Desert Sand Volleyball Team

A New Decade of Volleyball: 2010

2010-03-24T17:38:00.000-06:00

I never did get to write a reflective post on last year's season. I was glad to recover enough from my abdominal tear to be able to start playing in April. No travel, though. Loric moved to Santa Barbara with his family where they are all very happily working and living near a real beach, where, I am happy to say, he can play real beach volleyball! Last season was very disappointing. Physically, the previous year of inactivity manifested itself in the physical weakness I displayed on the court. Worse, the sand volleyball scene in the state seemed to head into a tailspin. While we were excited for GAV to come into the state, some poorly run and canceled tournaments along with poor efforts to engage players and an explosion in the grass scene created a very weak season. Still, somehow, I wound up finishing 3rd in the GAV west coast bonus pool and Matt took 4th, bringing bonus checks to each of us. Not really a fair proposition given the level of play and number of teams in this state compared to those in California.

This year, I have returned to good physical condition following extensive off season training with Russian Kettlebell programs. While I have a torn meniscus in my knee, the pain has subsided greatly over last year and my leg strength is back to full, equating to having some old explosiveness and vertical jumping ability back. No travel plans this year, however, and my season will be a short one as I am happy to say that my wife and I are expecting our first child in mid-July!

There has been an effort by local players to revive the sand scene here, and it has led to the formation of the New Mexico Volleyball Underground. The group aims to create about two well run sand tournaments in the state per month. With the first event coming up this weekend, there has been a great response with more than 20 teams signed up between the men and women. If you haven't checked it out already, here is the site:
http://vbunderground.blogspot.com/

The Sandia Mountain Classic will be another great event this year. It's now a 3 day event May 7-9 and will be held at Sneakerz, with lower divisions in the grass at Montgomery park. That new website is:
http://www.smvclassic.com

Well, I just got back from a week's vacation in sunny San Diego where I managed to get some games and practice in and am now definitely ready for a new season! Let the games begin!

9/12: Best Theme Volleyball Tourney Ever this Year!

2009-09-04T12:41:00.009-06:00

The NM sand volleyball scene has struggled this summer, with canceled events, low turnouts, broken promises, unhappy players, and, well, you know. Here is a chance to show you still care and want to save the sand volley scene this weekend with a choose your theme event, guaranteed to be the most fun sand event EVER this month! You can come as a pirate (hijack the volley scene), a superhero or lifeguard (rescue the scene), a retro volleyballer (bring back the good old days) or just an ordinary player looking for a good time. What else makes this a fun event?

All entry fees will be paid out, that day!
If we get at least ten teams in any gender (m/w/ co-ed?) we will pay out for a lower division as well!
Everybody is guaranteed lots of play, and the tournament won't drag on needlessly!
We (Adam & Matt) will buy the first round for ALL PLAYERS - during the event, not next month!
Got another idea, lets hear it!

Summer is fading away, lets take advantage one more time and show why we want the sand scene to continue on! Here are the details:
What: Mens/ Womens Doubles
When: Saturday, 9/12; 8:30AM check-in, 9:00 start
Where: Sneakerz - the best supporter of sand doubles in the area, with 3 great courts that will have freshly tilled sand for extra comfort.
How Much: $15/ player
Who to contact: Adam Rubel - nmsvbteam@gmail.com
Who is playing: Entries and details listed at: http://desertsandvb.blogspot.com/
Note: If there is a lot of interest, we can run co-ed, or reverse co-ed on Sunday.

Spread the word and tell volleyballer you know to be there!
So gather your gear and get ready for a sick good time!

We need at least 6 teams in a division to run Sat. We will run co-ed on Sunday based on some other teams that are expected.

Saturday - Canceled. Sorry, we tried, just not enough interest

UPDATE: This was a fun tourney, good times. Thanks for everybody that showed up to play!
Co-ed:
1) Adam Rubel/ Alex Tennison
2) Daniel Pimental/ Kristina Pimental
3) Maddy Novak/ Javier Rodriguez

4) Josh Rodgers/ Anna

Sneakerz Series Final 8/29

2009-08-25T10:10:00.010-06:00

Sneakerz has been a long time supporter and major player in the growth of outdoor NM volleyball, especially for sand doubles. This Saturday is the series final for men's doubles. If you haven't been there lately, they have recently erected an awesome court in front of the bar. The sand is hard and fast, great for those players looking for something between grass and beach. While the last few sand tournaments have had a poor turnout, hopefully we can get more teams out this weekend. If you're worried about not getting enough playing in, don't be. All teams are guaranteed both pool play and access to the double elimination tournament, usually with at least one guaranteed match play and consolation bracket games to 25. There is a usually a wide range of competition and the series final is usually a good time for all. Don't pout in the winter because you missed one of the last events of the summer! Drop me an email & sign up for this weekend! $15 or $20 player entry/ 8:30 check-in; 9:00 start. Also, forget 4's, 2's is way more fun!
UPDATE:
It was a rough tournament as the sand at Sneakerz hadn't been turned and was super hard packed. It was hard on players bodies and there were some torn feet and sore joints to show for it. All in all, a good turnout and fun time though. Nice job by Scott and Desi, playing strong all the way through the final. We'll make sure the sand is turned for next time:
1) Desi Vigil/ Scott
2) Adam Rubel/ Matt Valencia
3) Jeff Poole/ Harris Zayee
4) Jimmy/ Bryan Klein
5) Dave Lujan/ Kevin
5) Stanley/Behr
5) Sonny Marquez/ Steve Plante

July 25th Sand Tourney

2009-07-21T22:18:00.014-06:00

UPDATE:
It was a fun, albeit hot tournament. There were some last minute partner changes due to injuries. Matt V had to drop out due to a turned ankle (ice hockey in the summer) and Loric's knee was giving him problems from a few weekends on the grass. I wound up teaming up with Matt's partner Ruskin and things went very well. It was unfortunate that Loric and I didn't get to play one final event before he moves to Santa Barbara. We had 7 1/2 teams, until late in the day a surprise player arrived. Jimmy had shown up without a partner and was rotating players throughout the day, when Loric was asked to go out and fill in during our second round playoff match against him. Miraculously Loric had Board Shorts in waiting and decided to give it a go. His knee held up quite well and we had a real fun match, going three games. They went on to ride through the loser bracket to a third place finish. I give props to Jimmy for stepping up his game and playing solid for the tournament. Also, great job by Ruskin who handled a lot of serves and played strong the entire day. Jeff had another amzing finish with Larry, which gives me hope that I also might be able to play for another 40 years. Good times. There is one event left to wrap up the Sneakerz sand series for the year. Here are the results:
1) Ruskin Blankenship/ Adam Rubel
2) Jeff Poole/ Larry Cornwell
3) Jimmy/ Loric Box
4) Desi Vigil/ Harris Zeyaee
5) Bryan Klein/ Cameron Vigil
5) Tyson/ Stuart
7) Aaron Box/ Paul Sanchez
7) Kevin/ Stanley
***
This Saturday is doubles sand tourney, with guys at Sneakerz (8:30 check-in, 9:00 start; $15/ player), where I understand there is a new third court and new sand on all the courts. Women are playing GAV over at Lucky's 66. Well, back to the old ways. Last tourney was canceled, unfortunately, due to poor coordination and a simultaneous grass tourney. I'll go back to listing teams entering for a tourney on this volleyblog. Please let people know to contact me if they would like to be on the list prior to sand events. Seeing who will be turning out usually helps to draw bigger attendance at tourneys.
Summer's going to wind down fast, so let's play 'em while we got 'em!

Summertime Update

2009-07-07T16:02:00.002-06:00

Well, it's been a long time since updating this site, sorry for those that have been following. My goal has been to keep up with Bryan's maintaining his website, and I think this post brings us to about even. But thanks, Bryan, I know how hard it can be rounding up volleyball players and running tourneys.

So, Loric and I played the Sandia. It was a fun event, and we won our first match against a good CO team, in windy conditions. Not pretty, but it earned us a spot in the feature match against the top seed. It was a night match at Sneakerz and was lots of fun. I stunk, but I think we were somewhat respectable. Next morning, lost a couple of close games to Paige & Ryan from CO, solid team that we match up with real well and always have fun battles. I had to remind myself to be patient, in that it had only been one month since picking up a ball again prior to that event, and I had only played a few local tourneys for practice.

Speaking of local tourneys, they have gone well. Loric and I have won everything we've played, and a couple of weeks ago I played with Matt V. & we won in the heat. Loric & I were supposed to go play in Vail, but Loric's got too much going on with his move to CA, so we had to drop out late.

Loric and I will get a couple of more tourneys in this month, including this weekend at Sneakerz, before he heads out to Santa Barbara. Might take a trip out there late summer/ early fall and we might get an event in. Sure would be great to be back on the beach.

Physically, my abdomen feels 100% solid and isn't a concern for me anymore. Kettlebells has made me quite strong and is getting me in crazy cardio shape, which I normally hate working on. It's actually quite addicting once you get into it. My knee, however, is a punk. Found out last week that I have a moderate tear in the medial meniscus. Crap, definitely been affecting me, but I can play through it. Going to work with Christy & Reform Spine & Muscle to treat it without surgery. She is a wizard and sounds confident that treatment will help.

OK, I'll try and post more soon, so I can pull ahead of Bryan!

Kicking Into Gear...

2009-05-05T20:44:00.004-06:00

Well, four weeks into playing and three tournaments later, so far, so good. Loric and I haven't dropped a game, have had pretty good control, and have 3 tourney wins under our belts. For me, the hardest part has been getting my body to not hold back, and to act more explosively. I felt like I had a few moments in last week's tournament that were like that, able to get more than two inches off the ground and able to react somewhat quickly to pick up a few shots. My abdomen is feeling 100% now. I give a lot of credit to the kettlebell training, as it is my only exercise right now. I've been feeling strong throughout the tourneys, and even started with a bit of jump serving. You know, the fun parts of the game...

So, the good/bad news is that my partner will be leaving the end of the summer. The bad news is of course that Loric is leaving the state and we won't be able to play together out here any more. The good news is that he is heading to Santa Barbara with his family where they have great teaching jobs lined up and will be living near the beach, where the sport is meant to be played. I'm sure we'll get periodic reunions, hopefully surfside.

I'm not sure how I feel about all the sand tourneys for men being on Sundays coming up. It seems the schedule got a bit patchworked this year, with grass/sand happening on different days of the same weekend. Also, with the sand being so rough at Sneakerz, I wish there would be more events at 66 for us between now and mid-August.

In a couple of weeks, the Sandia Mountain Classic is coming up, and there are going to be some rediculously good teams from around the country showing up. My original goal was to get healthy enough to play in the event, and it looks like that will happen. Now I want to be competitive, we will see. Guarenteed to be a good time. They tore up the sand court here in Santa Fe, so I'm not getting any other playing time outside of tournaments, but I might make a trip to Abq. next week for a practice day. After Sandia, the next tournament we'll play is King of the Mountain in Vail in mid-June. We'll have to try and improve on our second place finish a couple years back.

We're Back!

2009-04-15T16:43:00.002-06:00

Well after a long road of recovery, I've made it back to the sand. Turns out a 6 inch abdominal muscle tear can be quite debilitating. Lots of rest (many months) and many treatments later, including accupuncture and soft tissue massage/ kinesiotape (thanks to Reform Spin & Injury Center, who was the ones to accurately diagnose the injury after a good 11 months), and physical conditioning (I've been training with a Russian Kettlebell instructor, good stuff) and my body is feeling close to normal, at least for my age. Loric had taken time to recover from a ligament tear in his ankle, which seems to be better as well, as long as he stays on soft, sandy surfaces. We played this weekend for the first time since the Sandia (and my first time playing since last June) with good results. Bryan has done a good job in affiliating with Great American Volleyball and had a solid turnout in spite of cold (50 deg, maybe), rainy weather. We went undefeated on the day and pulled out a 7:00 victory under clearing skies. Was lots of fun. We're hoping to get a few more tourneys in before the Sandia in May, which is shaping up to be another strong event. OK, with my resurrection to the sand comes the return of filling this blog, for anybody that is left out there reading. Let me know what you'd like to hear about, though I have been (thnkfully) relieved of my duties in coordinating events.

Out for the Year

2008-08-13T16:14:00.002-06:00

Well, it's been the worse year personally for trying to play volleyball that I have ever had. First a knee injury at the start of the season, then some abdominal problems since April. Turns out to be a significant enough injury that is only going to heal with rest and time away from intensive physical activity. So, looks like I'm out of everything - playing, training, yardwork - for about six months, which means hopefully things will heal up so I can start working back into some kind of shape around February. As I'm going to be out of the loop and my future in New Mexico is uncertain, this site is going on hiatus and will not serve as an updated resource for volleyball information, at least for now. Mike McKracken will be taking over the email list, and I am sure will do a great job at keeping the 400+ volleyballers on it informed of all that is happening related to the sport in the state. Bryan Klein will be taking over the sand tourneys. His info is: vballnm@gmail.com and he has a blog, kinda like this that he is maintaining tourney info on at: vballnewmexico.blogspot.com

Thank you all for the good times and for helping to grow the sport in New Mexico!

July 12th Sneakerz Tourney

2008-07-09T21:02:00.006-06:00

Lemme know if you wanna sign up. If we don't get a full list of teams, maybe we should switch over to some other KoB or draw type of format??? Anyhow, same deal as last time, see below. Here's teams so far:
1) Bryan Klein/ Adam Rubel
2) Matt the Rex Valencia/ Adam Cabbage
3) Larry Cornwell/ Desi Vigil
4) Bryan Atwood / Derrick Robinson
5) Cameron Vigil/Harris Zeyaee
6) Paul Sanchez/ Ray Garcia

Sneakerz Tournament June 28th

2008-06-15T11:33:00.012-06:00

Next Sand Doubles tourney is at Sneakerz, June 28th. Looks like we will have some out of town players. Drop me an email for this one if you want to sign up. Here's the teams so far:
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel
2) Chris Roosild/ Brian Post
3) Drew Winterstein / Jeff Dumbrell
4) Matt Valencia/ Adam Cabbage
5) Rob Pierce / Jorge Alarcon
6) Harris Zeyaee/ Asa Warren
7) Fred Ader/ BenWallis
8) Bryan Klein/ TBD
9) Mike McKracken/ TBD
10) Paul Sanchez/ Ray Garcia
11) Ed Lucero/ TBD
12) Jeff Poole/ Larry Cornwell
13) Josh Coffing/ Jim Coffing
14) Amy Wong / Sarah Kwasigroch
15) Kameron Cheney/ TBA

New Mexico Games - June 21st @ Charlie's

2008-06-15T11:25:00.003-06:00

The New Mexico Games for 2x2 Beach Volleyball will be held at Charlie's Sandbox on June 21st. I believe entry is $35/ team with shirts for participants and medals for top finishers. To register, contact Adam Cabbage: acabbage@unm.edu
Here's the teams so far, additional updates should come in the comments as I will be unavailable most of this week:
1) Loric Box/ Matt Valencia

Looking for a partner:
1) Josh Rodgers

Back in the Swing!

2008-04-30T13:31:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm hoping my knee has recovered enough that I can get back into playing full tilt. It still hurts, but I think I am starting to show signs of being able to jump again. I just finished an intense 4 week period in the gym, working on building up my max strength. Time to coast now and get focused on upcoming events. We'll get back to practicing this weekend. We have a few weeks to get ready for the Sandia Mountain Volleyball Classic, which is going to bring fierce national competition to our backyard once again. Should be a great time, and we are looking forward to avenging our narrow losses from last year. While I've been able to get out and get some touches in Santa Fe, it will be great for Loric and I to get back together and get in sync before the tourney. After that, next big one is a trip up to Vail. Hopefully we'll keep the fire to push ourselves for more strong finishes!

4/12 Charlie's Tourney

2008-04-07T12:49:00.009-06:00

Same as usual, 8:30 check-in, 9:00 start, email me to register. Maybe we can run 2 divisions or split if there are enough teams and interest. Here's who is in so far:
1) Chris Roosild/ Adam Cabbage; 2) Matt Valencia/ Desi Vigil; 3) Bryan Klein/ Dave Girts; 4) Jeff Poole/ Larry Cornwell; ...

March 15th @ Charlie's

2008-03-04T16:53:00.012-07:00

The next tourney is 3/15 at Charlie's. 8:00 AM START. Usual stuff, but $15/ player for this tourney as we get into the regular season. Drop me an email to sign up, good list so far just from word of mouth. Update: Great turnout again. If not for a few teams dropping, we would have had 15 teams, wound up with a few less. After a morning indoors, we moved outdoors so the ladies could play their doubles tourney. Weather was good for most of the day, then got pretty gusty towards the end. Here's the results:
1) Adam Rubel/ Loric Box; 2) Chris Roosild/ Adam Cabbage; 3) Matt Valencia/Jeff Poole; 4) Christa Farris/ Jorge Alarcon; 5) Larry Cornwell/ Bryan Klein; 5) Dave/ Le; 7) Akram/ Rene; 7) Aaron/ Kameron; 9) Adam/Javier; 9) Ed Lucero; 9) Randy/ Mike; 9) Harris/ Paul

California (with wounded knee...)

