how to read her movements when we face one another in a scrimmage.

1. Do you have similar physically strengths as your twin with respect to volleyball?

2. Do you expect more from your twin than you do out of your other teammates?

Kiona McSwain • Setter • Senior• Right-handed

1. What are the advantages of playing sports with your twin?2. Do you expect more from your twin than you do out of your

other teammates?

Kiah McSwain • Outside Hitter • Senior• Right-handed

1. We are both physically gifted, but in different areas. I have strong forearms and wrists for setting, while my twin, Kia, is more physical player when it comes to attacking. 2. I expect more out of my twin than I do out of my other teammates. As a setter, I feel very confident setting her after she makes a mistake. When she calls for the set I can hear the confidence in her voice that I am looking for as a setter.

1. Having a sister who is a setter makes it easy to practice in the gym by ourselves, not just during club sessions. It’s nice to know that you have a personal cheerleader and someone you can always count on.

2. I expect more from my twin, because I know what she is fully capable of, and know how skilled she is.

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1. What are the advantages of playing sports with your twin?2. Do you expect more from your twin than you do out of your other teammates?3. What do you find difficult about being on the same team as your twin?

Angela Rafaniello • Defensive Specialist/

Outside hitter • Freshman • Left-handed • Older Twin

1. How do people tell you apart? 2. Do you have similar physically strengths as your twin in regards to athletics? 3. What are the advantages of playing sports with your twin?

Maria Rafaniello • Defensive Specialist • Freshman • Right-handed• Younger Twin

1. One advantage of playing sports with your twin is that you never have to do anything alone. You always have someone to practice with and hold you accountable. It’s wonderful to play a sport that you both love, and I can’t imagine playing a different sport than my twin sister.

2. I definitely expect more out of my twin than my other teammates. I know firsthand all of the hard work and practice that she puts in to become a better player, and as a result, I hold her more accountable on the court.

3. As much as I love having a twin, we often don’t get along that well on the court. We play similar positions for indoor volleyball, and we both compete for the same spot. For beach volleyball, we both play, but pair with different partners.

1. Our friends and teachers have a hard time telling me apart from my twin sister. One cosmetic identifier is that we part our hair on opposite sides. Angela parts her hair on the left side and I part my hair on the right side. I also have a beauty mark on my left cheek and on my left eyelid. I am also slightly shorter than my sister.

2. We are very similar in our physical strengths when it comes to volleyball. We are both strong servers and hit a heavy ball when it comes to attacking.

3. When you have a twin, it is never an excuse that you don’t have someone to practice with. It’s special to share each the victories on the court, and comforting to know that you have a caring ear when you have a bad game.

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hether you’re a weekend warrior, a weekday player, or a serious beach volleyball competitor, you can always find

drills and workouts to improve your skills on the court. I love discovering new ways to increase cardiovascular endurance, training tips, and strategies to take my game to the next level. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of changing-up the repetition of playing regular beach volleyball games. Not all of us are lucky enough to live in a state that is sunny all year-round. So, many of you who love beach volleyball and love to compete are looking to stay in shape until the summer months when you can dig your toes into the sand and start playing again. For those of you that are fortunate to have access to a beach or sand courts year-round, drills and other game-like situations can help you to keep improving and maintain a fresh perspective on the beach game. You’re in luck. A few professionals from the South of the Border Volleyball Vacations, along with some input from legendary beach coach, Angela Rock, have agreed to share their favorite beach drills and workouts. All of these drills and exercises can be used to improve your game, stay in shape, or just give you a fresh alternative to playing beach volleyball matches.

Tired of Just Playing Beach Volleyball Games?

GOAL: Utilize these fun, fast, and methodical drills to get to that next level.

TIP: Many of these are designed for a beach court but can also be done on an indoor court. Follow beach rules.

Warm-up Routine: It’s important that when you go to play or compete, before you step on the court, create a routine to get yourself mentally prepared each time. This routine should be personalized, and prepare you mentally and physically for competition.

By Paige Davis Jensen

Check Out Some of the Pros’ Thoughts On Mixing-Up Your Beach Workouts and Staying in Shape during the Off-Season...

W

Drills To Improve Your Game

38 SpikeKey 2012

Pull/Dig Combo

Focus: This drill focuses on two defensive parts of the game: pulling and digging.

Equipment: Ideal: four ballsMinimum: two balls

Participants: Ideal: four athletes + coach observing Minimum: two athletes + coach assisting

TIP: It’s beneficial to first do a few reps of the drill without a ball, then, have a partner put the ball in play for a series of four hits: hard hit first, short shot next, over your head 3rd, and finally a 4th ball anywhere on the court.

Drill Description

1. Player A starts as if they are blocking line.2. Player B tosses the ball to mimic a set, and then will

hit the ball down the line at Player A. 3. Player A makes their “pull” move during the toss, and

is in a stopped in a defensive-ready position when Player B hits the ball.

Triangle Setting

Goal: This drill gives athletes a large number of setting repetitions. Keep the ball going continuously for 10-15 rounds and then rotate positions. Do the drill on both sides of the court to work on setting from both the left and the right. Do one round bump-setting and one round hand-setting.