2008-03-04T16:40:00.004-07:00

Well, it is almost time again to get full swing into the new volleyball season. In just a couple of weeks, we'll be heading out to the heart of the beach volleyball world and setting up shop in Hermosa Beach for a little over a week. This is the perfect start to a season as not only will we get to be by the ocean and on vacation, but will get to play some top level competition with some great practice time. We're planning on playing a GAV event (which I hear are great events new to CA) and a CBVA, both opens. We're also bringing a couple of younglings so they can learn about beach volleyball on a real life beach!
So, on to the bad news. About a month ago, I started getting sharp pains in my knee on certain movements, which became very noticable during an indoor match and almost unbearable during the next days tournament. I still have full range of motion and didn't really have any swelling, but certain movements with my weight bearing on the joint were quite jolting. After a week of rest and little healing, I called Christy Valdez whom I met at a tourney last fall. She runs Spine & Muscle Rehabilitation and is really using some innovative, non-invasive techniques to diagnose and treat injuries. After checking out my knee with ultrasound, they found a bone spur and a good amount of fluid building up under the knee cap. Treatment involved some manipulations to relase ligaments and the knee cap so there is space for the fluid to drain, followed by using kinesiotape to enhance that space. Two treatments later, and there is definite improvement. I went out this past weekend to play, however, and things weren't too good. I was very cautious and aware of my knee and it was inhibiting my movement. After a few hours, it started getting achy and really didn't respond well - jump wasn't there, quick movements weren't there. So, I'm going to take some time off and continue treatment. I'm hoping to play on the 15th, but we'll see how the healing comes along. I'm going to get another ultrasound next week to see the progress and find out if any additional steps need to happen. Hopefully my aging body can recover fairly quickly, I wasn't expecting to feel like this for at least another ten years...

'08 - Time for a new season!

2008-01-17T13:56:00.001-07:00

OK, new season, new focus, new leaf. Last year left kind of a bitter taste in my mouth and was sort of ho-hum. There were a lot of tournaments - a whole lot. Too many, I think. Made it hard to stay enthused about the game and I think it eventually hurt the turnout locally. This season doesn't look like it will be any different with regards to the number of events in NM. I think it makes more sense to personally concentrate on big events and then play some of the local ones for fun. I might see if I can pull myself away from volley on some weekends to do some different things with my wife. We'll see. Big trips on the radar so far include SoCal in March and NorCal in May. Both good vacations, and both good timing to jump start the season and put the rest of the year into perspective. I've been working with Sonny behind the scenes to get the Sandia Mountain Classic together this year. It will be held 5/17-5/18 and should draw some excellent competition as well as be a top notch event. We'll see about how many of the CO tourneys are worth making the trip for. Time on the road gets expensive fast, so it may depend somewhat on how much I am working and how much sponsor support we can real in. BTW, thanks to Wayne Steen for jumping in and supporting us again this year through his State Farm office! I've been in the gym since mid-October or Novermber. I added about 7-8 pounds of lean body mass right away, and it hasn't fallen off yet. I've been going through the program I am studying, as I am working on getting certified as a personal trainer. This involves a phase of joint stabilization followed by strength endurance. Next I will focus on working power into the equation. I have been keying in on increasing core strength and have also been working with tools to improve eye-hand coordination and quickness. I've gotten to play indoor volley, football and now basketball once a week that it is real cold outside, that is doing wonders for my cardio-conditioning. The other piece of the puzzle I think is to develop leg strength in the tendons and ligaments to be able to absorb the force generated by playing on artificial sand surfaces. More than anything, I think the landings were causing fatigue during tournaments. My body is pretty tired on a regular basis from the training, but next comes power development, so that should hopefully add a spring to my step. Good news from Loric that he doesn't appear to have a tear in his knee, just a minor issue with his bone which should heal over time. I think the last pieces of the puzzle are skills development, which will hopefully start this week during indoor sand and mental conditioning to keep focus. I think this could be another breakout year for us!
PS: I have the 2008 NM volleyball schedule and will post it once I have time to figure out how to format it for this site!

February 9th Indoor Sand Tourney

2008-01-17T13:48:00.002-07:00

Back to the old fashioned 2 on 2 format. Time to gear up for beach season (even though it is about 1 degree outside). This should be a good one, we've got some out of town guests coming in. 8:00 check-in, 8:30 start. $20/ team, mini-pool followed by double elim. Let me know by email if you want to register or if you need a partner. Limited space, so sign up fast (well, at least the last KoB tourney sold out). Here's what we got so far:
Update:

We maxed out our capacity with 12 teams AND a waiting list. Good sign for the sport going forward in Abq. Should be a reminder to teams that they need to sign up early. Some warm weather meant we could open up a 3rd court outside during the day, and play besides the snow. Great tourney overall, lots of evenly matched teams and some real battles taking place all over. Congrats to the AZ guys for taking the gold prize! 1) Brian Post /Drew Winterstein; 2) Adam Rubel/ Christa Farris; 3) Chris Roosild/ Jorge Alarcon; 4) Desi Vigil/ Brian Way; 5) Adam Cabbage/ Bryan Klein; 5) Jeff Poole/ Larry Cornwell; 7) Olli Tavarian/ Ruskin Blankenship; 7) Cameron Vigil/ Kameron Cheney; 9) Frank/ Kevin;9) Brad Berry/ Daniel Pimental; 9) Manny Padilla/ Matt Erickson; 9) Richard Zamora/ Rich Zamora

Jan '08 Indoor KoB Results

2008-01-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

New Year, new season. Could this be the season of the youngbloods? That remains to be seen, but two fresh faces pulled out strong finishes including a victory in both of their entre's into the world of professional (albeit a $5-$20 profit) sports. Lots of playing during the day, many surprises and upsets and a final pool that saw games to 11 with the final results coming down to the last play in the pool and third place being decided by a playoff game to 3. 15 out of the 16 registered players showed up and it was a good chance for different players to try out some new partners. Congrats to the newbies for breaking in: 1) Bryan Klein 2) Adam Rubel 3) Adam Cabbage 4) Jeff Poole. Beyond that were all the other finishers, results were erased on the dry-erase board.

December 8th Tourney @ Charlie's Sandbox

2007-11-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

Looks like this one will definitely be inside, unless some freak weather pattern as a result of global warming comes through. 8:00 AM check-in; 8:30 start, we'll go $15/ player and expect a solid turnout. Since we'll be inside, on 2 courts, we must finish by 4 and must get started on time, no foolin'. Drop me a line if you are interested in playing, pool play followed by double elim.
Results:
1) Adam Rubel/ Loric Box; 2) Matt Valencia/ Matt Jensen; 3) Bryan Klein/ Ricardo Sanchez; 4) Jorge Alarcon/ Krista Farris; 5) Jeff/ Cameron; 5) Olli Tavarian/ Ruskin Blankenship; WC) Jeff Poole

11/10 Tourney @ Charlie's Sandbox

2007-11-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

8:00AM Check in; 8:30 start, finish by 4:00. $10 entry. Send me an email if you are interested in signing up. Let me know if you need a partner, we can help match you up!
UPDATE: We had the good fortune of an Indian Summer, with temps warming up quickly enough to get us outside after pool play, around 10:30 or so. Small turnout, hopefully folks will get back into the swing after a few months of summer officially ending. Good time, folks played lots of games. Here's the end results:
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel; 2) Larry Cornwell/ Bryan Klein; 3) Jeff Poole; 5) Harris Zaeyee/ Kameron Cheney; 5) Sonny Marquez/ Rick Daraska; 6) Terry Daniels/ Rachel Petroff

CANCELLED!-10/13 Charlie's Sandbox Tourney

2007-10-09T18:02:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately, a low turnout means we've had to cancel this weekend's tourney. There is, however, a co-ed event at Sneakerz. Hopefully we'll have better luck getting the November event off the ground.

9/22 Charlie's Sandbox Tourney

2007-09-18T18:08:00.001-06:00

You all know the drill, final outdoor tourney of 2007. You can see the indoor sand schedule posted up in the left. 8:30 check-in, 9:00 AM start - SHARP! PLEASE DON'T SHOW UP LATE, IT DELAYS EVERYBODY AND MAKES EVERYBODY SAD BECAUSE THEY HAD TO GET THERE SO EARLY! We'll have 3-4 courts, so expect lots of playing throughout the day. Pool play followed by double elim.
UPDATE - Results:
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel; 2) Chris Roosild/ Brian Post; 3) Jeff Poole/ Matt Jensen; 4)Larry Cornwell/ Desi Vigil; 5) Adam Cabbage/ Ricardo Sanchez; 5) Jeff Hart/ Cameron; 7) Bryan Klein/ Maria Marion;7) Harris Zayee/ Kevin; 7) Ed Lucero/ Dave Lujan; 7)Aaron/ Le

Aspen, Aspen, Aspen :-(

2007-09-18T17:53:00.000-06:00

PART I

PART II

Well, it was a disappointing finish in Aspen this year. It was our worst finish playing together up there. We had a tough draw and played a couple of very strong teams, and did some things well, and some, not so well. All 3 of the games we lost were by 2 points. The most frustrating part of the tournament was my inability to finish in the end, being up 14-12 in the third game of our second match and not closing it out. Just as bad as a couple years ago being up 14-11 in the third to get to 5th place in the tourney and not closing it out. That proved to be a real motivator the next off season and led to the great season we had last year. Good news is I have most of the events on tape, so something to study. I've posted our final match, which was actually pretty well played on both sides, but we came up short 23-25 on a few critical late game errors. Overall we won two and lost two. There is room for improvement, the question is how much of a commitment do we want to make to getting to the next level. As I see it, to push ahead, those two matches we lost would not have to be close, considering they are very good teams, we'd have to make a substantial improvement, which will take a lot of effort. Something to think about going into the off season, especially in thinking about how hard to train. Time to go back and build the mental toughness for sure, which felt as though it was lacking for most of the season, probably attributable to busy schedules and less focus on the sport more than anything else. Anyhow, check out the vids above and let me know your thoughts if you have any ideas on where to go from here!

Gearing up for Motherlode & Sneakerz Championships

2007-08-21T15:38:00.000-06:00

Well, the Motherlode volleyball event in Aspen usually signals the end to the competitive season. Though we'll play through the winter, this is really the final time to see major national competition. This year should be a good one, as Crocs is now a major sponsor and is pumping $12K into the pot. Lots of teams coming out from late qualifying and early main draw rounds in the Cincinnati AVP to play the event, the field looks deeper and stronger this year than in the past. Loric and I are getting a couple of local tourneys and some practice time in this week to help us prepare. Last year we pulled a disappointing 17th out of 64, this year we are hoping to improve on our best finish of 9th a couple of years ago. We've had the opportunity to practice with the Spalding King of the Beach ball, so the adjustment moving up to the higher elevation shouldn't be as dramatic. Hopefully we will get a decent seed and come out firing this year. I know we have the ability to push good teams, but haven't had the chance too often this year. We'll have to trust that our top game will come out under pressure.

This weekend in the Sneakerz championship event. Tavake has been one of the cooler people in promoting competitive volleyball in the region, and has done another great job this year. Hopefully they can expand their facilities and grow the number of participants in the future. Unfortunately, Chris and Matt will be taking the weekend off, cutting into the depth of the talent pool, but we should still have a decent turnout. I received word that entry will be $20/ person for the event. Everything will be paid back out and there will be prizes and t-shirts given out.
UPDATE:
Props to Desi and Larry for being the first team to take us to 3 games in a final, playing well all day and pulling out game 2.
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel;
2) Desi Vigil/ Larry Cornwell;
3) Jeff Poole/ Matt Jensen 4) Kameron Cheney; 5) Jeff/ Cameron; 5) Adam/ Aaron; 7-9) Chris Trujillo/ Bryan Sissel; Dave/ Ed; Harris Zayee/ Kevin; Eddie/ Rich; Paul Sanchez/ Fred Ader; Randy Beebe/ Frank

Back to the Sandbox!

2007-08-10T09:15:00.000-06:00

8/18 is the next beach volleyball event at Charlie's. 8:30 check-in, 9:00 SHARP start. Abbreviated pool play followed by double elim for the men, not sure what will be run for the women. PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PLAYING! Life is so much easier when we know who to expect at a tourney.
UPDATE: It was a hot day in the sun, but everything kept moving and we had a good turnout on the men's side with 11 teams, a poor turnout on the women's side with 3 teams. I don't think we will be running women's events at Charlie's unless somebody is willing to step up and coordinate. Apparently there was also a women's event on Sunday at Sneakerz, so that probably cut into the turnout. We tried a new format, with match play to 15 in the lower bracket. Seemed like a good compromise to keep things moving and ensure everybody got enough playing in. Matt and Chris gave us a real tough run the first game of the final, making some great digs and pushing the game to extra points. Second wasn't as close, but we finished everything before 5:00! Womens had only three teams, so they got lots of playing and finished a bit earlier. Here are the results:
Men
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel; 2) Chris Roosild/ Matt Valencia; 3) Jeff Poole/ Matt Jensen; 4) Bryan Klein/ Larry Cornwell; 5) Paul Sanchez/ Kameron Cheney; 5) Shane Murdie/ Gary; 7) John Malcom/ Daniel Pimental; 7)Adam/ Aaron; 9) Sonny Marquez/ Cameron; 9) Harris / Harley; 9) Randy/ Ed

Women
1) Shannon/ Maddie; 2)Kathy Berry/ Kimber; 3) Gabriella Ramirez/ Jennifer Lechman

We are changing the date of the next tournament at Charlie's to 9/22 because the Bad Ass Grass will be the weekend of 9/15. No women's event unless somebody from the ladies side wants to step up and run it.

Winding Down the Summer

2007-08-10T09:06:00.001-06:00

Reflecting back on our season so far, I'd have to give it a lukewarm rating. I think the biggest drawback has been the limited opportunity to play real strong competition, and to play them at a higher level. Last year, we started out season in California in March, playing some real strong players including last year's AVP rookie of the year who was on TV last weekend in the finals of the Chicago event. That helped to set the pace. This year, both Loric and I were bogged with work and other commitments, so we got off to a slow start and didn't really see strong teams come in until near the end of May at the Sandia tourney. We weren't as prepared as we would have liked to have been for that event, and had a somewhat disappointing finish. Then travel schedules and a poor showing in Denver led us to a good finish in Vail, though we couldn't finish the job after a long run through the loser's bracket, while still not playing our best ball, in my opinion. Since then, I got to play a quali in NJ and we got to train in Hermosa beach which was great, but returned to a disappointing turnout in Taos without any out of state teams, though there were certainly good players at the event. A few weeks off and here we are. In CA it felt like things were coming together, but that was a while ago now. Hopefully we can get some practice time in and play well the next two NM tourneys to have a good showing at the Motherlode tourney in Aspen. There will be a real good showing there, with many strong teams registered from around the country. Time to focus in and work hard so we can put together a respectable run and nail an exclamation point into our outdoor season for 2007!

Sneakerz Series #3

2007-07-30T21:32:00.001-06:00

Time again to get down and dirty in the soles of Sneakerz. This third event in the series should be a good one, with some cooler weather and a bit of cloud cover. Same rules and format as usual, short pool and double elim. Chris will be running the show, plan on an 8:30 arrival and $30/ team entry fee. This is the last one before the championship, so be sure to get out there and position yourself for some bonus prizes! Should be some good teams this weekend.
UPDATE: Heard it was a great tournament. About 8 teams, but everybody got lots of play. Loric and I sat this one out. The finals sounded dramatic, with Nate and Thierry coming back to win a double final over Chris & Matt - congrats to them! Here are the results:

1. Nate and Thierry; 2. Chris and Matt; 3. Ricardo and Matt; 4. Jeff and Larry; 5. Adam and Bryan; Daniel and Bryan

Taos Solar Spike

2007-07-30T21:11:00.000-06:00

Well, fresh back from a trip up to Taos. It was a pretty good event, with strong backing from the local radio station and the town itself. Disapointed in the turnout, at least in the sand. The grass had a decent showing, especially with the battle of the businesses. There were only 6 teams in the men's sand and 4 womens. It's just difficult to get the limited number of players to turn out from the region for events before they get established. I think announcing and locking prize money prior to an event will help to attract open players, maybe also listing entries. A little disappointing to have the low turnout affect the payout in the sand. That being said, the teams were good quality and there were some good matches. A couple of new young guys came out from Albuquerque and were very impressive in their sand doubles debut. Apparently one of them played hoops for UNM. Hopefully they are excited about the sport and will keep coming out for events and work on improving their skills throughout the winter. Another surprise team was Bryan and Nate. Nate is a very strong player in the area from Alaska (though he started playing in CA) for the summer and Bryan is another of the young new guys. They put some good games together and the experience was undoubtedly good for Bryan. Matt played with his friend Adam from back in school, who hadn't played in a while, but looked like a real dangerous player when things started getting back in his groove. Surprise team for the weekend was Jeff and Desi, who put together some great matches, beating Matt and Adam two out of three matches (two of which went 3 games and both wins were in the double elim) and they even pushed us to a tight match in the winner's bracket final. The finals were played in rainy conditions, and Loric and I were clicking well, so we came out on top in a fairly decisive manner. Looked like they had a good turnout for Coed on the grass on Sunday as well. Congrats to Vanessa and Erin who looked to be playing real strong ball since coming back from Chicago and winning the women's open. Hopefully the event will continue to grow next year. Here are the men's results:
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel; 2) Jeff Poole/ Desi Vigil; 3) Matt Valencia/ Adam 4) Nathan Beck/ Bryan Klein; 5) Cameron Vigil/ Jeff Hart; 5) Sonny Marquez/ Kameron Cheney

Back from the Beach!

2007-07-20T17:43:00.000-06:00

It was a successful outing to the heart of the world for beach volleyball - Hermosa Beach. My wife and I flew in Thursday night, and after a 2 1/2 hour delay that got us to our hotel around 1:30AM, we met up with Loric the next day on the sand. He had tested his knee out with some peppering with his wife, and it felt OK, so he was ready to give it a go. We did some peppering and drills over by the pier. The AAU beach nationals was going on, and the girls were playing this day. AAU has amateur divisions for different age groups all the way up to 20 and under. There were a bunch of kids there representing Puerto Rico that were playing in the boys division the following day and they wanted to get some games in, so we obliged. It was a good chance for us to get our sand legs in the deep Hermosa pits, and helped them to get some playing in. We went further down the beach later in the day and did some drills with just the two of us - hitting shots, jump serving, passing, etc. Back up to the pier later and tan into those kids, still playing and still wanting to challenge. To be 18 again - those kids played all day long, the day before their big tournament. Not much competition for us, but fun games. Worst part was I noticed that night that even though the sand was just warm, I had blistered my feet pretty bad. How stupid, first day and I blister. Just had to throw on some sandsocks. Next day, we met up with somebody I've know through the AVP forum and email for some games. Decent players, but Loric and I started to get our game on and had no problem adjusting to the sand. We ran the court all day, playing probably close to a dozen games, followed by copious amounts of ocean swimming. Of course, I was relegated to sand socks and my feet just seemed to be getting worse. Loric's knee, however, seemed to be holding up just fine. Sunday we went back out to meet up with the same group and continued to run the court, creating a meltdown on an opposing team that caused a partner swap and left Loric and I playing against each other. The guy I knew coaches a number of players on tour and had one of his men's players coming for a practice session later that morning. He asked if we'd stick around and help run him through some drills. We did, taking tons of swings, digging, passing, plaing things out, etc. Good workout for sure. It's amazing how many players there are in that area, and how many of them get to workout on a regular basis with a coach, train and drill. No wonder it's where the top players all go! We definitely had our fill, but could have kept going for weeks longer. The games and practice should really be a big boost to our game as we return to NM for the Taos Solar Spike Tourney, local events and of course Motherlode in Aspen. My feet got so bad by the end that they were swollen for days and could barely fit into my sneakers. Some treatments and they are back down to normal size and the blisters are healing, ready for more practice next week when Loric returns!

7-14 Charlie's Sanbox Results

2007-07-20T17:35:00.000-06:00

It sounds like a good last tournament at Charlie's Sandbox last weekend. Thanks to Chris for running the show while we were away. Hopefully we can continue to turn out men's and women's teams for the rest of the summer. Of course, next weekend is the Taos Solar Spike! This is really looking like a fun event. The battle of the business division is filling up fast, but we still need to get players out in the other divisions. Lots of good stuff in this one, wouldn't want to miss it! Here are the results from last weekend at Charlie's:

Women (6 Teams)

1. Maddy and Shannon; 2. Steph and Chandra

Men (8 Teams)

1. Chris and Matt; 2. Ricardo and Matt J.; 3. Jorge and Rob; 4. Jeff and Larry

AVP Quali, Injury, Heading to CA

2007-07-11T22:23:00.000-06:00

Well, this past week Loric and I headed in different directions. He headed to the mountains to camp with his family while I headed with my wife to the east coast to see mine. I got in to the AVP qualifier in Seaside. Big accomplishment, because I now have a point that means I shouldn't be eliminated from future big draw events, meaning Loric and I should be able to get into quali's this year and next. We had to play the first game of the tourney, at 8:00 AM on Thursday. It was wet, hot and cold, seemed like the weather changed three times during the match. It's always tough getting out with someone you are not used to playing with, especially in a single elim tourney with decent competition. My partner Jeff and I played fairly well, but there were streaks of giving and getting points which showed a lack of consistency in teaming together. We dropped the first game in extra points on a net dribbler ace. We won the second game, which got close at the end, although we had a steady lead throughout. Too many mistakes in the third wound up costing us the match against a decent, but beatable team from Ohio. It was good to see a lot of players that I know and some I hadn't seen for many year. One of the big goals was to watch Karch Kiraly play one of his last tournaments. He was pretty amazing for any age, let alone a 47 year old. I talked with Loric today. He was supposed to play up in Steamboat with Matt from CO. Unfortunately, he hurt his knee in the last tournament we played together at Sneakerz and wasn't able to give it a go. He's out in CA right now and was going to practice moving around a bit to see if we will be able to play at all this weekend. We fly out tomorrow night and will spend 4 days in Hermosa Beach, the heart of Beach Volleyball. Looking forward to spending more time on a beach and getting some touches against some of the toughest competition anywhere. Next big event for us is going to be the Taos Solar Spike, which will draw strong teams from the region and is shaping to be a great event. This weekend is and event at Charlie' Sandbox. Teams looking to register should contact Chris: vaenekene@yahoo.com

Splittin' the Diferrence

2007-07-04T10:08:00.000-06:00

Loric and I are heading seperate ways this week. I'm writing from the airport in Houston, en route to New Jersey where I hope to get a crack at playing in an AVP qualifier at Seaside Heights. Loric is already on his way up in Colorado, camping out until the big tournament this weekend in Steamboat Springs. Loric will be playing with Matt Akromis up there, a solid player from Denver whom I teamed with last year for a very respectable 4th place at the King of the Mountain in Vail. They should do very well. I'm playing with Jeff from NY at the quali. Jeff and I already played a couple of times this year in Florida, without much success, but I'm hopeful we can turn it around for this event. In fact, I'm hopeful we'll be able to get to play in the event at all. The last two AVP qualifiers I attempeted to play in the past two years were met with rejection before ever being allowed to step on the court. Tempe in 2005 and Huntington in 2006 were both limited draws, and not having the time or resources to follow the quali circuit around the country meant I had not accumulated enough points to gain entry. They are listing a 40 team qualifier in Seaside Heights for each men and women, I'm hoping that many west coast players will not make the expensive trip out and the Thrusday event will keep away many players with regular jobs. It looks like none of the qualifiers have filled up this year. You'd think winning the AVP next open regional championship last year would have been a boost, but the AVP doesn't use AVP finishes. Anyhow, stepping on the court would be a success in that it would allow me to get at least a few points and give Loric and I a much better chance of getting into a future event, perhaps the big one in Manhattan in August. It should be interesting, with 8 main draw slots available and a small q, and the forcast is calling for a good chance of rainy weather. Seaside Heights is not my favorite beach in NJ, but it is where I won my first open tournement way back when I was a 16 year old kid. I might also pick up a partner to play in the GAV event on Saturday, we'll see. After flying back home to NM on Monday, my wife and I will hop on a quick flight Thursday night and head out to Hermosa Beach where Loric and I will reunite and get some practice and hopefully a tourney in against the best competition in the country. I'll keep posting about how things turn up out here, and Loric should be giving me a call to let me know how it goes in Steamboat. Summertime....good stuff!

Sneakerz Series #2

2007-06-22T10:45:00.000-06:00

Time again to hit the sands at Sneakerz. Chris will be running this 2 on 2 men's format. I'll take the registrations and post them up here, as well as the results after.

Also, our sponsor, 18 Panel Athletic, has worked out a fundraising deal to help us with our travels. We will have hats and shirts for sale at the event and future events. Proceeds will go to our travel fund to help us get out and represent NM at different tournies. It will also help to launch this startup volleyball company out of Phoenix.

Update:
It was a cooker on Saturday. Temps got into the upper 90's and the slightest breeze didn't arrive until late in the afternoon. A long day too, with the finals wrapping up around 8:00PM. We had a solid 12 team turnout. Here are the finishers, as I recall them: 1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel 2) Matt Valencia/ Chris Roosild 3) Thierry Thelliez/ Nathan Beck 4)Rob Pierce/ Jorge Alarcon 5) Bryan Klein/ Larry Cornwell 5) Desi Vigil/ Jeff Poole

Gettin' in the groove...

2007-06-22T10:29:00.000-06:00

Well, this weekend we finally started playing some decent volleyball and had a strong showing at the King of the Mountain tournament up in Vail, CO. Loric and I had a first tough match against Lucas and Tony. We were up for most of the first game, but somehow lost it at the end, something like 22-24. I shanked game point, and wasn't happy. Fortunately we picked it up and cruised through the next two games to win a fun match against a real athletic team. Next we faced Ryan and Paige, a real solid team that we last played in the finals up in Denver last year. I got about every serve and was lousy at siding out, and not picking up many balls. We dropped the match and were sent to the loser's bracket with something to think about through the night. I calmed my frustration and went back to fundamentals and found my shooting range on Sunday. We played a number of solid teams, but were in control, winning our first three games fairly handidly. We then faced Paige and Ryan again in the semifinals. We were off to a sow start in the first game, but steadied out by the end of it. We went on to play solid volleyball, scooping balls and siding out well. We won the second game by a good margin, and battled through the third to win the match. The long day on hard backed sand at high elevation and warm weather took its toll, we were both twinging by the third game of that match and were sucking down beers and pickles trying to dig deep for the finals. We faced Neil and Jamey, last year's winners. We gutted it out and I made a serving mistake, going to Jamey at 19-20 in the first game. He sided out and took the game. We were a little too gassed and they had fresh legs, playing only their second match of the day, and they took us out in two. They are a solid team and we needed to be at the top of our game to have a chance of victory. We both felt that our best ball of the season remains ahead of us, an upcoming trip to CA should help to boost us along. My body feels kind'a wrecked from getting all the serves and playing on such fine, hard packed sand, but an off week should be plenty of recovery. This was our best finish at one of the major mountain tournaments, and we go a little write up in the Vail Daily News. I think we're both looking forward to picking up our game the rest of this season and creating some big finishes. I'll be heading to NJ in a couple of weeks and may pick up a partner for the AVP quali or local tournament depending on if a suitable one turns up. Loric may be able to get up to Steamboat to play another mountain tourney if he can connect with the right partner. We'll re-unite in Manhattan Beach, CA to play a GAV tourney and get some practice in with the big guns, hopefully. Of course, first there is the Sneakerz tourney next week...

Back in Action

2007-06-06T08:26:00.001-06:00

OK, back from a great trip to northern California and a tourney up in Denver. It's really hard for me to be living far from the ocean, little trips here and there help out. I'm gonna rant a bit about my lousy level of play this year. Not sure what is going on, mentally feeling focused, physically feeling healthier and stronger with each tournament, but my skills seem off, at least one important skill - siding out. Last year it was such a focus of mine to be able to side out consistently against just about anyone after being served a lot the year before, and I felt like I achieved that goal. This year, I've been giving up runs of 4-5 points in a row and had a few total meltdowns up in Denver of not being able to do anything right. Well, we did play a couple of very good teams that were playing well, hopefully it will be enough to motivate me to get my game up to par. We've got a good long stretch ahead of us, and strangely, I feel we are improving in some way every time we step on the court. Loric and I should have our rhythm down by the time we hit Vail for the King of the Mountain in a couple of weeks.

OK, sorry for boring you with that tirade. I heard the Sneakerz tourney from a couple of weeks ago went real well. Loric picked up Desi to win a double final over Chris and Matt V. Kudos to Desi who has been playing great ball all year for finally getting his name etched on the plaque at Sneakerz (ok, there really isn't a plaque, but there should be!). This weekend we return to Charlie's Sandbox, sans Charlie, to play it up again. I'm late in getting notices out, but hopefully we will see a strong turnout based on the crowd that showed up to the Sandia Mountain Classic. I almost forgot that Beach Volleyball Magazine ran an article that I rushed together before leaving town on the event. The Taos Solar Spike in late July is sounding like it is going to be a great tournament. Kameron has been doing a great job getting sponsors and building some high quality sand courts. Many guys from Denver were interested in coming down for the event; hopefully a few women's teams will turn out as well. UPDATE:
Men
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel; 2) Chris Roosilid/ Matt Valencia; 3) Ricardo Sanchez/ Matt Jensen; 4)Fred Ader/ Larry Cornwell; 5) Bryan Klein/ Mike; 5) Shayne Murdie/ Dave Bruhner; 7) Ed/ Dave; 7) Rich/ Adam; 9) Paul/ Nate; 9) Patrick/ Partner; 9) Harris/ Daniel

Women
1) Patty Ader/ KC Raver; 2) Chandra Weaver/ Stephanie Valencia; 3) Davina Romero/ Lveryn Aodaca 4) Sarah/ Rachelle

It has begun...

2007-05-23T19:55:00.000-06:00

Allright, the Sandia Mountain Volleyball Classic was very cool. There were over 50 teams in 5 divisions, I don't think I've seen that many outdoor volleyballers in NM at one time. There were only 11 teams in the men's open, but it was a super solid draw, all the way to the top. I was glad to be able to play, the acupuncture and bodywork I've been getting have really helped with the back and shoulder problems that had me feeling pretty crummy to start the season. We started out slow, out of rhythm, and not feeling real comfortable against a pretty strong team from New Jersey. We actually dropped a big lead in the first game, like 19-14, to lose 24-26 or something. I don't think we've blown a late game lead since our first year at Aspen, which fired us up for our tear during all of last season. We dropped the second game to them as well in a close one. Later in the day, we started to get more comfortable and our rhythm was clicking. We tore through a Texas teams and had a pretty good run at the NM Matt's. We started to get more comfortable, siding out steadily and converting in transition. Sunday we went up against the solid team of Post/ Scott from CO. While the first game started off slow for both teams, things quickly heated up and we had a great match, with some terrific plays and exchanges. Ryan was playing phenomenal is siding out super steady, crushing our strategy of wearing him out with every serve. We could have been smarter, but his partner was good too, and we like a challenge. We had a few shakey moments of siding out, not in our best rhythm yet, but we were definitely kicked into a gear we hadn't had to touch in a year. We dropped two very close, very long extra point games. We were pretty happy with our play considering we haven't been practicing or playing much due to our work schedules and funky weather. Feels like, at least for me personally, I'm finally starting to bounce back from a prolonged playing slump. Now, however, we're into the swing of season and volleyball is about to get real busy for us. I'm heading out to California tonight (yeah, real late night road trip) and will hook up to play in Santa Cruz with a Denver transplant living out there now. Should hopefully get some touches in the real sand during the week as well. Loric will be playing in the Sneakerz touorney on Sat with a partner, as far as I know, yet to be determined. The day I get back from the Cruz, I'll be meeting up with Loric, or Matt and Chris, to head up to Denver to play in the first CPVA up there. Then its back to Charlie's for a local tourney, then off to Vail, couple weeks later its New Jersey then right back to California to play a GAV in Manhattan Beach. Guess this is what all those extra hours working through the winter were for! We're planning on getting more practice time during the week, so combined with the high level of competition, we should be humming along in no time!

Should have some pics from Paul to post when I get back in a couple weeks.

If you're here looking for info on Saturday's Sneakerz tourney, contact Chris at: Vaenekene@yahoo.com; 505-363-1262 to sign up

Team Sponsors for 2007!

2007-05-10T11:58:00.000-06:00

You've probably noticed the sponsor column at the left. These are the good folks that have stepped up to support our team and help us to travel and compete in events around the country. We owe tremendous gratitude to each of them, here is an explanation of who they are:
Volleychick - Definitely not just for chicks, they make volley clothes and goods with style, and dare say, attitude. Hats, shirts and other goods can be spotted on us at events. Check them out, some very cool stuff you will want to be wearing!
Plastic Clothing - Volleyball specialty clothes, you'll catch us wearing their board shorts, very cool board pants and sweatshirts. Great style and comfort, look them up for some great volleygear!
18 Panel Athletic - A very cool startup company out of AZ. Great designs can be seen on our hats and shirts. They should have a website happening soon!
Wayne Steen: State Farm - Talk about a good neighbor, I've had State Farm insurance since I was a kid and have always gotten great service. Wayne has stepped forward to provide generous support for our volley-adventures. If your in the market for insurance, check them out!
Target Safe Security - Top security service in the region, providing alarms and systems to keep your home and business secure. They are generously sponsoring our team, check them out to help with all your security needs!
Smith Sport Sunglasses - Very cool and effective sunglass company. Their polar brown lenses are my favorite, enhancing depth perception and protecting the eyes while providing that ever important oh-so-cool appearance!
Badger Balm - Great company that puts out suncreen and body care products. This sport has us taking a beating from the elements every time we go out, good thing we've got badger to help fix us up!
Lucky 66 Volleyball Oasis - New facility in Albuquerque, with 2 soon to be 4 sand courts. Leagues and tourneys, they've helped us out and we may be doing more clinics there this year!

Again, thanks to all our sponsors and we hope you will support them to encourage their continued involvement with our sport!

Let the Season Begin!

2007-05-10T11:34:00.000-06:00

OK, you may think this is a pretty wacky post to be writing about the start of the season when we never really stopped playing and since we had two outdoor tourneys last month and I've already played twice in Florida tournaments. The cold, hard reality is that both Loric and I have been super busy in the non-volley world keeping up with work and life. Plus a few minor injuries. Throw in some wacky spring weather that brought more late rain and snow than usual, and it's been feeling like a slow start to the season. Last week was the first time anybody in the state had a chance to get out during the week and practice. While we've played and won the local tourneys, everybody seems real rusty and the quality of play has not been that high in my opinion. We've got a good network and guys are supportive of each other to help bring our games up to the next level collectively, so I'd expect some quick improvements. Hopefully real quick, because this weekend is the first ever Sandia Mountain Volleyball Classic. This should give everybody a jolt. We've got about 50 teams signed up in 3 divisions for mens and womens, making this the biggest sand tourney in NM in a real long time. The open has some very solid teams traveling in from various places, including a few teams hopping over from the AVP in Glendale, AZ following their elimination. No matter the outcome, it is great to have this competition come into state to push everybody to pick up our games to the next level. That's why I kind of see it as the start of the season, Denver, Vail and California are not far behind for us. You can tell we also haven't made it out to any AVP tourneys yet. Well, that's a bit of a point of frustration. We were bounced last year from Huntington for not having points as my points had expired, so we couldn't get points, have no points now, and all the quali's are limited in size so we don't know when we can get points, although all the qualis so far have had low turnouts so we could have gotten in. So do we risk making travel plans for a tourney we won't know until the day before if we can get in? We'll see. You've probably also noticed the video at the top. My first attempt, hopefully more to come during the summer. Hopefully they'll get better than this hack job, but it's a start!