Equipment: Ideal: three ballsMinimum: two balls

Participants: Ideal: four athletes + coach observing Minimum: two athletes + coach assisting

Drill Variations • Change the hit or toss location to ensure the setter

gets practice setting different pass locations. • The coach/athlete can hit/toss the ball with different

spins to challenge the passer and setter.

Drill Description 1. You will need one passer, one hitter, one setter (or two

setters alternating if you have a group of four). Keep the ball going continuously for a chosen number of repetitions.

2. Player A stands in right serve receive3. Player B stand in left serve receive4. Player C stands at the net and will toss/hit at the

right side hitter5. Player A passes to the middle and player B sets the

ball back to Player C.

A B

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A

B

C

GOAL: The goal is to focus on getting three small points in order to get a BIG point, whoever gets to five BIG points first, wins.

Court set up: To start out you have the point-earning (PE) team and the point-stopping (PS) team.

• The PS team’s goal is to keep the other team from scoring three consecutive points. • The PE team’s goal is to win three points in a row, but it must be done by siding-out for the first two points, and then

winning the last point by serving and playing defense. • Only the PE team can win BIG points so the PS team wants to stop them and become the PE team to have a chance

at earning a BIG point.

GOAL: The beach game requires a unique combination of physical and mental strength. These are best attained by emphasizing endurance and mental focus in practice.

Tip: Interval training, whether on an elliptical, track, neighborhood street, bike, etc. is great cardio to stay in shape for the beach. It closely simulates the fast-twitch, stop-and-go flow of the beach game.

Star Drill

Can use with or without a med ball. Start in defensive position facing the net. You are going to make a defensive move to each sideline point forming the shape of a star. Always face the net and come back to center in a ready position.

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Big Points

To Stay In Shape

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Over the years, plyometric training has inspired confusion and debate. Much of the confusion stems from the name itself. The term “plyometric” first appeared in coaching literature in the late 1960s, but what is now known as “plyometric training” was incorporated in training regimens many years prior. Generally speaking, plyometrec training is comprised of jumping, hopping,

and bounding activities, which are basic human movements. But it wasn’t until the middle of the 1900s that these movements were systematically applied to enhance athletic performance.

Plyometric training is based on the naturally occurring physiological phenomenon of the “stretch-shortening” cycle of muscle action. Training this stretch-shortening cycle enhances the explosiveness of the subsequent movement. This stretch-shortening action is a muscle quality that is highly trainable and adaptable. Scientifically, it is more accurate and descriptive to call the training method and the physiological demands elastic/reactive training. This term is cumbersome, hence, the term “plyometrics” is more commonly used. Essentially we are training the elastic properties of the muscle to be more reactive to the ground. There are three primary goals of plyometric training: (1) to increase explosive power; (2) to better attenuate or absorb ground forces regardless of the event or sport; and (3) to learn to tolerate and use greater stretch loads, and in essence to increase muscle “stiffness.”

This last point requires more explanation. The concept of “stiffness” is sometimes confusing because we tend to equate stiffness with a lack of flexibility, but for explosive movements and plyometric training, this

is not the case. Musculotendinous stiffness is the key to plyometric training. It is highly related to the body’s ability to store and reuse elastic energy from running and jumping. Essentially, a “stiff” muscle will develop a high degree of tension as it is stretched. This is very a very desirable quality when it comes to explosiveness. Conversely, a non-“stiff” muscle will collapse and absorb elastic energy. It does not react as actively to the ground, and therefore, will produce significantly less explosiveness and reactive force.

A simple analogy is to compare a soft rubber playground ball and a golf ball. If both balls were dropped onto a hard concrete surface, the golf ball would react rapidly to the ground, and the playground ball would react slowly to the ground. In plyometic training, the goal is to achieve a golf ball-type reaction in athletic movements.

Introduction to

By Vern GambettaGambetta Sports Training Systemswww.gambetta.com

Plyometric Training

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A stiff muscle is able to produce greater amounts of reactive force in a short period of time.

As briefly mentioned above, plyometric training consists of three very basic movements. Jumping, specifically two-foot landings, is the most fundamental. Hopping is a one-foot landing. A bounding is characterized by alternate leg takeoffs. The complexity in plyometric training comes from combining these movements and their derivatives.

Plyometric training is not a stand alone training method. It is highly compatible and significantly enhanced by strength training. It is also closely related to speed development. It is NOT a conditioning tool!

To obtain optimal results from plyometric training, the focus should be on the intensity of the movements, as opposed to the number or quantity of contacts and repetitions. Nothing should ever compromise the intensity of the plyometric movements. Too much emphasis has been placed on the number of repetitions or contacts. Remember, plyometric training should not be used for conditioning. More is definitely not better.

The prerequisites for plyometric training are coordination, balance, body control and awareness. Core control and core strength are also very important to maintain good posture during the plyometric movements. Once these prerequisites are at an

acceptable level, the athlete is ready to start into a basic plyometric progression.

Progression is essential to minimize injury and optimize training effectiveness. The key to progression is to master landing first. Foot position is the key to landing. The landing should be on a full foot (mid foot contact), not on the ball of the foot or a completely flat foot. A full-foot landing will set the foot in a position to absorb shock, and set up the utilization of the elasticity of the muscles. This teaches how to absorb shock and set up the readiness for the any subsequent take-offs on multiple repetition activities. After landing is mastered, the focus is shifted to the take-off, which is triple extension—ankle, knee and hip.

Plyometric training movements are also classified descriptively based on the projection of the center of gravity. The In-Place Response is characterized by vertical displacement of center of gravity. The Short Response is characterized by horizontal displacement of center of gravity and ten contacts or less. The Long Response is characterized by horizontal displacement of center of gravity with speed and more than ten contacts. To help develop an effective plyometric training program, the following Plyometric Demand Matrix was developed to govern progression. The progression variables can be manipulated moving down the column or across. The suggested range of sets, repetitions and or distance appears in each box.

LowImpact

Medium Impact

HighImpact

Shock

In-Place Response

3-4 sets10-20 reps

3 sets10-12 reps

2-3 sets8-10 reps

2 sets10 reps

Short Response

3 sets10-12 reps10-20 meters

3 sets10 reps10-20 meters

2-3 sets8-10 reps10-20 meters

2 sets10 reps

Long Response

3 sets10-20 reps20-40 meters

2-3 sets10-15 reps20-40 meters

2-3 sets10-12 reps20-40 meters

NA

(Adapted from Radcliffe, High Powered Plyometrics, p. 42)

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How often is optimum? Two to three times in a seven day period is acceptable, depending on the phase of the year and the sport. Low impact plyometric movements can be done daily as part of warm-up.

How complex should the exercises be? Start with simple movements, and then add combinations and complexity. With respect to sequence and compatibility with other training components, plyometic training and strength training are very complementary. Plyometric training is also very compatible with speed development. Given this fundamental compatibility with other methods of high-demand training it is imperative to take into account the overall training stress on the athlete when combining plyometric training with the other training components.

Where does plyometric training best fit in the training spectrum? Plyometric training must always be there! The number of contacts, the type of exercise and the complexity should change and adapt as the season progresses. Where in the workout is best? Generally early in the workout before there is any fatigue. With younger developing athletes, use plyometric training before strength training and before sprinting. As the athlete advances, then plyometric components can be blended with strength training, and even incorporated after strength training components in some circumstances.

At what age is the appropriate to begin plyometric training? There is no physiological reason why the young developing athlete cannot do plyometric training. The intensity should be low and the drills and exercises should be play-like. Games like hopscotch and jump rope are very appropriate as training and as lead-up activities.

When problems occur in plyometric training, it is often caused by a lack of progression. In other words, too much was done too soon, or there was an inappropriate selection of exercises. Also, poor technique in the actual execution of the exercises can create excess stresses. Strength deficiencies either in the lower extremities or the core coupled with these two issues can be a major contributing factor to injuries. In summary, if properly applied, plyometric training can be a tremendous training tool. Use it progressively, and make sure it is always considered in context with all components of the training program.

Plyometric Training Step by Step

Learn to landHow you land determines how you take-offUse as many joint as possible to reduce force

Learn to take-offTriple extension – Use as many joints as possible to produce force

Learn to use the groundTwo foot landing >>> One foot landing>>> Alternate foot landings

Get VerticalProject and displace up

Get HorizontalProject and displace out

Q&A

Plyometric Training

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Do you want to take your beach game to the next level? If so, your body needs the proper combination of carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and hydration to fuel it for peak performance. Eating right will help you play or train longer, and at a higher level of intensity. A proper diet can help your body adapt to your sport and improve your speed, body composition, strength, and recovery time. It can also delay the onset of fatigue, while reducing the risk of cramps and injury. In short, eating right can improve your game.

Before Your GameEating the right foods at the start of your day

can give you the energy-and-strength foundation you need to play your best all day. Look for options high in complex carbohydrates—the days of carb- loading with white pasta

are gone. You want to focus on whole grains for a slow release of energy that will last for hours not minutes. You also want a healthy combination of protein and fat.

You should eat a larger meal a few hours before your game. Try peanut butter, banana, and honey drizzle on whole wheat toast, or an almond milk

smoothie with banana and frozen fruit with granola. Other options could be an egg sandwich on a whole grain bagel, or oatmeal with fruit and walnuts, or a grilled chicken breast sandwich

on whole wheat toast.

Closer to the activity (30-60 minutes before exercise), have a light snack, such as fruit, a healthy granola bar, or peanut butter on whole grain crackers. This will keep you going for the first match.

Between GamesIt takes a lot of energy to play beach volleyball all day long. Eating small amounts of complex carbohydrates that are easy to digest can help you maintain energy levels throughout the day. Cut-up fruit is great—bananas will replace the potassium (an electrolyte) that you lose when you sweat. Bites of healthy power bars (I like Clif bars, Lara bars, and Luna bars for the fast carbs) or whole grain crackers will also give you energy. And if the crackers are salty, they can help replace the sodium (another electrolyte) that you lost in your sweat.