King of the Beach at Sneakerz

2007-04-18T20:03:00.000-06:00

Saturday, April 28th we return to the sands of Sneakerz for the annual early season King of the Beach tournament. What the heck is that, you may ask? This is the perfect format for guys that don't have their partners figured out for the season yet and for others to play with guys they don't normally get to side with. In this tournament, players are set in pools of four and each player gets to partner with every other player in the pool. Those with the top point differentials and records advance to a new pool of players, until the final pool, which is decided by the player with the greatest margins of victory while playing with all the remaining players. Of course, the event could adopt the AVP format of the two finalists selecting from the eliminated players, with the exception of not being able to select their normal partner. I'll list players entered for the event, you can let me know if you are interested in playing or call Tavake directly.
UPDATE:
It was a long, hot day with lots and lots of playing. We had 18 or so participants, good numbers for early in the season with a bunch of guys away and others not wanting to get sandy before their indoor matches that evening. After a double elim KoB format, the battle of attrition came down to Loric and Myself advancing with a bye to the finals. Chris and Tony fought their way out of the last pool. After a roll off, the teams were set. Chris and Loric wrecked Tony and myself who had run out of gas in the final match, played under the lights. So, for the second year, Loric wears the crown and I get the court jester shoes ;-). Here's the final 4 finish:
1) Loric Box
2) Adam Rubel
3) Chris Roosilid
4) Tony Shimkus

April 14th Charlie’s Sandbox Tourney

2007-04-02T23:43:00.001-06:00

Looks like summer is here! The 14^th is the first full on outdoor sand tourney, and the event will have men's, women's and possibly juniors teams. With 6 outdoor sand courts, we can run some exciting formats, and word on the street is we'll have some sponsor prizes to offer as well.

UPDATE: It was a wild tournament last weekend. Most of the state was getting snowed on Friday. When I woke up on Friday, we had some real heavy frost here in Santa Fe, and playing a beach volleyball tournament that same day seemed kind of crazy. We started the day using a single indoor sand court, along side the ladies. In typical New Mexico fashion, the sun came out and the temperatures started to warm, so by ten o'clock we were outside and breaking in Charlie's 4 new sand courts. With ten men's teams and 6 women's, there was lots of ball being played. teams seemed kind of rusty at times, maybe because it is so early in the season and nobody is playing during the week and irregularly on the weekends. The finals for the men were real strange. First Loric cramped, which never happens, so I started to do a bit more like run up and block. Then My legs locked down to my ankles, which doesn't really happen, and the whole thing is real strange because even though we were playing off all day, we didn't have any extra games and it was nice and cool outside. Anyhow, the pain made us focus and we pulled out a W in two games. Steph and Meredith won on the women's side, and Paul showed up later in the day so hopefully we'll have some pics to post soon. Here are the results of the men's tourney:
1) Adam Rubel/ Loric Box 2) Rob Pierce/ Chris Roosilid 3) Jeff Poole/ Tony Shimkus 4) Desi Vigil/ Larry Cornwell 5) Steve Seel/ Fred Ader 5) Mike Bien/ Gary 7) Olli/ Ruskin 7) Brad/ Tudy 9) Rich/ Eddie 9) Rich/ Bryan
Next big event is the Sandia Mountain Classic, which is shaping up to be a real big event. I'll write a bit more on it later...

New Mexico Beach Volleyball 2007

2007-03-21T19:25:00.000-06:00

This could be the best year for sand volleyball in New Mexico in a really long time. With Charlie's Sandbox addition of four outdoor sandcourts, bringing the total at the facility to 6 outdoor and 2 indoor sand, we have the possibility of running larger events. For the first time in a while, Men and Women will have concurrent tournaments at that location. Sneakerz remains in the mix, running its annual summer sand series with monthly volleyball tournaments. Finally, we are looking at two special events in state taking off and establishing themselves for the first time this year. There will be a major event in May at Charlie's Sandbox - The Sandia Mountain New Mexico Volleyball Classic. This event promises to offer cash and prizes that is already drawing in top players from around the country and offering competition for all levels of play. There will also be a major tournament in Taos July 28th-29th. This event will feature open play on three sand courts and amateur divisions on the grass. There may be additional events added to te schedule in upcoming weeks. All this means good things for the growth of volleyball in New Mexico. Here is the official Sand Schedule for New Mexico, 2007:

Date	Title	Surface	Format	Location
4/14	Sandbox Tourney	Sand	2’s-W,M,Jr	Charlie’s Sandbox
4/28	Sneakerz King of the Beach	Sand	2’s – KoB	Sneakerz
5/12	Sandia Mountain New Mexico Volleyball Classic	Sand	2’s – M,W (Open, A, B)	Charlie’s Sandbox
5/19	ARVCRebels.com	Grass	2’s-M,W,Jr (Sat) 2’s-Coed; 4’s-Coed (Sun)	Manzano Mesa Park
5/26	Sneakerz Series #1	Sand	2’s-M	Sneakerz
6/9	Sandbox Tourney	Sand	2’s-W,M,Jr	Charlie’s Sandbox
6/10	ABQ Volleyfest Series #1	Grass	2’s-M,W,Jr	Manzano Mesa Park
6/23-24	ABQ Volleyfest Series #2	Grass	2’s-M,W,Jr (Sat) 2’s-Coed; 4’s-Coed (Sun)	Manzano Mesa Park
6/30	Sneakerz Series #2	Sand	2’s-M	Sneakerz
7/8	ABQ Volleyfest Series #3	Grass	2’-Coed (Aspen Format)	Manzano Mesa Park
7/14	Sandbox Tourney	Sand	2’s-W,M,Jr	Charlie’s Sandbox
7/21-22	ABQ Volleyfest Series #2	Grass	2’s-M,W,Jr (Sat) 2’s-Coed; 4’s-Coed (Sun)	Manzano Mesa Park
7/28-29	Taos Solar Spike Open	Sand (open)/ Grass (other)	2’s-M,W (Open,A,B); Jr	Taos
8/4	Sneakerz Series #3	Sand	2’s-M	Sneakerz
8/11-12	ABQ Volleyfest Final Series	Grass	2’s-M,W,Jr (Sat) 2’s-Coed; 4’s-Coed (Sun)	Manzano Mesa Park
8/18	Sandbox Tourney	Sand	2’s-W,M,Jr	Charlie’s Sandbox
8/25	Sneakerz Series Finale	Sand	2’s-M	Sneakerz
9/15	Sandbox Tourney	Sand	2’s-W,M,Jr	Charlie’s Sandbox

Contact Information

Location	Director/ Event Info
Charlie’s Sandbox	M-Adam Rubel; nmsvbteam[at]gmail.com W-Stephanie Sauer; stephsauer14[at]yahoo.com With 8 sand courts, tournaments here promise to be a good time. Cash and prizes for all events. $20-36 Entry Fee More info: http://desertsandvb.blogspot.com/ http://desertnmwsandvball.blogspot.com/
Sneakerz	Tavake Misailegalu; 505-720-4209 2 sand courts and longest running tournament series in New Mexico. High payouts and year-end bonus pool. Cash Prizes. $30 Entry Fee. More info: http://www.sneakerzsportsbar.com/
Sandia Mountain Classic	Sonny Marquez www.plasticclothing.com; 505-269-6119; sonny[at]plasticclothing.com First year and first major tournament in NM in a long time. Top players from around the country as well as multiple divisions for all skill levels. Special events. All entries receive Tee shirt. $60 Entry fee, registration online at Plastic website. More info visit: http://sandiavolleyball.blogspot.com/
Abq Volleyfest and grass Events	Fred Ader: 505-480-4196, fmader[at]sandia.gov Long running grass series of tournaments, featuring multiple levels of competition. Cash and prizes. $20 entry fee, pre-reg. More info: http://www.arvcrebels.com/
Taos Solar Spike Open	First year event hoping to draw teams from around the region. Run on three sand courts and many grass courts. Cash and prizes. $50/team entry fee. http://www.solarspikevolleyball.com

2007: Loric & Adam's early travel scedule

2007-02-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

We had the chance to sit down this past weekend and pour over some of the many schedules put out by different tours and events and we have come up with our tentative travel schedule. It's going up here to let you all know about some great events and for those that are interested in tracking our progress during the year. We are real excited about this upcoming season. Both of us have been training real hard and are in very good physical shape. Having the opportunity to play in the sand throughout the winter has kept our skills sharp and our game at a good level. While we were considering some of the other AVP stops, the tentative schedule at this point shows more events that are small draws and off the beaches, frankly at places we aren't all that interested in traveling to. We would have liked to get out to CA for an EVP, but Loric's teaching schedule means we will have to miss those. I am hoping to pick up a partner for an East End tourney in Florida in March, as I will be out there on business anyhow. And, the exciting news is a couple of major events here in New Mexico. Lucky 66 is in the final stages of piecing together a large event that will draw national caliber players. We are also working on getting a Taos event together at the end of July that will have the promise of a great draw, as new sand courts are being built and grass divisions can be offered as well. There will also be three bars running events in Albuquerque throughout the summer: Charlie' Sandbox will have 8 sand courts; Lucky 66 will have 4; and Sneakerz will have 2. This should prove to be a great summer for volleyball! Here is our early travel plans:
3/3 - Clearwater Beach, FL - East End - Adam is picking up a partner for this event.
3/24 - Delray, FL - East End - Adam will pick up a partner for this event.
4/19 - Dallas, TX - AVP - If we can somehow be allowed into the draw and be given the opportunity to build points. Very tentative travel site.
5/3 - Huntington Beach, CA - AVP - Only with a guarantee from the AVP we can get in this year.
5/5 - Santa Monica, CA - CBVA
5/12 - Sandia Mountain Volleyball Classic - Big event in NM, Check it.
6/2 - Denver, CO - CPVA - This one is looking more likely than the one the following week.
6/16 - Vail, CO - King of the Mountain - The mighty Vail tourney
7/5 - Seaside Heights, NJ - AVP - I've got family back there, so it should make this stop easy.
7/7 - NJ - Local tourney, looks like GAV is running one.
7/14 - Manhattan Beach, CA - GAV - Coast to coast, this is vacation time, should be a great tourney.
7/19 - Long Beach, CA - AVP - Hopefully we will have a whole bunch of AVP points by this one.
7/21 - Play del Rey, CA - CBVA - More volley on the beach
7/28 or 8/4 - Taos, NM - One of these dates, this should be a real fun tourney.
8/9 - Manhattan Beach, CA - AVP - So long as they are allowed to run it, this is the big one.
8/11 - Ocean Beach, CA - CBVA
9/1 - Aspen, CO - Motherlode - The mother of all lode tourneys, always fun.

Hopefully we will get the local schedule together in the next couple of weeks!

2007 AVP Schedule & Draw Size - Tentative

2007-01-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

This is a controversial subject for some bizarre reason. This is the latest version that was leaked out on the AVP forum last week. It may be helpful for some folks making travel arrangements or scheduling tourneys if any of the tour dates are a consideration. Unfortunately, there seems to be few stops on actual beaches and the draw size for many of the events has been cut down to 24, meaning qualifier draws will be limited based upon points accrued in the previous 365 days. Loric and I were considering the opening Miami date, but given that it looks to be a smaller draw, we'll probably have to try our luck at one of the CA stops, maybe see if we will be allowed to play in Huntington this year. Anyhow, here is the info I captured from the site (It does vary from some other version floating around, guess we'll know for sure some time in Feb):
UPDATE - SCHEDULE RELEASED

Miami, FL	Apr. 13 - Apr. 15	FSN
Dallas, TX	Apr. 19 - Apr. 22	FSN
Huntington Beach, CA	May 3 - May 6	FSN
Glendale, AZ	May 10 - May 13	FSN
Hermosa Beach, CA	May 17 - May 20	FSN
Louisville, KY	May 24 - May 27	FSN
Tampa, FL	May 31 - Jun. 3	FSN
Atlanta, GA	Jun. 7 - Jun. 10	FSN
Charleston, SC	Jun. 14 - Jun. 17	FSN
Seaside Heights, NJ	Jul. 5 - Jul. 8	FSN
Long Beach, CA	Jul. 19 - Jul. 22	NBC and FSN
Chicago, IL	Aug. 2 - Aug. 5	NBC and FSN
Manhattan Beach, CA	Aug. 9 - Aug. 12	NBC and FSN
Boston, MA	Aug. 16 - Aug. 19	NBC and FSN
Brooklyn, NY	Aug. 23 - Aug. 26	NBC and FSN
Cincinnati, OH	Aug. 30 - Sept. 2	FSN
Las Vegas, NV	Sept. 6 - Sept. 8	FSN
San Francisco, CA	Sept. 14 - Sept. 16	FSN

2007 Indoor Sand Schedule & Results

2006-12-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

Winter's off to a great start already. We just had our second indoor sand event, and drew ten teams with some great, almost epic matches. Everybody is doing a great job of keeping their skills up throughout the off-season. We had a new team in the winner's circle this weekend, as Matt V. finally got his taste of victory, partnering with Rob who came out of hiding to make an impact. Dan also played great this weekend, dealing with my tired self and battling to the finish in an overtime, epic sort of final.
This post will be used to keep a track of the schedule, registered teams and results for the rest of the indoor sand season.
Results - December 10th
1) Matt Valencia/ Rob Pierce 2) Dan/ Adam Rubel 3) Jeff Poole/ Desi Vigil 4) Tony Schimkus/ Larry Cornwell 5) Ricardo Sanchez/ Tony Perrea 5) Brian/ Eddie 7) Harris/ Eesah 7) Fred Ader/ Lopaka 9) Shane Murdie/ Adrian Reaves 9) Manny Padilla/ Sonny Marques
January 21 Event - RESULTS
1) Adam Rubel/ Loric Box; 2) Rob Pierce/ Matt Valencia; 3) Chris Roosild/ Tony Schimkus 4) Jeff Poole/ Larry Cornwell 5) Rich/ Rich 5) Shane Murdie/ Sony Marquez 7) Bryan/ Eddie 7) Manny Padilla/ Paul Sanchez 9) Garrett Sholer/ Tom Fairfield

February 18 Event - Results
1) Adam Rubel/ Loric Box; 2) Desi Vigil/ Larry Cornwell; 3) Truett Massey/ Will Carson; 4) Chris Roosild/ Ricardo Sanchez; 5) Matt Gordon/ Christa Farris; 5) Bryan/ Richard; 7) Kameron Cheney/ Daniel; 7) Sonny Marquez; 9) Manny Padilla/ Paul Sanchez; 9) Harris Zeyaee/ Asa; 9)Richard/ Adam

March 18 Event - FIRST NM OUTDOOR/INDOOR SAND TOURNEY - Results
1) Adam Rubel/ Loric Box; 2) Rob Pierce/ Matt Gordon; 3) Matt Valencia/ Chris Roosild; 4) Desi Vigil/ Larry Cornwell; 5) Jeff Poole/ Kameron Cheney; 5) Brian Post/ Shane Nelson; 7) Bryan/ Rich; 7) Michael Bien; 9)Harris Zeyaee/ Brad Berry; 9) Tony Schimkus/ Dan; 9) Paul Sanchez/ Manny Padilla

Results and Next Event: Beach Volleyball - Desert Inside

2006-11-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

The initial doubles event was a great success! We had ten (actually, 9 1/2) teams after a couple of injuries and last minute dropouts. By actually starting play at 8:30, we managed to finish pool play by 10:00 AM. This left enough time to run full matches all the way through the winners bracket, and a game to 25 through the losers. We finished just before our 4:00 deadline. There were many good matches and great games. Kind of exciting for folks to be playing competitive at this time of the year. Here are the results from the event:
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel ($40, pair of Plastic Hats thanks to Sonny) 2) Matt Valencia/ Matt Gordon ($30) 3) Jeff Poole/ Tony Schimkus 4) Ricardo Sanchez/ Doug Williams 5) Larry Cornwell/ Desi Vigil 5) Kameron Cheney 7) Shane/ Sonny 7) Brian/ Eddie 9) Harris/ Eesah 9) Paul Sanchez/ Manny Padilla

Good News! We'll be able to host an event every month, until the sun shines again and the sand warms up. Here's some info on the next event:
DATE: Sunday, December 10th
TIME: 8:00 AM check in; 8:30 Start (If we overbook, be ready for an earlier start)
Where: Charlie's Sandbox (behind Stoneface in Albuquerque)
Contact: ADAM RUBEL: nmsvbteam[at]gmail[dot]com
What: Doubles tournament.
Limit: 12 teams (sign up soon, had a waiting list for last event)
Format: SHORT pool play, followed by double elim tournament (Modern size court, antenna's, rally score, 21st century volleyball - yellow & white, AVP style rules)
Cost: $10/ Player
Prizes: Some, whatever is left after paying for the facility, could be half of what is collected. Had some Plastic hats generously thrown into the pot by Sonny last weekend.
Why: Because it is friggin Beach Volleyball in the winter in New Mexico - why else?
Teams:
1) Matt Valencia/ Rob Pierce
2) Ricardo Sanchez/ Tony Perrea
3) Harris Zeyaee/ Eesah
4) Jeff Poole/ Desi Vigil
5) Larry Cornwell/ Tony Schimkus
6) Shane Murdie/ Adrian Reeves
7) Steve Stansel/ Steve Seal
8) Fred Ader/ Lopaka
9) Brian/ Eddie
Individuals:
1) Sonny Marquez
2) Manny Padilla
3) Russell Grey
4) Adam Rubel
5) Daniel

Indoor Beach Volleyball - In Albuquerque!

2006-10-30T23:07:00.000-07:00

OK, confirmed. All the years of rumors have proven true. Charlie's Sandbox at Stoneface Bar has installed a pair of sand volleyball courts. From past experience, I must admit I was expecting a dusting of gritty sand on a hard surface in a poorly insulated building. To all of our surprises, the sand is some of the finest and deepest, moving and jumping in it is almost as tough as doing it on a good beach. Anyhow, we are very excited because it means we'll get to play all winter long - keeping our edge and building our skills going to 2007. We are playing a 4's league on Saturdays with the Matt's - V and G. Even better news is that Charlie has agreed to let us run doubles tournaments one Sunday a month.