Replacing fluids is especially important during the day. Drink water every chance you get so you do not get dehydrated. Drinking is the best way to rehydrate and cool your body from the inside out. Coconut water is a great, natural way to replenish electrolytes while you drink. A protein shake might also provide you with some extra energy and hydration, and assist with post-game recovery.

After the TournamentAfter a great day of volleyball, you need to replace the nutrients that you utilized while playing. It is important to replace

Eating Your

By Rebecca Kloss MPT, MN, RDBest

46 SpikeKey 2012

carbohydrates, sodium, and potassium that are lost during exercise. Protein may also be needed

to aid in muscle repair. You want to

be sure to eat within an hour after finishing

your last game. Recovery snacks and meals can be

very much like the pre-exercise examples, which provide a healthy mix of

carbohydrate, protein, and fat. You might also try brown rice with beans, salsa, and avocado, or a lean meat stir fry with peppers and onions in a whole wheat tortilla, or quinoa pasta with veggies, shrimp, and olive oil drizzle, or a whole grain veggie pizza. The possibilities are endless. Your body, and your game, will thank you for it!

About the Author

Rebecca Kloss, MPT, MN, RD is a licensed Dietitian with a Master’s Degree in Nutrition from San Diego State University and a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy from Ithaca College. Rebecca has 14 years of experience working with clients and counseling wellness. She currently practices in Sarasota, Florida. For more information, or to schedule a consultation you can contact her through her website: www.DietSarasota.com.

By Rebecca Kloss MPT, MN, RD

By Dr. Beth A. Lancaster

s a chiropractor and volleyball player, I am constantly thinking about how posture plays into daily activities, especially for fellow players. The simple things we do all the time, such as driving, working on a computer, lifting, and even standing and sleeping, can affect our performance during competition.

Our bodies are designed to be in motion twelve hours a day. Before the invention of the light bulb, humans on average slept ten hours each day. This frequency of activity gave us little time for sitting, which is why, today, two of the worst offenders against our posture are computers and cars.

The Computer The longer we work on a computer, the worse our posture becomes. We begin to slouch and lean our head forward. And somehow, that darn mouse gets further and further away, so we reach with our arm, disengaging our humerus from the shoulder joint. You know when your shoulder aches in the front, and your volleyball serves and attacks don’t feel as strong as usual? These tendencies at computers may be the root cause. Slouching straightens out the curve in our lower spine and rotates the shoulders slightly forward. When your shoulder is in this position and not fully articulated in joint, you experience pain and instability that takes away power from your shoulder.

in Line

A

We are putting stress in between our shoulder blades, compromising them, and in turn, our neck and traps start to ache because we are slouching. This improper posture puts our neck in front of our body, and results in improper weight bearing, with stress on our neck and upper back muscles. Potential effects to computer users may be headaches or neck and upper back pain. This will affect your movement on the court and the power and consistency of your swing.

To help solve these posture issues, start with a chair that allows your feet to be comfortably on the floor. You should sit up straight with your back resting on the back of the chair with lumbar support. The computer screen should be at eye level to discourage slouching. The mouse and keyboard should be close enough to make reaching, unnecessary and our shoulders aligned. Most importantly you should also get up from your chair and walk around every hour.

Keep yourSpine

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DrivingDriving poses posture problems similar to computer work does. Prolongedsitting at the wheel can lead to slouching, pelvic rotation, and numbness in the legs. To prevent these issues, drive with your back against the seat and your hands low on the steering wheel at “5 and 7”. These changes prevent the shoulders from rotating forward and protect them in case the airbag deployment. Another helpful hint is using cruise control, which discourages pelvic rotation and eases pressure on the sciatic nerve – a source of pain and numbness. Also, stopping every few hours to walk and stretch is beneficial.

Lifting Weights or ObjectsIn volleyball, we arch our back every time we serve and hit. Sometimes, players experience a pinching in the back during this motion, which may be caused by having lifted something improperly. To reduce this symptom, lift weights or everyday objects by keeping them close to your body and without leaning backwards. A backwards leaning motion with the weight jams the facet joints in our spine, causing the chronic pinching.

SleepingBelieve it or not, how you sleep can affect your spine. Muscular legs attributed to volleyball players need support at the knees during sleeping to support the lower back and the pelvis. If you’re a side sleeper, put a pillow between your knees. If you sleep on your back, put a pillow under your knees. If you sleep on your belly, stop (please)! No support for your spine exists when you sleep on your belly. Adding a pillow as part of your sleeping habits will make your hips and spine feel better, and you might just sleep better.

StandingAs volleyball players, most of us are tall and, especially for women, slouching while standing is common. We need to be proud of our height and stand straight with our shoulders back. Standing and sitting improperly with our shoulders forward and head down can cause microfractures in our upper back and potentially a permanent hump called a dowager’s hump. Also, standing up straight and proud will not only help your selfesteem but also will intimidate the competition!

We can’t expect perfect posture all the time, but there are certain practices

we can use to help. All of the issues mentioned here

can be resolved with chiropractic adjustments. Additionally, the following exercises can supplement:

• For shoulders: 90 degree door stretch, Theraband stretch, and rotator cuff theraband exercise. • For neck: Exercise ball

exercise.• For low back: Lumbar

curve exercise.• For entire spine: Sitting

on ball exercise.

It’s Mo re Than a Game...It’s a Lifestyle

By Gretchen Duffner Professional Beach

Volleyball Player

B each volleyball is more than a game – it’s a lifestyle. Beach players have attributes that

transfer from their every day life to their volleyball careers. They are positive, dependable, successful, healthy, stylish, and usually work well with others. Playing beach volleyball provides physical and emotional wellbeing, which can lead to a happier and healthier life. Here is how beach volleyball became my lifestyle.

Court of Dreams. In the beginning of my beach volleyball career, I lived in St. Louis, Missouri. The closest thing we had to a beach was the Mississippi River bed. My teammate at the time, Kelly Hickam, and I found a bar that built a sand court for everyone to play on. We trained at that court almost everyday. That’s right, we trained at a bar. The leagues at the Statford Inn were intense.

People of all ages were playing anything from two-man to six-man games. I relate my first years playing volleyball to the classic movie Field of Dreams - “If you build it they will come.” Thank you Brian Williams for building a court and bringing a beach to St. Louis. It helped to build a stronger community of active individuals of all ages. Today, St. Louis has about six different sand locations for play.

California Dreamin’. I moved to California in 2007.

Everything in California is different when you are to use to living in the Midwest. Style,

fitness, and game strategy were all adjustments that a Midwesterner, such as myself, had to make. I moved to Hermosa Beach and lived off of 2nd Street within walking distance to the beach. I adopted the attitude in California—work hard so you can play harder. I remember walking on Manhattan Beach Pier and looking at all the bronzed volleyballs where all the beach icons became champions of the Manhattan Beach Open. I don’t know if you can say Manhattan Beach started beach volleyball, but it is certainly considered the mecca today.

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50 SpikeKey 2012

International players train here because of the coaches, deep sand, and tough competition. On any given day, you can see coaches, players, and novices for miles north and south of the Pier. My favorite group is at Marine Street, north

of the Manhattan Beach Pier where the old timers get together. Their average age is 70. They play six on six beach volleyball, and they have more ball control in their little pinky than a youngster has in her whole body. If you’re a beach volleyball fanatic and haven’t visited yet…Put it on the bucket list!

Sunshine State. Florida has one of the cleanest and most beautiful beaches in the United States in Siesta Key (Dr. Beach said

so himself!). The beach volleyball lifestyle goes hand and hand with this beautiful state. I have had the pleasure of living in Florida for this past year. I have seen beach volleyball at its best, from the pan-handle down to the last key. The mantra here is, “Beat the heat and love to play.” Miami‘s heat makes you reach for the water bottle, but the culture is what really makes you sweat. Miami has it all! Competitive volleyball, fashion, and a nightlife that doesn’t stop are some of the highlights. On the Gulf side, Siesta Key is by far my favorite beach. The sand is so white it would blind you if you didn’t have sunglasses on. The atmosphere is different at Siesta; life is easier and a little slower, so you can stop to smell the ocean. No matter if you love city life or crave relaxation, beach volleyball is the sport that can fit any lifestyle. Tournaments for the recreational player to the professional are within driving distance in Florida. If an all-day tournament isn’t your first choice, pick up games can be found at every beach. All you need is a ball and to ask “who has next?”

From coast to coast beach volleyball can be found in any state, even the ones without beaches. There are many reason to get into this sport. Here are some of mine...

Community: On and off the court, beach volleyball has a world-wide family with close ties. We can be found near any sand court and are happy to help someone in need.

Fit as a fiddle: Did you know if you play beach volleyball for just a hour a day, you can burn 400-800 calories?! We are lean mean fighting machines.

Easy on the eyes: We run around in the sand so much, it’s no surprise we look pretty good with clothes on or in just our bikinis.

Well being: If it seems like beach volleyball players are pretty happy… It’s because we are! Playing in the sand releases endorphins, which improve your mood. I like to call it meditation in motion.

Trend setters: Our spectators’ average annual household income is $115,000. That’s a lot of buying power and sponsors know it…We are starting to look like Nascar, and we like it.

Sunshine: We have great tans.

Culture: Our music library is full of great tunes for high-intensity games or wasting away in Margaritaville.

Passion: Having a passion for anything is the spice of life.

Travel: Did I mention we play on the beach?

People: I have played this sport for a while now. I have played with, against, and trained with the best in the world. I have played pick-up games with fans who have never touched the ball. I never met a volleyball player that I didn’t like. We are fierce competitors, successful, outgoing, fun-loving, and ready to play at any given chance. Beach volleyball makes our lives better.

It’s better on the beach. I love this game.

I consider myself a professional beach volleyball athlete. Last year I went up and down USAV’s interesting ranking system, and I finished the year as a member of a top 10 team. It’s the best I have done in my years of competing, but I still feel like I haven’t given volleyball a full chance. I want to give volleyball my all but, for reasons I will describe, it has become difficult to have faith in beach volleyball.