So, first tournament - Sunday, November 12th. We're running it from 8:30 until 4:00 and will focus on getting everybody lots of playing time. Not sure what the entry is just yet, but all funds will go to pay for renting the place, so no prizes in the winter. Anyhow, drop an email if you are interested in playing. Also, if you don't have a partner, no worries, we'll help match you up, or figure a rotating player plan... anything as long as we all get lots of games in. OK, here's the list so far:

UPDATE: Entry fee will be $10/ player. There will be a payout at the end for at least the top two teams, or down to third if the tournament fills. We will cap the number of teams at twelve. Those who signed up as individuals will be given the opportunity to choose their partner in the morning, or one will be chosen for them trough some process. Odd man out can play with different partners during the day.

The format will be abbreviated pool play (finished by 11:00 AM) followed by a double elimination tournament, with a single game in the first round and loser brackets and match play in the later rounds of the winner brackets. Teams eliminated in the first round of the double elimination will be given the opportunity to compete in a bonus single elimination tournament later in the day. It is important that everybody show up on time at 8:30 AM with play starting at 9:00 AM SHARP! Warmup time will be limited on the court to keep the tournament moving, as we only have until 4:00 PM to finish everything.
TEAMS
1) Adam Rubel/ Loric Box
2) Desi Vigil/ Larry CORNwell
3) Matt Valencia/ Matt Gordon
4) Jeff Poole/ Tony Schimkus
5) (Team signed up with Charlie)
6) (Team signed up with Charlie)
7) Paul Sanchez/ Manny Padilla
8) Nester Trujillo/ Partner
9) Harris/ Eesah
10) Doug Williams/ Ricardo Sanchez
INDIVIDUALS
1) Kameron Cheney
2) Sonny Marquez
3) Shane Murdie
4) Russell Grey
WAITING LIST
1) Brad/ Partner
OUT DUE TO INJURY
1) Will Carson/ Truett Massey
2) Colin Vito

Training for Beach Volleyball - Train Smart. Train Hard. Notes From the Field.

2006-10-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

One of the most recurring and sought after questions that show up on volleyball forums has to do with training and conditioning for volleyball season. In this age of information, it is common to encounter seemingly conflicting opinions that can leave and athlete scratching their head about what they can do to maximize their performance. Last year I intensified my quest for the "ultimate" program that would bring about the realization of my volleyball goals and dreams. This article is about some of what I discovered along the way.

First: Some background. I started playing volleyball as a high school freshman around sixteen years ago. Since the age of sixteen, that has meant playing at top competitive levels of local and regional tournaments on the beach. At the age of 22, I stopped playing all together, and moved from the beaches of the east coast to the desert of the south west. Six years later, I came back to the game and returned to a high level of competition. The process, involved rebuilding my physical conditioning from years of relative inactivity to being able to meet the intense demands of this sport at a high level. While competing in local and regional tournaments in the last year, I've realized a good level of success. I also realized my limitations in a very direct manner at the end of last season which inspired this quest.

It was while competing at the big Motherlode event in Aspen, Colorado that my partner and I had our best tournament in our short time playing as a team. After numerous victories in the 67 team event, we faced a very strong team to put us in position for a minimal 5th place finish. After winning the first game and dropping the second, we had a 14-11 lead in the third (game to 15) and I could not side out. It was horrible. They made some great plays, but I just didn't have enough in me to close it out. We wound up losing that game and the match 16-18. That compounded with a similar third game loss at another tournament in Arizona later in the season, and I was furiously determined not to allow the same situation to repeat itself.

After fifteen years of playing, I knew enough to know what wasn't working: my physical and mental conditioning. So began the quest. It started, of course, with the books and all the online articles. Holy contradictoriness, batman. While I certainly was able to obtain some good information and a deeper understanding of the physiology behind different approaches, developing a comprehensive and integrated approach for my personal needs seemed out of reach. Fortunately my friend, who has been training professional athletes for about a decade was willing to help me put a plan together. While it seemed counter-intuitive in some ways early on, I've been able to witness tremendous results this summer. While there is just too much to include in a simple article, I will outline some of the key points that may help other athletes out there to achieve their athletic potential.

1) Know your goals and starting point. This is where I don't think any of the pre-packaged programs are sufficient for "competitive" level athletics. They certainly are helpful in introducing fitness concepts and providing some structure, but there is no such thing as one size fits all. You get out what you put in. Ask yourself what you are willing to commit to realize your goals, and assess if it is enough. If not, you will need to change either your goals or your commitments. For me, I needed to build a better strength foundation. I've always been a natural jumper and quick, but hadn't evolved into a "power" athlete. There is a vertical test you can use to determine if you should be developing strength or response (you can read about it here: http://avp.hosttown.com/index.php?showtopic=13970&st=20)

2) Have a plan. I used to show up to the gym and go through some exercises I knew, split back and front days, etc, guess the weight I should lift. Forget it. The benefits to having a structured plan when you walk into a gym is immense. Multiply that by an effective plan and you will be well on your way. It is also critical to track the weight you lift and STICK TO THE PLAN.

3) Periodize the plan. OK, the concept sounded good, but I can see it clearly now. There is a time and a place for variations in your workout. Winter was the toughest time because it was all progressively heavy lifting. No cardio, no plyos. Spring saw the intro of plyos and cardios and more functional training, based on the foundation of strength built up over the winter. As the season got underway, reduced time in the gym with an emphasis on maintaining strength has yielded major results. Within this period there are smaller cycles, based on timing of major events.
(Note: true plyometric "shock" training should not be done until an athlete has an adequate strength foundation, the ability to squat at least 1.5 - 2 x their body weight.)

4) Warm up. I have an active stretching routine that I go through for about ten minutes when I walk into the gym. Much of it comes from the Core Performance program, which stems from a center in Arizona that trains professional athletes. Active stretching means no posture is held for an extended time, so the muscles stay active instead of relaxing as in static stretching. I also use this time to do some visualization, going through my workout for the day, imagining my game on the court, etc.

5) When building strength, just build strength. "Volleyball is about explosive movements, I should train explosively all the time." That's what I thought. Not so. Strength building phases consisted of traditional isometric exercises with progressively heavy weights. No cardio, no plyometrics, no compound exercises. I felt slow and tired. I thought there was no way I would be able to explode in the sand again. No way. All of the cardio, quickness, explosiveness came back within weeks after hitting the pre-season phase.

6) Build a strong core. This is the key to all athletic movement. A little extra attention to this area, and you will reap huge rewards during the season.

7) Rest is as important as time in the gym. Last fall, when I started, I was in the gym five days a week. I would, however, work a body part no more frequently than once every five to seven days. Muscle is built by tearing it apart, then allowing it to build back up. Working a body part too intensely and too often can not only limit results, but can result in injury that will mess up your whole training program.

8) Pay attention to your diet. My goals included adding ten to fifteen pounds of muscle. I've always been a bit on the lean side (I was 6'2" 175lbs) and this was impeding my reserves towards the end of tournaments. Eating a clean diet, high in protein, with a large caloric intake and more frequent meals made a huge difference. I added ten pounds of solid muscle, and it has been a big help during the season. Not matching your dietary needs to your efforts in the gym can become quite damaging to your body.

9) Technique is a top priority. When you are in the gym, throwing weights around, don't try and figure things out on your own. Get a personal trainer that is qualified and knowledgeable to teach and evaluate your form. This is crucial before moving to heavier weights. Establishing proper form early is essential for preventing injury and getting the results you desire.

10) Recovery at the end of a workout is important. This ties in to maintaining a full range of motion, essential for all the weird contortions the sport forces you into as well as preventing injuries and maximizing performance. I used foam rollers to help separate the fascia primarily in my legs as well as release lactic acid that has built up. I also do some static stretching, including using a rope to increase the range of my stretches.

11) Focus on the weakest links. Too often, we want to focus on our strengths. If we're big hitters, we want to practice hitting all the time. If we can bench press huge amounts, we want to keep racking up more weight. The real secret to improving is to develop our weaknesses and turn them into strengths. This is just as important in the gym as it is on the court. Going beyond our comfort zone in terms of exercises we are willing to perform and areas we are willing to emphasize. Personally, I had dislocated both of my shoulders a little over ten years ago. Developing and strengthening these points has been critical, involving working with weights and therabands. Other areas to pay general attention to are strengthening and stabilizing the ankles and knees, stretching the hip flexors (generally overdeveloped in males) and maintaining a strong core. As a final note, one ailment many volleyball players is overdevelopment of the quadriceps in relation to the hamstrings. In reality, developing the hamstring area with exercises such as squats and deadlifts will typically yield the biggest gains in jumping ability.

All along, pay attention to strengthening your mind as well as your body. Neglect one or the other and it will show clearly on the court. Developing mental toughness seems so abstract, its meaning may be hard to grasp. Yet, if you've found yourself on the court inexplicably making mistakes, giving up points or getting frustrated you've experienced the downside of the mental game. Establishing a mental edge (which happens to be the title of a great book written by Ken Baum on the subject) will make a big difference during the season.

For me, it was a matter of writing out my goals - both general and specific. I wanted us to develop into a top regional team and be competitive at the national level. I wanted to be able to side out 80+ percent of the time, and not yield more than one point at a time. I did not want to yield a lead late in a match again. There were other sub goals, but these were the majors. I visualized, everything I worked at in the gym and on the court was to achieve these goals. This single pointed focus helped me to not only reach these goals, but exceed them. My team mate and I traveled to California and placed adequately well in an open tournament. We've had a near perfect season in our home state of New Mexico. We recently won the AVP Next Rocky Mountain Regional Championships, the first time a team from outside of Colorado has won such an event. I am confident in siding out and have maintained a percentage right around my goal. I feel like we have closed out almost every game that we had a late lead in and have been able to come back from some deficits because we stayed calm focused and did what we know how to do.

Perhaps the most important achievement of the season has been the ability to go out and compete at a high level and have more fun than ever playing this game. I don't have to worry about my body holding up or think about "I hope I don't&...". Jumping higher and moving faster helps, but once I'm out on the court I know I've done all the work preparing to get to that point, and all that is left to do is go out and play the game.

Remember, set goals for yourself that are high but realistic. Be sure you can commit to doing what it takes to achieve those goals in a specified amount of time. With hard, and more importantly, smart work, you will be well on your way to accomplishing your volleyball dreams!

Wrapping the Season

2006-10-30T22:53:00.000-07:00

What a summer! It ended with a it of a fizzle, unfortunately. We were supposed to play the EVP event in Phoenix last weekend, but Loric came down with a case of strep the day before, so we had to bag it. Too bad, as it seemed like a good event, but no worries, we had plenty of playing and will have plenty more. Here's some of the highlights from 2006:

Competing in four states (Arizona; California; Colorado; New Mexico)
We competed in fifteen tournaments with Ten First Place Finishes.
Undefeated record in New Mexico in all eight tournaments.
The first team from outside of Colorado to win a CPVA open event, by winning the AVP Next Rocky Mountain Regional Championship.
During a month when Loric had to be in Phoenix, he teamed with another partner to win the VAO AVP Next Brick Open in Prescott, AZ. During that same time, Adam teamed with a Denver player to finish 4^th in the prestigious King of the Mountain event in Vail, CO.
Two trips to California to play the nations toughest competition. Top finish was a 13^th place out of 43 teams in the Pro CBVA Bud Light Premier Tour stop in Hermosa Beach, CA.
Competing against various AVP teams including the 2006 Rookie of the Year.
Conducted Beach Volleyball clinics in Albuquerque to help build participants skill level and interest in the sport.
Lots, and lots of fun.

I'll be getting up more on off-season training and plans for 2007 soon!

BadAss Grass #11

2006-10-30T22:46:00.000-07:00

Well, a little slow in reporting. Sorry, I've been super busy with work lately. Anyhow, a few weeks back we played the 11th BadAss Grass in Albuquerque, our annual foray into the grassy volleyball world. It was a fun day and a great tournament. We wound up playing Desi and Tony P. in the finals. It was a good match, and our grass legs held out long enough for us to take the bladed crown. Admittedly, it was a while ago and I don't recall the other finishers, so apologies. Good stuff, though. Yes, that is Eighteen Panel apparel we have on, thanks to them for supporting us for the event! Look for the line to be widely available soon.

Aspen Motherlode Volleyball Tourney

2006-09-12T22:53:00.000-06:00

Well, it was a good time as always up in Aspen. Unfortunately, we were probably as far off our game as we had been at any time this year, and we played some solid teams. We started strong on Saturday, winning our first two matches. This included defeating a pretty good Chicago team with one big hitter that has been playing on the indoor volleyball national team practice squad. On Sunday, we got to play the AVP team of Baxter/ Roberts. This match was a blast. We started out real strong, and were able to hang with them for the majority of the match. I think we only gave up three natural points the whole first game, but weren't able to break through enough points to pull out a win. Monday morning we did not play well at all, and lost our 8:30 AM game to a solid team from San Diego. So, we weren't able to improve on last year's ninth place finish, but ended up in 17th. It was a real strong tournament, with more AVP teams flying out as well as many other good teams playing. Turns out Loric got pretty sick right after the tourney and was struggling with something during the event, maybe that helped to throw off our chemistry. Oh well, the event is always good motivation to work harder in the off season. I'm sure we will bounce back for our next few tournaments. The other NM teams had a tough run, even though they all played well at times. Hopefully motivation for everybody to work harder to bring the level statewide even higher. We want to thank 18 Panel Athletic for sponsoring us for the event and Paul Sanchez for snapping some pics. I'll post some up once he gets them online.

We'll be out at the Badass Grass tourney in Albuquerque this weekend, for out annual foray into the world of grass volleyball. Should be a good time. We'll be out training and trying to keep our edge in preparation for the EVP Phoenix event in late October.

Concluding the Season

2006-08-29T21:54:00.000-06:00

Well, the weather is starting to cool off and the days are getting shorter. All the signs are pointing to summer's drawing to an end. Doesn't mean that our season is over just yet, and we're going to squeze out every ounce of playing we can get in. This coming weekend is the big Motherlode tournament in Aspen, Colorado. It is the largest pro-am in the country, with open and masters divisions in the sand and a plethora of other divisions played in the grass. We'll be up in the sand playing the men's open division, which is guaranteing a solid turnout as always this year, with some deep competition. The Motherlode website is showing 62 teams in the men's division including some solid players that have been spending time on the AVP tour this year. It looks like our lead sponsor for the event will be Eighteen Panel Sport. Word on the street is we should have a pretty good seed going into the event and we will be looking to improve on last year's ninth place finish. There are three other teams from NM competing in the men's open as well.
Looking a bit further down the road, we're planning on playing the BadAss Grass tournament in Albuquerque again this year, celebrating the annual "wearing of the shoes and getting dirty on the grass" event. There is an outside chanve we may be able to make one more trip out to California to play in a CBVA event, especially if some sponsor support comes through. We are planning to conclude the season by competing in the Phoenix EVP event in late October. This looks like a great event with some good prize money. There should be some very good teams competing and it sounds like these are always well run tournaments. So, lots of volleyball left before winter's Hibernation sets in!

Sneakerz Championship/ Series Results

2006-08-29T21:39:00.000-06:00

It was a great weekend for volleyball. The sixth and final event of the series saw some strong teams and some heated battles as players jockeyed for position in the Sneakerz Cup. It was also the first time that Jeff and Desi made an appearence in a final this summer. Their solid play throughout the day brought them to the winners final and then back through the contenders bracket into the tournament finals. Here are the results of the event:
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel
2) Jeff Poole/ Desi Vigil
3) Matt Gordon/ Brian Luck
4) Chris Rooslid/ Rob Pierce
There was also a bonus pool payout for overall finishes during the season. Here's the New Mexico Beach Volleyball Bonus Pool results:
1) Adam Rubel
2) Loric Box
3) Matt Gordon
4) Chris Rooslid
Thanks again to Tavake and Sneakerz for another great season of New Mexico Beach Volleyball Doubles. We're looking forward to continued successful tournaments next year.

Sneakerz #6 - The Championship!

2006-08-21T14:00:00.000-06:00

That's right, all the big $$$ and prizes are being awarded. This is the final battle in the men's sand division of the mighty Sneakerz beach volleyball series in Albuquerque, NM. An air of excitement is permeating the entire state. OK, maybe that's a bit of overhype, but this should be a good tournament as we're expecting a solid turnout. Here's the list as of now:
1) Adam Rubel/ Loric Box
2) Chris Roosalid/ Rob Pierce
3) Larry Cromwell/ Dave
4) Jeff Poole/ Desi Vigil
5) Matt Gordon/ ??

Sneakerz #5 Results

2006-08-08T08:45:00.000-06:00

Desert beach volleyball is alive and well in New Mexico. We had a good turnout this past weekend with ten strong teams making an appearance at the next to last event of the Sneakerz summer series. Everybody's looking forward to the final event at the end of this month, with its larger payout and expected large draw. It was good to see Matt and Vince back together playing. Tony and Ricardo worked their way through the bracket to a strong finish. Chris and Matt V. round out some of the teams preparing to make an appearance at the big Motherlode event in Aspen. Here are the results as I recall:
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel
2) Vince Vandermay/ Matt Gordon
3) Ricardo Sanchez/ Tony Perrera
4) Matt Valencia/ Chris Hammock

Victory in Denver!

2006-07-31T21:34:00.000-06:00

What a weekend. Well, the good news is that Loric and I have brought the “Wilson/AVPNext Rocky Mountain Zone Championship” home to New Mexico. Although we're not entirely sure what the title of the event entails, we did manage to walk away from the Colorado Professional Volleyball Association's 4th event victorios. It was probably the biggest win for us as a team in the little more than a year that we have been playing together, and we were both excited and elated by the result. Denver has some very strong and talented teams, and we got to play a number of them. It was surprisingly hot on Saturday. After winning our first match, we faced the top seeded team of Tony and Curtis. They are both excellent players and play very well together. They beat us that match in three games. We regrouped and focused in for the rest of our games. We battled our way back through the losers bracket, improving as the day went on and widening the margin of victory in every game until we faced Tony and Curtis again in the crossover match. For most of the match, we played some of our best volleyball and were able to win in two games. This rolled us over to the finals agains Paige and Ryan T. By 7:00 when the match started, we had seen it all, heat and intense sun, wind, calm, sprinklers shooting off all over, and we were about to face the twilight. Paige and Ryan played great, and the majority of the match was very cleanly played with only a few natural points scored. After winning the first game, we dropped the second and in virtual darkness managed to pull out a 15-13 victory. The match had taken almost two hours! So, after 13 1/2 hours and 13 games we felt like we had done something awesome. It is very satisfying to see the results of all our off season training and conditioning and practice pay off. We heard this might be the first time a team from outside of CO has won one of these events, and I think we're probably the shortest team to win. Anyhow, we're kind of soaking it in for now before turning to focus on what's coming up for the rest of the season.

Sneakerz #5

2006-07-31T20:15:00.000-06:00

Time for another battle in sole of Sneakerz. Hopefully the volleyball community is feeling much healthier, and without many other tournies in the region, we'd expect a good turnout. So, here's who's playing so far:
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel
2) Matt Valencia/ Chris Hammock
3) Vince Vandermay/ Matt Gordon
4) Paul Sanchez/ Brett
5) Steve/ Steve
6) Tavake/ Steve
7) Ricardo Sanchez/ Tony Perrera
8) Jeff Poole/ ?

V-Ball in D-Town

2006-07-27T21:01:00.000-06:00

So, we're gearing up to play in the “Wilson/AVPNext Rocky Mountain Zone Championships” in Denver. It's our first trip of the year up there and we're excited to have the chance to play against the tough competition the region has to offer. For some reason, Denver likes to grow big players that jump well. Coupled with some real hard pack sand, and we're definately going to be on our game to find success. We've had the good fortune to have a lot of practice time together the last few weeks, as I've been working one day a week in Albuquerque, allowing us to get out to Lucky 66 and play and train. Speaking of which, we're also excited about running some beach volleyball clinics. Word is we've got some sign ups already, and hope to see a solid turnout. We'll be drawing up the program for each of the clinics this weekend.

Beach Volleyball Clinics

2006-07-25T11:29:00.000-06:00

Beach Volleyball - In the Desert?

Lucky 66 Oasis Volleyball is Proud to Present:

Sand Volleyball skills clinics taught by New Mexico's finest semi-pro volleyball players Adam Rubel and Loric Box. Being one of the southwest region's top teams allows Adam and Loric to travel competing in the some of the highest-level beach volleyball tournaments. With a combined volleyball experience of 35+ years, Adam and Loric seek to share their expertise and training techniques to help build the volleyball community in New Mexico! The clinics will be in the following format:

Level I - Introductory Clinic

two-day clinic held on August 19th & August 20th from 3:00 PM

to 7:00 PM Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 AM till the end of the tournament.

This clinic will provide you with the basic knowledge of the skills and game of outdoor volleyball.

Want to get in shape? Really good shape? Want to have fun? Lots and lots of fun? This clinic is for you!

Prerequisites: A desire to have fun playing a new sport. Some experience playing volleyball in a competitive or non-competitive environment is helpful, but not required.

Individual attention will be given during the clinic in a group setting. Drills will focus on developing individual skills and abilities as well as functioning within a team context. Some of the areas covered:

Warming up and getting loose.
Moving in the sand.
Learning the skills and developing good technique: Passing, Setting, Serving and Hitting.
Game situations - good strategies, dealing with difficult positions.

The Clinic will conclude on the second day with a mini tournament.

You will walk away from this clinic with a deeper knowledge of the game, more developed skills and with the capacity to carry the lessons and training you receive into your own practice sessions and game situations.

LEVEL II - Advanced Clinic

two-day clinic held on August 5th &, August 13th from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 AM

This clinic will help you to develop and refine your skills and game as a volleyball player.

Are you looking to transition your indoor game to an outdoor one? Looking to be more effective in your outdoor leagues? Interested in placing higher in tournaments and bringing your game to the next level? Weather you are interested

in becoming a star player in your league, competing at the national level, or just improving your skills and having fun playing volleyball, this clinic is for you.

Prerequisites: Should have several years minimum of playing volleyball, a good knowledge of the game and capable of performing basic skills well.

Individual attention will be given during the clinic in a group setting. Drills will focus on developing individual skills and strategies primarily as well as functioning within a team context. Some of the areas covered:

Appropriate warm-up - movement preparation.
Developing quick, stable and explosive movement in the sand.
Mental Approach - Staying focused, visualization and preparing for success.
Skills Refinement - Passing, Setting, Serving and Hitting Techniques.
Situation Training - How to best handle common and difficult situations during play.
Conditioning and Recovery - Stay healthy and in shape.

The Clinic will conclude on the second day with a mini tournament.

Cost: per clinic is $40.00 per person.

Where: Lucky 66 Volleyball
6132 4th ST NW
next to Sadie's Restaurant

Contact: Robert Oselio at robertoselio@yahoo.com or 345-2506 to reserve your spot.

Clinics are open to both men and women of all ages. Please bring a beach towel and sunscreen.

Space is limited, 10 player minimum so sign up today!

Sneakerz #4 Results

2006-07-21T08:55:00.000-06:00

Well, it was another hot day at Sneakerz. Small turnout as lots of guys are hurt or sick. Some folks also travelled up to Durango and Denver to play. Still, we had six solid teams and a good day of volley, with matches all around. Here's the results:
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel
2) Thierry Thelliez/ Matt Gordon
3) Colin Vito/ Matt Valencia
4) Jeff Poole/ Larry Cromwell
The tourney on the sixth should have a real solid showing and the end of the month is the big championship event, with holdover cash being paid out.

Sneakerz #4

2006-07-10T17:50:00.000-06:00

Time again for another tourney in the desert. This should be a good one, 7/15 at Sneakerz on San Mateo in Albuquerque - the finest doubles beach volleyball tournaments New Mexico has to offer! Here's the entry list so far:
1) Jeff Poole/ Larry Cromwell
2) Matt Valencia/ Colin Vito
3) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel
4) Thierry Thelliez/ Matt Gordon
5) Tavake/ Pat White
6) Matt Jensen/ ? (needs partner)

Loric Strikes Gold in AZ

2006-07-03T21:52:00.000-06:00

Loric had some great success at the Shark Open in Prescott, Arizona last weekend. He teamed with Eric Burness to defeat Rico Becker and Vince Zanzucchi in the final. It sounds like this was a great tournament, with about a twelve team draw in the open division. Pictures are up currently and full results will be listed soon on the volleyball Arizona website. Congrats to Loric and Eric on an awesome win!

Mid Season Thoughts

2006-06-29T22:07:00.000-06:00

Well, I suppose it is time to check in and reflect as we're at about the half way point for this season. It started way back in March, practicing on cool windy days in the sands of Santa Fe and Albuquerque, leading to our first tournaments in Southern California at the end of the month. Coming into the season, we were both highly motivated, thanks to a few last minute slips at the end of last season including losing a 14-11 game three lead late in the Aspen tournament and giving up a similar lead in a Phoenix final. We both worked hard in the off season, in the gym, the sand and on our mental game. Some of my personal goals coming into this season included being able to side out a very high percentage of the time and being able to compete as a team at a very high level. I feel as though both goals have been met, and I am very pleased about that. Travelling to California early helped set a strong pace. We did well in the first tournament, before running out of steam from a lack of playing on the sand at that point. The second tournament didn't go as well, as we were pretty tired (turns out one of the teams in our pool, Mayer and Keenan, finished 3rd recently at an AVP event). That helped us to focus and push harder, meeting up weekly to practice together and focusing our skills. As the season has been progressing, we've done very well locally. The Sneakerz events have been having good turnouts, with new and changing combinations of competitive teams. Matt Valencia has been playing particuilarly well, making the finals in all three events, two with Thomas and one with Rob. Chris' short retirement has been good as he has finished well with a few different partners. Thierry and Colin have played a couple events and done well. Jeff and Desi have put in a number of strong matches. After finishing 1 & 2 at the King of the beach, we've gone on to win all the Sneakerz events and have not dropped a match as a team. More importantly, we haven't allowed teams to go run points on us and have been very steady. Our conditioning has been paid off, as we have been getting stronger at the end of events rather than becoming tired. We spent Memorial Day weekend back in California, playing a big CBVA event. After a shakey start, we pulled it together and defeated numerous teams before dropping a well played close match at sunset, finishing 13th of 43. This has given us the confidence that we can indeed compete at a high level. As Loric has been spending a better part of the last month in Phoenix, I picked up a partner for the big King of the Mountain tournament in Vail. We worked through to another strong finish, 4th out of 29. Loric's been keeping up with playing some good ball in Phoenix. Best part has been the most fun I've had playing in a very long time!
So, here we are, halfway through. The first half has been very good, most importantly, lots of fun. We've gotten support from some sponsors and supporters (see left column) and have gottent to do some great travelling. Looking forward, I think the goals will be a little loftier. I will be working one day a week in Albuquerque, so Loric an I will have lots more quality practice time together. We'll sit down and figure out a travel schedule. Aside from local events, we'll be at the Motherlode in Aspen, possible the EVP event in Tempe and more. Of course the blog will keep going, for better or worse. Thanks for reading!

Sneakerz #3 Results

2006-06-25T21:50:00.000-06:00

We had another good showing this past weekend. Ten teams showed up to make the third event of the series a success. While the weather fluctuated during the day, the tournament ran with some parity as various teams celebrated victory over each other at different times. We had the first double final of the season, closing the tournament at sunset. I've got to thank Matt G. for playing great down the stretch and helping to lead our team to the win. Matt V. and Thomas also had another fine showing, winning the winner bracket and making their second finals appearence in their second final. As always, here are some of Paul's great pics. Next event is July 15th. Here's the results as I recall them:
1) Matt Gordon/ Adam Rubel
2) Matt Valencia/ Thomas Parks
3) Chris Hammock/ Brian Post
4) Desi Vigil/ Jeff Poole

My little shredded toe was killing me after the event as my sandsock tore a good hole that ducktape wouldn't keep sealed, so I'm gonna take some time off from the sand for now. I'll be posting up my mid-season thoughts soon. Thanks for reading!

Good showing at Vail King of the Mountain

2006-06-20T17:46:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was the big King of the Mountain event in Vail. I played with Matt A. , whom I met up in Vail on Friday, where we spent a little time on the court getting to know each others preferences. The men's open had a good sized field, with a draw of 29 teams, mostly Colorado locals but included a couple of national team players and others.
Our day started early Saturday where we were surprised with the news that our first couple of matches would be played in another town, 15 miles away. Even worse, we had to play my friends from Santa Fe, Thomas and Matt. Well, we packed it up and drove over to the remote courts. With a lake on one side and railroad tracks on the other, not the best setup for two courts. What's worse was the condition of the courts, real rocky and whatnot. Hopefully the TD's will go out to the court in advance next year and make sure they are in a good, safe condition for the players. We beat Thomas and Matt in a shakey first game. Our second game was against the 8 seed (we were 9 seed) of Eric and Ryan. They were solid. We were in our third game tied at 9 when I dropped to dig a ball and in cutting back wound up slicing off a good portion of the bottom of my big toe. A little tape job and I was back on the court, but we were out of it and they finished the match running 5 of the next 7 points. We got the unfortunate news that somebody in Vail had a heart attack while playing on one of the grass courts. Found out later he was doing well and was flown to a hospital in Denver.
Back to Vail and we played a couple more games in the double elim tournament, beating Ryan and Chad and another team. Thomas and Matt pulled it together and won a couple matches before going down at the end of the day. We came back on Sunday and played Wes and Lucas, a very solid team. We managed to pull a win there, and then proceded to beat the next team we played. We got to Jason and Paige, a very strong team from Denver. Jason actually hooked me up with my partner from the tourney. Fortunately, the more we played the better we got and we were able to take them down. This put us into the semifinals of the loosers bracket where we had to face the team that beat us the previous day, Ryan and Eric. They played very well dueing the game to 25 and we began to run out of steam. Thus ended our run through the loosers bracket, but not before walking away with a 4th place finish. It was my personal best at the event, so I'm not complaining. The big payout for the event: we got an old t-shirt. Oh well...

Sneakerz #3

2006-06-20T17:44:00.000-06:00

Time again for another battle in the Abq. oven. Looks like Loric and I will be sitting this one out. Loric is in Phoenix until next month and I'm nursing a flesh wound from Vail. Here's the list of entries so far:
1. Chris Hammock/ Brian Post
2. Thierry Thelliez/ Rob Pierce
3. Jeff Poole/ Desi Vigil
4. Matt Valencia/ Thomas Parks
5. Paul Sanchez/ Brett
6. Matt/ Ben
7. Tavake/ Kameron
8. Doug/ ?
9. Ricardo Sanchez/ Vanessa
10. Matt Gordon/ Adam Rubel (OK, I'm a volleyjunkie and have grown barely enough flesh on my toe to play)

Next Stop: King of the Mountain

2006-06-11T22:31:00.000-06:00

So, the next tourney stop is the King of the Mountain event in Vail, CO. Unfortunately, Loric has had to go to Phoenix with his family for about a month to go through a teacher training program along with his wife so he won't be able to make the event. I am fortunate in that I was able to partner with a player from Denver, Matt A. Of course there are always challenges with a new partnership, but Matt sounds like a very solid player and I'm sure we'll get to gel quickly on the court. I'm gonna give a shot playing left side, where I started my playing days and played several tournaments over the last couple of years. The tournament is always a good time with a 28 team men's draw in a great setting. Looks like the men's open has closed out. They also run women's open in the sand along with numerous grass divisions. Last year, Loric and I did well in our first tournament together out of state. I'm hoping for a strong showing again this year, and definately a good time!

Sneakerz #2 Results

2006-06-06T19:38:00.000-06:00

Well, it was a long, hot day, but everybody survived, more or less. We've been hit with a heat wave and Saturday saw no wind or clounds and recorded temps in the mid 90's, no doubt higher in the sand. It was a great tournament, however, with a solid ten team turnout. We wore shorts from our sponsor, volleychick.com, and handed out some suncreen donated by one of our supporters, Badger. A revised format proved to be more to everyone's liking. A short pool play round that finished before noon gave way to a full double elim tournament. A number of teams played well and had strong showings. Matt V. looks to be unstoppable in second place, I think he has finished there in every tournament he played in the past year. He and Thomas played well during the day, taking us to 3 games in the winner bracket final, the first game Loric and I dropped in NM all year. They battled through the looser final and we met them again in the final final. I felt a bit better after probably being dehydrated and a little bloodletting via my nose. Next event is June 24th. Here are the results, as I remember them:
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel
2) Thomas Parks/ Matt Valencia
3) Rob Pierce/ Chris Hammock
4) Thierry Thelliez/ Colin Vito
5) Jeff Poole/ Desi Vigil
Thanks again to Paul Sanchez for the great pictures of the event!

Back from the coast

2006-05-31T21:21:00.000-06:00

Here's a quick little post about our trip. So, we were a bit dissapointed that we couldn't get in to the AVP quali, especially since we weren't given notice and the decision was not based on our performance. But, we used Friday to do a bit of light practicing at State Beach in Santa Monica. It's amazing the difference in the way the game is played on the coast compared to the mountains. For one thing, moisture in the air and a low elevation gives the ball a different feel. Control is actually easier, as is using top spin to bring shots, hits and serves into the court at sea level. What is more difficult is moving in deep sand and adjusting to the steady, offshore breezes that blow at various intensities during the day. Of course, we had great wind going down to sea level, since the oxygen is much more dense there. Saturday we got over to Hermosa for the CPVA event. It was cold and windy, not exactly what we were expecting. Our first match was pretty shakey against an OK team. We had a hard time adjusting to the elements and had many plays that left us feeling like little children because we couldn't execute fairly simple tasks. Both games were close, but we lost in two and went down to the losers bracket, a long road ahead with the 43 team deaw. By our next match the winds had picked up even more, but we began to make the adjustments necessarry and were better able to move in the deep sand. We won our next three matches, most games by a pretty large margin, having to come back in one game to win 24-22. Our fourth consecutive match was played under a setting sun against a very solid team. In spite of being a bit worn from playing 4 previous matches in sand we aren't accostumed too, we played very well in this match. It was really back and forth and could've gone either way on a given day, but we ended up on the short end losing 21-19; 21-19. So, we finished 13th overall and one game away from playing on Sunday. We were happy with the results. After a few more days hanging out at the beach, we got to play some pickups on Tuesday and finally started moving and playing like we do under conditions we are accustumed too and ran the courts for a bit against some of the local players, who were all very friendly. One of the best things about the weekend as far as our play goes is that we had excellent ball control, even when the conditions were kind of fierce. That made us feel good. We also were mentally strong, not giving up any major runs of points the entire time. Best part: it was lots of fun, and we had a blast just playing beach volleyball!

So, that's the short of the skinny. I got to check out Manhattan pier and all the names of the people that have won the event. Being out there gave a good sense of volleyball history and perspective. We had a great time and felt we left with a respectable showing on the beaches famous for being the heart of this sport. This weekend we're back in action at the Sneakerz event in Albuquerque. It'll be interesting to see what adjustments we need to make to reset ourselves, or if we'll be jumping real well on the hardpack.