When the AVP folded in 2010, nobody knew what to expect. In 2011, three tours emerged, all in an attempt to fill the significant void left by the AVP’s absence. Some players went on to other jobs, some tried their luck overseas and other players decided to stick it out. It was a huge argument whether playing in events with smaller prize money was a good or bad decision for players. I was among the group who thought attempting to play in every domestic event could increase awareness about the

new tours and possibly drive in new sponsors.

I think I was wrong.

Fast-forward to 2012. It is mid-April as I write this and we already had one event cancelled, and the next event on the schedule has a $50,000 purse. (Just to give the reader some perspective, in 2009 the AVP prize money purse per event was $240,000.) On top of that, the top teams are being paid an appearance fee to show up and play at the first event in Baltimore. So, now we have to compete against our Olympic hopefuls in order to make a living and prize money is minimal.

For a Californian to fly to Baltimore, stay in hotels, pay for food and everything else that comes along with travel it will cost over $1000. If my partner and I place a 5th or lower, we lose money. If we place 3rd and spend $1000 dollars on travel we net $375. I do believe that I am capable of getting 3rd or better week

in and week out, but even if I accomplish that extremely hard task I am still not making enough money to live.

How are we supposed to be professional?

Every little detail matters to compete. I’m talking about lifting, training, drills, diet, supplements, coaching, and equipment. In order to do those to the best of our ability we need money and time. Just to make ends meet, many players are forced to work desk jobs, severely limiting preparation for the season. I have willingly missed weddings, vacations, concerts and everything else that most people do over a summer to pursue my dreams of being a world-class beach vollier…it’s starting to make me feel like I made these sacrifices in vain.

Here’s why:

Last year I was told by a representative from one of the competing tours I wouldn’t make the 16-team cut off for the Jose Cuervo

Lastof the Professional Beach Volleyball Players?

The

52 SpikeKey 2012

By Player X

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event in Miami. I was ranked 12th at the time. I did not buy a flight, I did not register. When the bracket came out, we would have been a 12 seed in a 16 team tournament. The poor information given to me came from the very top of the organization. I am not sure if that person doesn’t like me, made a mistake, or is simply incompetent but he/she manipulated my partner and I to not play in an event worth playing in by falsifying information whether it was intentional or not.

I also signed up with a partner for a NORCECA event last year. By the point system in place, we were supposed to be the number one team. The number one team gets an airfare, hotel and a food stipend while the number two team only gets entry into the event. We received an email stating we were the second team selected behind a similarly ranked main draw player and a guy who has never made it into the main draw of any professional event. We later received an apology from the organization stating they might have messed up and will send us as a team to another NORCECA event. It never happened.

Last year, there was a shootout event in Milwaukee. This exhibition was to be an important marketing moment for our sport, showcasing what the Jose Cuervo tour would look like. Each player got $2500 for showing up. Now in any other sport this amount isn’t significant, but we athletes work hard for our trait, and when my year finished I earned less than $15K. There was however, no format for how to get into the event. The teams invited seemed random and a poor representation of a strong field of high level beach volleyball athletes. I, along with every other player, was naturally upset. This event was also scheduled at the same time as another event pulling talent away from a competing tour for guaranteed money.

I don’t entirely blame the tours for the situation we are in right now. There is a very selfish attitude that has developed among the players. I bet I could get almost any player to be my partner if I promise to pay all his/her expenses. My new, much more talented partner would help me get points, help me into the main draw, maybe help me meet all the pros and surely I could live my dream to be a professional athlete. As ridiculous as this is, it seriously happens in our sport. It has to stop, it is making me sick thinking about it. I understand, you come from a family with a lot of money and you want to be a pro athlete. I have no problem with anyone, no matter their background, earning their way onto tour. I do however have a problem with people paying athletes money

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in order to help break through qualifiers and tournament draws. If you have the money, pay a nutritionist, coach, personal trainer, physical therapist or build a freaking robot to play with you, but earn it. Do it because you respect the purity of the game. This is a very small number of players, but I am sick of looking the other way.

Beach volleyball is an extremely marketable product. You can go to any; Manhattan Beach, Hermosa, Chicago, Huntington, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Belmar, Fort Lauderdale or Miami event and be blown away with the attendance and the vibe. The majority of players are really good, quality, and passionate people. There is no other sporting event where fans have such access to players. We have to compose ourselves after hard losses to sign autographs or take pictures. Fans have instant contact with us before, after, during games. All our flaws, emotions, strengths are out for everyone to see.

It would bring a whole new meaning of life to our athletes if we were not fighting for scraps. The proposed pay scale for this year is disheartening. We athletes have to pay for all our travel, hotel, food and miscellaneous expenses on these trips. I don’t tell you this looking for sympathy; I am telling you this so you have an understanding why we play.

We play because we love it.