Sneakerz #2 Beach Volleyball Tournament

2006-05-31T21:11:00.000-06:00

Allright, time for another round of desert battle this Saturday, June 3rd at Sneakerz in Albuquerque. Same deal as the others, 8:30 sign in, 9:00 AM start time. Sounds like we're going to do short pools with 15 pt capped games to determine seeding (and short warmups this time). This will be followed by a double elim tournament with match play in the winner's bracket. It's not clear at this time if there will be two divisions after pool (upper an lower) or if there will be one division and a consolation round made available for the first teams eliminated. Either way, it will be set in writing before the tourney, so lots of playing for all. So, here are the teams so far:
1) Chris Hammock/ Rob Pierce
2) Matt Valencia/ Tom Parks
3) Kameron/ Craig
4) Tavake/ Steve Gallegos
5) Larry Cromwell/ Partner
6) Jeff Poole/ Desi Vigil
7) Colin Vito/ Thierry Thelliez
8) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel
9) Paul Sanchez/ Will

Beach volley in California!

2006-05-24T23:08:00.000-06:00

Well, here we come! It's late at night and I've still got to pack, but we're heading off bright and early for our 14 hour drive to California. Got some dissapointing news today. We will not be allowed into the Huntington Beach AVP qualifier because we lack points from previous qualifiers. Neither Loric nor I have played a qualifier event in the last year, so that brings our point total to 0. I was told over the phone that the field was limited to 90 teams in teh q and 10 had to be dropped, including us. This is too bad, we were looking forward to it and felt good physically and mentally. We apologize to our sponsors (namely volleychick.com) and supporters and all the folks we were going to meet up with out there. We'll still be on the coast, but now our focus is solely on the CBVA in Hermosa. This is going to be another Open event, which means the talent will be deep and strong. Hermosa is also famous for having some of the deepest sand anyhwhere, a big difference from the park hardpack we are used to out here. We got out last night to a new bar that has some real beach sand to run some drills with Colin. Since we only had 3, we had to do drills, but it was probably what will help us most. Aside from the tournament, we know we're going to have a good time just being on the beach and playing the game at its home. I think we feel pretty good playingwise given the way the last tournament went and how our practice sessions have been going. We're deifnately in shape from a long effort, so this should be good. Wish us luck and we'll let you all know how it went when we get back!

Sneakerz #1 Beach Volleyball Tournament: Results

2006-05-24T22:49:00.000-06:00

It was a long, hot day, but a good turnout and some great play made this event all well worth while. Aside from local talent, we had players from AZ, CO and one with at UT/ CA connection. We even had one guy make the long trip up from Las Cruces to play in the event. Exciting to see the sport on the rebound in our state. This is especially true when considering many players are still on the floorboard until nationals is over this weekend in New Orleans.

So, the nitty gritty. It was a long day with short pool play games in the morning (15 pts). I think consensus amongst the players was to run smaller pools with fewer games to get the first phase out of the way sooner and leave teams with more energy for the playoffs. After pool play, the top finishers went into an upper bracket and the bottom finishers went into a lower one. Both brackets ran a double elim (6 upper and 5 lower). Some teams were playing really well and there was some parody with teams that beat one in pool losing in the playoffs and vice-versa. Colin and Thierry teamed up for the first time and had a strong showing, despite being fatigued by the heat. Chris still has his touch in spite of retirement and played well with his old partner, Brian from AZ. Matt and Rob played very well towards the end of the day in their first pairing, winning 3 consecutive matches in elimination play to make it to the finals. Andy and Gray pulled it together late in the day as well to conquer the lower bracket after fighting through a tough pool that saw many close matches and even records. I felt that Loric and I played strong throughout the day and felt the strongest during the finals, a good sign that all the conditioning has been paying off. We finished with an undefeated record and have some momentum to build on for our CA trip.
Anyhow, here are the results from memory, as my week has been pretty hectic and I haven't had a chance to call Tavake:
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel 2) Matt Valencia/ Rob Pierce 3) Chris Hammock/ Brian Post 4) Thierry Thelliez/ Colin Vito. Lower Bracket Winner: Andy Rice/ Gray Davis
Thanks again to Tavake and Sneakerz for a great tourney and Paul Sanchez for some great pics. The next event is 6/3. I'll be back in town next Wednesday to post entries, so go ahead and call Tavake or hang an email for me!

Gearing up!

2006-05-19T21:04:00.000-06:00

OK, so tomorrow starts a long string of tournaments for us. We're definately ready for the months ahead. We've both been training and practicing hard, now it is time to put all that work to the test. For myself, I've been hitting the gym hard the last few weeks, lots of erxplosive and compund exercises. Single leg squats and deadlifts and things of the like. Also plyos - depth jumps, broad jumps, get ups, etc. And my new favorite, agility ladder work thanks to my friend Steph that loaned one to me. This is great for developing foot quickness, which is a big key on the court. I've been out playing 3 times a week, including one day on the weekend that Loric and I have been getting together for the last couple months or so. So, physically - ready. Mentally - I think we're feeling strong, focused and confident. We know we've put the work in, so it's time to see the results. We will be challenged for sure, especially next weekend at the qualifier and open tournaments in California, but that's what it is all about. Things seem to be falling into place and we are ready to have some great fun.

Now the big news: You may have noticed a sponsor section at the left. That's right, VolleyChick.com is our new sponsor for the Huntington AVP qualifier and we are very happy to have them on board. Check out their site, they've got a line for dudes and lots for girls, women, moms to be and volleybabies. Smith sport and Badger have also signed on as supporters.

I hope to figure out the audio blogger feature so we can post updates in real time while we are out in CA. OK, time to get some rest before tomorrow's tourney.

Going back to Cali...

2006-05-03T20:23:00.000-06:00

OK, so I'm not referring to a terrible 80's song here. Loric and I have the opportunity to travel back to the coast at the end of May. We're excited because it looks like we'll get to play the AVP qualifier in Huntington and a CBVA event in Hermosa. We'll also have a little extra time to get on the beach during the week and hopefully fall into some good games. We're all looking forward to a mini vacation.
So, I guess I need to refocus my training. The work in the winter definately feels like it is paying off, my legs were fresh through the whole KoB on Saturday. One thing I didn't like was that I felt a bit winded during some of the longer rallies. So, I must face my nemesis and do that sprinting and cardio work I've been trying so hard to put off. If I can get good wind here at 7,500 ft, then hopefully I'll have no problems at sea level. Loric's been playing great and is in great shape, he's a runner and has been jumping super high this year. We should have better sand legs on this trip and certainly will have had tons more time playing on the court. We're stoked to get up against some of the best competition.

May 20th Sneakerz #1 Tournament

2006-05-03T19:47:00.000-06:00

Sneakerz is preparing for their first team doubles event of the season. This should be a very good event, given the turnout to the KoB event last weekend. I'm not sure of the format, but in the past the event has been abbreviated pool play followed by a double elimination in the upper bracket and a single or double elimination event for the lower. Everybody gets lots of playing and the level of competition can get pretty good when teams from out of state drop in and challenge the local guys. I'll post more info about the tourney as it becomes available here. In the meantime, let me and/ or Tavake know if you're interested in playing, and we'll add your team to the list. If you've looking for a partner, join the yahoo group: http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/volleyball-sw
Check in time is 8:30AM with Play starting at 9:00.
and post out an email . Here is the list of registered teams so far:
1) Loric Box/ Adam Rubel
2) Rob Pierce/ Matt Valencia
3) Chris Hammock/ Brian Post
4) Jeff Poole/ Tavake Misailegalu
5) Thierry Thelliez/ Colin Vito
6) Desi Vigil/ Larry Cromwell
7) Andy Rice/ Gray Davis
8) Paul Sanchez/ Bret
9) Derrick Ray/Robert Oselio
10) John Malcom/ Partner
11) Kameron/ ?
12) Ricardo Sanchez/ Lopaka
13) Tom Parks/ ?

4/29 Sneakerz KoB results

2006-05-03T19:39:00.000-06:00

Well, it was a fine tournament with a good turnout, good weather and good times. Folks got lots of games in and a chance to play with many different people. Thanks to Tavake and Sneakerz for putting another great event together. Looks like volleyball in the desert here is off to a strong start. Should be a good season of events. Here are the tournament results:
Upper:1) Loric Box - $110 2) Adam Rubel - $60 3) Chris Hammock - $30 4) Jeff Poole - T-shirt 5) Matt Valencia 6) Rob Pierce 7) Ricardo Sanchez 8) Desi Vigil Lower: 9) Jeff Bryce - $30 10) Larry Cromwell - T-shirt 11) Tavake 12) Rich Parry 13) Derrick 14) Paul Sanchez 15) Kameron 16) Tony Schimkus 17) Robert Oselio

Thanks to Paul for some great pics of the event!

4/29 Sneakerz Entries

2006-04-25T21:56:00.000-06:00

Well, I got the list of entries from Tavake for this Saturday's tournament at Sneakerz in Albuquerque. It's a King of the Beach format. If you're interested in playing, give him a call: 505-720-4209. Anyhow, here's the current list, I'll update as I get more info:
1) Kameron 2)Pat White 3) Tavake 4) Jeff Poole 5)Adam Rubel 6) Steve 7) Desi Vigil 8) Larry Cromwell 9)Tony Schimkus 10)Paul Sanchez 11) Rob Pierce 12) Loric Box 13) Matt Valencia 14) Robert 15) Derek 16) Mike Noonan 17) Ricardo Sanchez 18) Chris Hammock
See you all out at Sneakerz this Saturday at 9:00 AM!

2006 Outdoor Schedule

2006-04-12T21:36:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Desi Vigil, here is a thoroughly compiled schedule of 2006 outdoor volleyball tournaments in four states: New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah.
That's Desi on the left. Also, thanks to Paul Sanchez who is responsible for many of the great pics you see. Most of thse are from Sneakerz tournaments in NM.

2006 NEW MEXICO OUTDOOR VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

APRIL
Apr. 22: Sneakerz Sand Tournament, 4 on 4 Coed - Sneakerz, Alb., NM - $10/person, Intermediate & Recreational Contact: Tavake Misailegalu 505-720-4209
Apr. 29: Sneakerz King of the Beach - Sneakerz, Albuquerque, NM - $15/person, Open Sand, Competitive Doubles Contact: Tavake Misailegalu 505-720-4209
MAY
May 13/14: Send Them to Nationals Fund Raiser Grass Tournament - Bataan Memorial Park, Alb., NM - $10/person pre., $15/person day of, 13th - M/W Doubles, Trips; 14th - Coed Rev. Doubles, Coed Rev. 4's, Juniors age groups 14, 16 & 18's Contact: Fred Ader 505-480-4196, fmader@sandia.gov
May 20: Sneakerz Summer Series #1 - Sneakerz, Alb. NM - $30/team, Men Open Sand, Competitive Doubles Contact: Tavake Misailegalu 505-720-4209
May 21: ABQ VolleyFest (Grass) - Bataan Memorial Park, Alb., NM - $10/person pre., $15/person day of - Trips, Coed 4's, Doubles (TBD) Contact: Fred Ader 505-480-4196, fmader@sandia.gov
May 27: Sneakerz Sand Tournament, 5 on 4 Coed - Sneakerz, Alb. NM - $10/person, Intermediate & Recreational Contact: Tavake Misailegalu 505-720-4209
JUNE
Jun 3: Sneakerz Summer Series #2 - Sneakerz, Alb. NM - $30/team, Men Open Sand, Competitive Doubles Contact: Tavake Misailegalu 505-720-4209
Jun 10: ABQ VolleyFest (Grass) - Bataan Memorial Park, Alb., NM - $10/person pre., $15/person day of - (TBD)Contact: Fred Ader 505-480-4196, fmader@sandia.gov
Jun 17: MUDD4KIDS Volleyball Tournament
June 24: Sneakerz Summer Series #3 - Sneakerz, Alb. NM - $30/team, Men Open Sand, Competitive Doubles Contact: Tavake Misailegalu 505-720-4209
Jun 25: ABQ VolleyFest (Grass) - Bataan Memorial Park, Alb., NM - $10/person pre., $15/person day of - (TBD) Contact: Fred Ader 505-480-4196, fmader@sandia.gov
JULY
Jul 8: ABQ VolleyFest (Grass) - Location TBD, Alb., NM - $10/person pre., $15/person day of - (TBD)Contact: Fred Ader 505-480-4196, fmader@sandia.gov
Jul 15: Sneakerz Summer Series #4 - Sneakerz, Alb. NM - $30/team, Men Open Sand, Competitive Doubles Contact: Tavake Misailegalu 505-720-4209
July 22: Sneakerz Sand Tournament, 4 on 4 Blind Draw - Sneakerz, Alb., NM - $10/person - Intermediate & Recreational Contact: Tavake Misailegalu 505-720-4209
July 29: ABQ VolleyFest (Grass) - Location TBD, Alb., NM - $10/person pre., $15/person day of - (TBD) Contact: Fred Ader 505-480-4196, fmader@sandia.gov
AUGUST
Aug 6: Sneakerz Summer Series #5 - Sneakerz, Alb. NM - $30/team, Men Open Sand, Competitive Doubles Contact: Tavake Misailegalu 505-720-4209
Aug 12: ABQ VolleyFest (Grass) - Location TBD, Alb., NM - $10/person pre., $15/person day of - (TBD) Contact: Fred Ader 505-480-4196, fmader@sandia.gov
Aug 19/20: ABQ VolleyFest (Grass) - Tune-up for Aspen - Location TBD, Alb., NM $10/person pre., $15/person day of - (TBD) Contact: Fred Ader 505-480-4196
Aug 26: Sneakerz Summer Series #6 - Championship - Sneakerz, Alb. NM - $30/team, Men Open Sand, Competitive Doubles Contact: Tavake Misailegalu 505-720-4209
SEPTEMBER
Sept 16/17: Bad Ass Grass Tournament - Location TBD, Alb. NM - Sept 16 - Open Grass M / W, Competitive Grass M /W Sept 17 - Open Grass Coed, Competitive Grass Coed, Contact: Fred Weller @ www.abqvolleyball.com
Note: This is not a complete list of tournaments in New Mexico.

2006 COLORADO OUTDOOR VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

MAY
May 29: Memorial Day Co-ed Doubles - Youth Memorial Complex, Arvada, CO - $50/team - Co-ed A, BB, B Contact: Kay Palmer - 303-403-2521, kayp@northjeffco.org www.northjeffco.org
JUNE
June 3: CPVA #1 - Arapahoe County Community Park; Englewood, CO - $50/team (late fee: $15) - M / W Open (sand); must be AVPNext member
June 3: Volleyball Colorado Classic - Arapahoe Community Park; Englewood, CO - $50/adult teams - Men's A, BB, B, Women's A, BB, Co-ed A, BB
June 10: Volleymania - Cornerstone Park; Littleton, CO - $50/adult teams - Men's Open, A, BB, B, Women's Open, A, BB, Co-ed A, BB
June 16-18: 34th annual Vail 'King of the Mountain Open' - Vail Athletic Field; Vail, CO $45/team (late entry: $60/team) Mens' Masters (35-over), Mens' Seniors (45-over); M / W Open (sand); Men's A, BB, B; Women's A, BB; Co-ed A, BB; Juniors (Boys and Girls) 18's, 16's, 14's (grass) Father/Son 18s, 16s, 14s,12s; Father/Daughter 18s, 16s, 14s (grass)
June 24: CPVA #2 - Lakewood Park; Lakewood, CO - $50/team (late fee: $15)Men's/Women's Open (sand); must be AVPNext member
June 24: City of Lakewood Doubles - Lakewood Park; Lakewood, CO - $50 adult teams - Men's A, BB, B, Women's A, BB, Co-ed A, BB
JULY
July 15: CPVA #3 - Arapahoe County Community Park; Englewood, CO - $50/team (late fee: $15) - M / W Open (sand); must be AVPNext member
July 15: Volleypalooza - Arapahoe Community Park; Arapahoe County - $50/adult teams - Men's A, BB, B, Women's A, BB, Co-ed A, BB
July 22: Spike-It-Rich - Aurora Sports Park; Aurora - $50/adult teams - Men's Open, A, BB, B, Women's Open, A, BB, Co-ed A, BB
July 29: Colorado Volleyball Championships - Arapahoe Community Park; Arapahoe County - $50/team - M / W A, BB, B, Co-ed A, BB
July 29: CPVA #4 - Arapahoe County Community Park; Englewood, CO - $50/team(late fee:$15) - M / W Open (sand); must be AVPNext member
AUGUST
Aug. 5: Rocky Mountain State Games - Volleyball (Grass) - Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO - $75/team (Adult) - Men's/Women's 4s A, B Contact: 719-634-7333 x. 1003, mailto:lynn@SportsOasis.com www.TheSports.org/rmsg
Aug. 5: Longmont Grass Doubles Volleyball Tournament - Roosevelt Park; Longmont,CO - $45/adult teams M / W A, BB, B, Co-ed A, BB, B Contact: 303-774-4562; brian.felse@ci.longmont.co.us www.ci.longmont.co.us
Aug. 5/6: DIG OR DIE Tournament - Fort Collins Health Club; Fort Collins, Co - $35/team - Men's A Sand, Men's A, BB, Women's A, BB, Co-ed A, BB Contact: Fort Collins Club @ 970-224-2582, fcc@ftcclub.net
Aug. 6: Rocky Mountain State Games - Volleyball (Sand) - The Sand Pits, Colorado Springs, CO - $40/team (Adult) - Men's/Women's A, B, Contact: 719-634-7333 x. 1003, mailto:lynn@SportsOasis.com www.TheSports.org/rmsg
Aug. 20: Late Bloomers Co-ed Doubles - Youth Memorial Complex, Arvada, CO - $50/team - Co-ed A, BB, B, Contact: Kay Palmer - 303-403-2521, kayp@northjeffco.org www.northjeffco.org
Sun., Aug. 25 - 27: AVP Cuervo Gold Crown Boulder Open - Boulder Reservoir,Boulder - General admission seating starts at $15
SEPTEMBER
Aug. 31-Sept. 4: 34th annual MotherLode Volleyball Classic - Various parks; Aspen, CO $60/team (late entry: $80/team) - Mens' Seniors (45-over/50-over); Mens' Masters (37-over); Men's Open (sand); Men's AA, A, BB, B (grass) Womens' Masters (35-over); Women's Open (sand); Women's A, BB, B (grass) Co-ed Open, A, BB, B (grass)
Sept. 9: Sunset Blast Co-ed Doubles - Harold Lutz Sports Complex, Arvada, CO - $50/team - Co-ed A, BB, B, Contact: Kay Palmer - 303-403-2521, kayp@northjeffco.org www.northjeffco.org
Sept. 10: Sunset Blast Men's/Women's Doubles - Harold Lutz Sports Complex, Arvada, CO - $50/team - Men's/Women's A, BB, B,
For additional tournament information, visit www.coloradovolleyball.com

Note: This is not a complete list of tournaments in Colorado.