There is nothing better than playing in front of 1000 fans knowing if you don’t give it everything you are going to be sitting under your players’ umbrella sick with disgust. I love waking up at 5:30 am, driving to the gym, and kicking my ass. I love the feeling you get when you talk to fan who you can tell is nervous just to meet you. I love the support from family and friends watching the scores online, waiting for a chance to talk about the games. I just wish I could do something to help the growth of the sport I love. It’s so important to so many people.

It is a shame that some of the best players, the players at the top of their games who love the game most, cannot stay involved because they cannot support their families on the proposed pay scale. I fear that something must change immediately in order to restore the faith in beach volleyball.

Prize money at each event should be at the least $100K per gender. If it takes fewer events to get to that number, so be it. I am sure that the players would be much more willing to agree to four $100K-per-gender events than eight events at $50K. Less money should go into the production of the event and more money should go to the players. If you want to ensure the tours success, you need good competition. If you want good competition, you need to somehow alleviate some of the financial burden on the players.

In conclusion, we players must keep trying to find a way to stay alive. We always seem to have a glimmer of hope and the newest one is the resurgence of the AVP. I have recently quit my desk job, got myself into the gym, played as much as I possibly can in order to prepare for another season. I don’t want to be left behind when volleyball gets back on track. It’s too marketable to not be successful with the right people in the right positions of power.

See you on the sand!

54 SpikeKey 2012

What’s Your Beach Bag Missing?

SlideWinderPut an end to tangled, twisted court lines and bulky reels with the SlideWinder. Handles slide out to allow quick winding and unwinding of court lines, and slide in for compact storage in a backpack or beach chair. The hand-made wooden court winder has stainless outdoor screws to last through long days in beach air and sun. Personalized engravings are available upon request. (Court lines not included)www.SpikeKey.com/shop

Sand N SurfSummer Solutions Sand N Surf is a gentle cold-water cleaning solution that is designed to remove damaging oils and beach elements from your swimsuit. It helps prevent the bleaching effects of salt as well as neutralizes chlorine, helping maintain your suit’s vibrant colors and elasticity! www.sumsolinc.com

Boardee Portable ScoreboardBoardee is no ordinary scoreboard. Boardee is specifically designed for both indoor and outdoor games. Boardee can be used for most sports like volleyball, table tennis, tennis, soccer, billiards, basketball, badminton, etc. www.boardeescoreboard.com

The Right Stuff It took NASA to launch the formula for The Right Stuff®. But, then it took them more than a decade of testing with athletes and astronauts to get it just right. Pour this liquid concentrate in your drink and it will help: fight the symptoms of dehydration, increase endurance, improve core thermoregulation, and protect the body from overheating in high exertion/high heat environments.www.therightstuff-usa.com

Neutrogena® Hand Cream This clinically proven, highly-concentrated formula rapidly heals dry hands. It noticeably improves the look and feel of your skin. www.neutrogena.com

Juara Candlenut Lip Balm Juara Candlenut Lip Balm SPF 20 comes in an elegant mirror compact. It relieves dryness and shields delicate lips from harmful UVA and UVB rays with the light refreshing fragrance of juicy Indonesian citrus fruits. The velvety candlenut, jojoba and olive oils in Juara Candlenut Lip Balm nourish lips for lasting softness.www.juaraskincare.com

By Megan Wallin

SpikeKey.com 55

Everyone wants beautiful, youthful skin. Why? Because your face represents who you are! The skin care industry knows this, craftily marketing complicated gimmicks and one-step wonders to target specific skin care needs. But do you have the time to apply multiple products every day? How about the money for all of them – money which is often wasted after you find out a product doesn’t work for your skin type? Instead of becoming overwhelmed by by all the options, consider switching to NeriumAD Age-Defying Treatment.

A 30-day independent, clinical trial of NeriumAD put competitors to shame, thanks to superior product performance and advanced skin-grading technology. While many others resulted in a 2-5% reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, users of Nerium experienced a 21% reduction in the appearance of deep lines, a 33% reduction in the appearance of fine lines, a 34% reduction in the appearance of

emerging lines, and a 67% reduction in the appearance of skin discoloration on average. How does NeriumAD achieve these amazing results?

NeriumAD has incorporated real science into its products over years of studies. It all started as an accidental discovery: “We had a eureka! moment in our research labs when we stumbled upon what Nerium oleander could do for skin,” says Dennis Knocke, Nerium Biotechnology’s CEO. The Nerium oleander extraction utilizes pure liquid aloe vera in the form of NAE-8, the main ingredient in NeriumAD. “The word real resonates with people because they are starving for a real opportunity,” says Nerium International Co-Founder and President Dennis Windsor. “They’ve been inundated with every kind of opportunity and thousands of twists on everything. In a very crowded marketplace, Nerium International stands out because it’s real.”

This patented technology is exclusive to NeriumAD and cannot be found in competitors’ products! If you’re tired of not being able to find a product that works, it is time to use NeriumAD. NeriumAD has been shown to outperform the competition in reduction of appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration, uneven texture, enlarged pores, and overall rejuvenation of aging skin. This highly sought after product can be found by contacting representatives of NeriumAD, and it is backed by a 30-day money back guarantee.

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56 SpikeKey 2012

SpikeKey.com 57

Doing Battle with the Sun

By:Thomas W. Bender III, MD, FAAD

Gulf Coast Dermatology & Skin Care Centre

“”

What I’m doing to myself now, is not going to show up until I’m 50, 60, or 70 years old.

This statement comes from the three-time Olympian and professional beach volleyball player, Jeff Nygaard. In 2007, Nygaard was diagnosed with a basal cell carcinoma on his back and potentially deadly melanoma on his left upper biceps. These types of cancer are due to extreme sun exposure. Since his diagnoses, he plays volleyball in a hat, applies sunscreen every two hours, and wears shirts that are made of fabric that offer 50 SPF (sun protection factor).

Nygaard is not alone in his battle with the sun. Roughly 1.2 million people are diagnosed with skin cancer every year. And, the disease kills one person every hour. Conditions like freckles, wrinkles, and thinning of the skin are less serious, but prevalent, especially in beach athletes.

Choosing a Sunscreen Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to decrease these risks. One of the best is of course, wearing

sunscreen. There are plenty of sunscreens over the counter, but did you know the majority of them only contain a chemical blocker, allowing for your skin to still absorb UV radiation within a specific wavelength? One brand of sunscreen that actually reflects the sunlight is Elta MD. The titanium dioxide and zinc oxide in Elta MD reflect UV radiation and both UVA and UVB radiation. A minimum of 30 SPF is the current daily recommendation by The American Academy of Dermatology.

When to Use SunscreenEven on overcast days, it is important to apply sunscreen. The clouds do not block the harmful rays, and you can still burn. And be sure not to forget the often overlooked neck, ears, and lips when applying sunscreen. It is always recommended by dermatologists to reapply sunscreen every two hours. Spray sunscreen is convenient for this type of quick re-application needed during events. These are common areas forgotten.

Alternatives to SunscreenAnother exceptional way to prevent excessive sun exposure is clothing that provide an SPF. Coolibar,

Columbia, Nike, and Adidas are a few brands that have created this type of clothing. In addition, hats are a way to protect the forehead and scalp from sun damage. Many volleyball players find it difficult to play in hats and shirts, but with skin cancer being more prevalent, they are not willing to risk developing a melanoma that could potentially end their career.

It is suggested to have practices and games held early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid the hours of 10 am and 4 pm when the sun’s most damaging rays are prevalent.

Professional ExaminationFurthermore, it is necessary to have a complete skin exam from a board certified dermatologist annually. Once a patient starts developing pre-cancerous lesions and atypical moles it is important for them to be seen at a minimum every six months. For more education on identifying skin cancers and sun protection advice visit the websites AAD.org and sunsaftyalliance.org.

Jeff Nygaard

58 SpikeKey 2012

summer SOLUTIONS OFFERS TWO GREAT

PRODUCTSTO HELP YOU CARE FOR YOUR

SWIMWEAR...

www.sumsolinc.com

Summer is here, which means it’s bikini weather. When your job is playing

beach volleyball, a new bikini or drawer of bikinis are your outfits for the summer. And they

often have high price tags, just like other fashion. To keep your bikini from losing its shape and fading, you’ll need to care for it. Swimsuits take a beating from the combination of chlorine, salt, sand, sun, and sunscreen we use while having a great time at the beach or pool. Making your favorite bathing suit last more than one season is fairly easy and will save you money, just follow these tips!

Buy a quality swimsuit that lasts longer.Purchasing a suit with more spandex content is worth the money. The suit will hold its shape better and help you hold yours.

Apply sunblock at least 20 minutes before putting on your suit. Oils and lotions can soak into the fabric, which causes deterioration.

Wash the suit by hand with a mild soap after every use.Swimsuits are made from materials that stretch, fit, soak, and dry. They can be sensitive to harsh cleaners and high temperatures, so it’s best to handwash your swimwear with mild soap or a swimwear cleaner. Never wash your suit in a washing machine. The washing machine will break down the lycra and ruin some of the bra cups that are sewn into many swimsuits. Plain water will not remove the chlorine or salt water.

Bikini care

SUIT SOLUTIONS is a light rinse that is perfect: • After swimming in chlorinated pools• After relaxing in a hot tub or spa• When your suit needs a quick rinse

SAND & SURF is a complete wash that is perfect: • After swimming in the ocean • After sun-bathing or perspiring • After a day at the beach

Visit www.sumsolinc.com to find a retailer near you!

summer SOLUTIONS GREAT PRODUCTSTO HELP YOU CARE FOR YOUR SWIMWEAR...

Never dry your swimsuit in the sun or in a dryer.The sun and the dryer are both problematic for

the lycra and spandex in your suit. The sun will speed fading and both will cause the breakdown of the elastic quality of your swimwear. Gently squeeze excess water out of the suit, but do not wring. Hang upside down, away from the sun and let it dry. Store in a cool dark area.

Alternate swimsuits.Try and give your swimsuits at least 24 hours

to dry before rewearing. The lycra-spandex is a memory yarn. The swimsuit needs this time to return to its original shape. The best way to do this is to wear a different one from your wardrobe each day!

SpikeKey.com 59

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