2006 ARIZONA OUTDOOR TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

APRIL
Apr 1: VAO Volleyball Madness II (Sand) - men/women - A/B, coed open
Apr 15: VAO Tax Relief (Sand) - men/women open, men/women/coed - A/B
Apr 22/23: ASU Grass Event (Grass) - men/women/coed
Apr 29: AO/Victory Lane Beach Bash 4's (Sand) - coed open, A/B 4's
MAY
May 4: Todd Rogers Adult Skills Clinic (Sand) - all levels
May 13: SWPVA/VAO Yuma Open (Sand) - men/women open
May 20: Dig It! COED 4s (Indoor) - coed 4's indoor open, A/B
JUNE
Jun 17: Dusk Till Dawn I Event (Sand) - men/women open, men/women/coed - A/B
JULY
July 1: Shark Prescott Open (Sand) - men/women open, men/women - A/B
AUGUST
Aug 5: Dusk Till Dawn II Event (Sand) - men/women open, men/women/coed - A/B
SEPTEMBER
Sept 2/3: VAO Calcutta (Sand) - men/women open, men/women - A/B
OCTOBER
Oct 21/22: $5,000 Tempe ProAM (Sand) - men/women
Oct 28: Halloween COED 4s (Sand) - coed 4's open, A/B
VolleyballArizona OrganizationHotline: (602) 532-7931, Email: info@volleyballarizona.org
Website: www.volleyballarizona.org
Note: This is not a complete list of tournaments in Arizona.

2006 UTAH UOVA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

APRIL
Apr 8: St. George Spring Fling Opener M/W/Doubles Worthen Park, 400 E 285 S, St George Bob Peckham 4356345860 bob.peckham@sgcity.org
Apr 15: UOVA Members Only M/W Dbles/Jrs/Mastrs Cottonwood Complex, 4400 S. 1300 E., SLC Annette Cottle 8016298259 annettecottle@ci.ogden.ut.us
Apr 22: Spring Opener M/W/Doubles UVSC Soccer Field, Orem Dave Richards 8012261269 richarlo@aol.com
Apr 29: Spring Mix Up Reverse Coed/Dbles Northwest MPC, 1300 W. 300 N.,SLC Nancy Smith 8015960072 nsmith@slco.org
MAY
May 6: Six Pack Saturday Coed/Doubles County Ice Center Field, 5201 S. Murray Park Lane Nancy Taylor 8012707260 nataylor@slco.org
May 13: Bring on the Heat M/W/Doubles Cottonwood Complex, 4400 S 1300 E, SLC Shawn Ashby 8019746923 sashby@slco.org
May 20: UOVA Members Only Reverse Coed/Dbles Cottonwood Complex, 4400 S 1300 E, SLC Nancy Taylor 8012707260 nataylor@slco.org
May 27: Mixed Mayhem Coed/Doubles Wheeler Farm, 6351 S 900 E, Murray Jill Johnson 8015382062 jsjohnson@slco.org
May 30: Memorial Day Madness M/W/Jrs/ Doubles UVSC Soccer Field, Orem Dave Richards 8012261269 plyrsvbc@aol.com
JUNE
Jun 3: Spike the Heights M/W/Doubles Cottonwood Heights Rec. Ctr., 7500 S 2700 E, SLC Kari White 8014240621 kpringle@slco.org
Jun 10: Setting With The Sun M/W/Doubles Steed Park, 300 N 1000 W, Clearfield Curtis Dickson 8015252795 recdesk@clearfieldcity.org
Jun 17: Salt Lake City Classic M/W/Jrs/Doubles Liberty Park, 600 E 1000 S,SLC Tyler Curtis 8015356118 tyler.curtis@slcgov.com
Jun 24: Utah Summer Games M/W/Jrs/Dbles/Mstrs/coed 4s Cottonwood Complex,4400 S 1300 E, SLC Annette Cottle 8019400391 cottlevb@msn.com
JULY
Jul 1: Freedom Festival M/W/Jrs/Doubles UVSC Soccer Field, Orem Dave Richards 8012261269 plyrsvbc@aol.com
Jul 4: 24th Annual 4th of July M/W/Jrs/Doubles City Park/Treasure Mt. Middle School, Park City Jessica Moran 4356155414 jmoran@parkcity.org
Jul 8: Ogden City Summer Fest M/W/Jrs/Dbles/Mstrs/Coed 4s 4th Street Complex,502 Wall Ave, Ogden Annette Cottle 8016298259 annettecottle@ci.ogden.ut.us
Jul 15: Pioneer Days Doubles M/W/Doubles Sugarhouse Park, 1350 E 2100 S, SLC Jill Johnson 8015382062 jsjohnson@slco.org
Jul 22: July 24th Coed Classic Coed/Doubles Cottonwood Complex, 4400 S 1300 E, SLC Wendy Stratton 8014951480 wstratton@slco.org
Jul 24: Bruin Bash M/W/Doubles/Mstrs SLCC, 4600 So. Redwood Road, SLC Shay Clemensen 8019574764 shay.clemensen@slcc.edu
Jul 29: Best in the West M/W/Dbles/Coed 4's Gene Fullmer Rec. Ctr., 8015 S 2200 W, West Jordan Shawn Lavender 8015638440 slavender@slco.org
AUGUST
Aug 5: Park City Arts Festival M/W/Jrs/Doubles City Park, Park Ave, Park City Jessica Moran 4356155414 jmoran@parkcity.org
Aug 11: Dusk till Dawn Coed Doubles/Mstrs Alta Canyon Sports Ctr, 9565 S Highland Dr, Sandy Kim McKellar 8015684602 kmckella@sandy.utah.gov
Aug 12: Sunset Showdown M/W/Coed/Doubles Sunset City Softball Complex, 1800 N 85 W, Sunset Cory Haddock 8016149105 recreation@sunsetut.com
Aug 19: Ogden City Slam & Scram M/W/Jrs/Dbles/Mstrs/coed 4s 4th Street Complex, 502 Wall Ave, Ogden Annette Cottle 8016298259 annettecottle@ci.ogden.ut.us
Aug 26: Bam Bam Tournament M/W/Doubles Cottonwood Complex, 4400 S 1300 E, SLC Cristina Barber 8012534404 cbarber@slco.org

SEPTEMBER
Sept 2: Labor Day Coed Coed Doubles Cottonwood Complex, 4400 S 1300 E, SLC Shawn Ashby 8019746923 sashby@slco.org
Sept 4: Tooele Swim & Slam M/W/Doubles Deseret Peak Complex, 2930 W Highway 112, Tooele Lindsay Sundloff 4358434035 lsundoff@co.tooele.ut.us
Sept 9: September Slam Coed/Doubles Copperview Com. Center, 8446 S Harrison,Midvale TaufikHermansyah 8015610075 thermansyah@co.slc.ut.us
Sept 16: Buffalo Spikers (Grass Tourney) M/W/Doubles Constitution Circle, 465 N Wasatch Drive, Layton Natalie Flint 8013363900 nflint@laytoncity.org
Sept: 23: The Great Acorn Coed/Doubles County Ice Center Field, 5201 S Murray Park Lane Nancy Taylor 8012707260 nataylor@slco.org
Sept 30: Oktoberfest Coed/Doubles Harmony Park, 3700 S Main, SLC Jill Johnson 8015382062 jsjohnson@slco.org
OCTOBER
Oct 7: Replacing Violence with Sports Coed 4's Cottonwood Complex, 4400 S 1300 E, SLC Kimi Barnett 8015378609 kbarnett@ywca.com
Oct 14: Fall Finale M/W/Doubles Worthern Park, 285 S 400 E, St. George Bob Peckham 4356345860 bob.peckham@sgcity.org
For additional tournament information, visit the UOVA website at www.uova.org
Note: This is not a complete list of tournaments in Utah.

Sneakerz Beach Volleyball King of the Beach Tourney: 4/29

2006-04-12T21:21:00.000-06:00

Summer time is here! NM's first tourney of the year:

Sneakerz will be running its first sand doubles tournament of the year in Albuquerque. It will be a King of the Beach Tournament. Skill level varies, and typically breaks into an upper and lower bracket following pool play. We had some good strong tourneys last year and everybody had a good time.

Details: AVP/FIVB Rules - rally scoring, Wilson ball, short court and antennas.Cost - $15.00 per person - PLEASE BRING CASH ONLY (NO CHECKS WILL BE ACCEPTED SINCE SNEAKERZ HAS TO PAY THE MONEY BACK OUT) Sneakerz will provide water. Please do not bring any food or drinks into Sneakerz after 11am. The only exception Tavake has made is fruit. Everyone under 21 must be under adult supervision while at Sneakerz and will not be allowed in the bar except to use the restrooms. Sneakerz has a full service bar and food menu which will be available after 11am. To register, call Tavake at: 505-720-4209.

Back to playin' and trainin'

2006-04-12T21:12:00.000-06:00

We got out this past weekend, after a coupl eof week hiatus since returning from CA. The weather has finally warmed up, so it is feeling spring like. We got to play with a bunch of guys on Sunday, including Rob and some guys out for the first time this year: Matt V., Colin, Edmund and some others that stopped by. It was lots of fun, even though things don't always work the way you want them to in the early season. I got back to the gym these last couple of weeks as my schedule has finally started to free up a bit. I've been doing fairly light loads a couple days a week. Some compound exercises which have been good: Bulgarian squats, one leg deadlifts, cleans, etc. Also been doing some plyos in the gym, focusing on quickness. The three drills are: long jumps, depth jumps, and 60 second drill which involves jumping on and off a bench quickly. It's clear to me that this time of the season needs to be focused on developing endurance, foot quickness and skills. I guess it's SAQ time - speed, agility, quickness. I got my medicine ball, weight belt, and rope so I'll be doing lots of fun stuff in the sand. Daylight savings is great, and we're going to hit the sand tomorrow night for the first time. Playing regularly should be a big boon to getting the skills up to speed fairly quickly. OK, next post - about tournaments!

So, What happened in CA?

2006-04-06T21:15:00.000-06:00

Well, we definately had a great time and enjoyed being on a real beach and being near the ocean. This being our first tournament of the year, I think we definately were shaking off some rust from the winter. A few other factors like the low elevation, humidity and real beach sand probably threw in enough of a wrench in our rusty condition to keep us from performing our best. On Saturday we did OK, finishing second in our pool to a very strong team that eventually won the whole tournament, Brad Powell and Gabe Burt. Both those guys are very good players and we ive them a lot of credit. The rest of our pool was strong, which is the benefit of playing in CA - no shortage of capable players. I think we spent too much energy at this early point in the pool, doing lots of jumpserving and whatnot, because we were wiped out by the time we got to the playoffs. We faced a good team, but not one we didn't feel we could at least challenge if not defeat. We didn't really wind up showing up for the match. Sunday arrived and we were still wiped from Saturday. This was a very strong tourney with many players that either consistently play in the man draw of the AVP or have made it in multiple times. We had a decent pool with one team stronger than the rest. The other teams were good, but we were too tired to defeat them even thoough our games were close. All in all it was a good experience and helped to set the bar very high for this season. We've had a couple of weeks off, but are looking forward to getting out and playing again this weekend. Weather should be nice, and we're jazzed to go! My friend Frank Kaiser took some pics, including the one here. He does a lot of shoots for the AVP, so thanks Frank for letting us post some of these!

One more practice...

2006-03-18T17:03:00.000-07:00

We got out for one more practice today before we head to California next week. It was a cool and very, very windy day in Albuquerque. Our friends Rob, Jorge and Matt J. came out to play with us. While we all struggled with the gusty wind (probably up to 35 mph or so), we still had some good rallies and decent games. The best part about playing in the wind is coming back another day when there's no wind, makes the game seem so much more simple. I guess out here it's a bit different from ocean breezes that are a little more consistent, so adjustments are easier. Anyhow, Loric and I ran a coupl of drills afterwards, and I suppose we're ready for the trip. I've been hearing the weather hasn't been great in CA, so not a lot of folks have been playing. We're hoping for warmth and sunshine.

Season's First Tournament!

2006-03-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

It's set and confirmed! We're heading to the Mecca, Southern California, to start the season off. We'll be out playing the California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) tourneys on 3/25 and 3/26 at Dockweiler. We'll be driving out on the 24th, and heading to Loric's in-law's home. The 25th is a AA event and the 26th is an open. We're excited because the competition is guaranteed to be very strong. This is a great way to start the season and help us to gauge and focus for the rest of the year. Of course, us desert dwellers are always stoked for the opportunity to get near the ocean, especially after a winter as dry as the one we had here. We're looking to a good time and some good volleyball! We'll let you know how it turns out. Wish us luck!

Back in the Sand

2006-03-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

Allright, it's still winter, technically, but the month of March started off with some pretty nice and warm weather, so we were able to get out and play in the sand a couple of times. We hit the usual stomping ground of High Desert courts in Albuquerque. With a couple of our friends (Rob & Matt G.) and Loric's dad (who's been keeping in great shape) we had two weekends of playing. Things always wind up a little rough at the beginning, but I'm kind of happy with the level Loric and I are starting at. The ball control was pretty good, and Loric seems to be jumping even higher this year, which will amaze anyone who saw him play last year. I felt good on the ball control side, passing and setting were pretty smooth. Movement wasn't all that bad either. I had a hard time with timing and pulling myself out of the sand. I guess my legs were still feeling heavy from all the lifting in the winter. All in all, I think we're starting close to where we ended last season.
Since we last got out there a couple of weekends ago, I've been doing a lot more plyometric, cardio and quickness training. I've been able to get out in the sand here, by myself and with my friend Steph. Movement drills that simulate game situations, like blocking, approaches, dropping off the net, and sprints are an accelerated way to help get sand legs. I also have a rope I tie between the net poles, since there is no permanent net. Typically I set the rope a little above knee height and do bunny hops across, back and forth 4-6 times. Then I'll do one leg sticks, pushing off one leg over the rope and landing on the opposite leg, holding for a couple of seconds, then repeating. I'll finish the rope work with some quick bunny hops, lowering the rope down to about my shins. This works on quickness and explosiveness. The idea is to move like the ground is really hot, or lava or something and minimize contact time, emphasizing quickness over height. I'll also do "star sprints", 15 ft forward, backpeddal, 15 ft left, back to center, 15 ft back, sprint to center, 15 ft right, back to center, sprint forward. Gotta get those lungs going. I'll then end with some depth jumps in a deep spot in the sand. I've got a 13 lb weight belt I strap on, go into full squat, then try to get maximum height. 10 to 15 of those, 3 times and I'm good.

In the gym, I've been lightening the loads, doing more compound exercises, stability and core work. One of my 3 days includes plyo work, depth jumps and related drills. I think the quickness is coming back.

Even though it snowed last weekend, this weekend is supposed to be a little nicer, although it may be windy. We're planning on getting out there with a few guys, so I'll see if that training's going to pay off.

Winter Volleyball Training

2006-03-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

OK, so it's been a dry, warm winter out here in New Mexico. I was hoping to get out and do some snowshoeing to stay in shape. Only problem - no snow. So, it was a winter spent in the gym. Here's how it went:
After loosing third game leads in both Aspen and Phoenix, I was determined to get into much better shape for the next season so as to not have to suffer through those kinds of experiences again. Certainly both teams that beat us in those matches were worthy and played well, but I can't shake the feeling that I was not in as good of a condition as I should be at the end of those tournaments. So, I went on a book buying binge. I got a couple of books by Don Chu dealing with explosive strength and plyometrics, another book on plyomentrics, one on functional training in sports, a book on mental conditioning (Ken Baum's the Mental Edge - I strongly reccomend this one), and a book on tape on sports psychology. Jeeze, guess I was motivated at the end of the season because I tore through all of the books in record time. Most of the plyo ones are good resources for different exercises. Time to turn the book knowledge into something useful.
I started off in late October. I was working on the last 2 phases of the Core Performance program. I had previously worked through the first six weeks, and this was the final six. It's a pretty comprehensive program with a lot of functional training, that is working muscle groupings rather than isolation. It also covers things such as flexibility, elasticity, balance and stability and cardio conditioning. Good stuff. I got through 4 weeks of that before hooking up with my online trainer.
I'll have to find out if she wants to be identified by name, but I connected with a trainer with tons of experience through the AVP forums. I explained my situation, goals and committment and she helped to put together a program. Main thing for me was to build strength. A lot of what I had been reading pointed to increasing vertical jump and explosiveness often begins with increasing your strength base. So, for 8 weeks I worked out 4 to 5 days a week, giving each body part about 4 or 5 days of rest. I worked drop sets 12-10-8-6 with increasing weight. This helped a lot, and I got way stronger. All the benchmarks for strength of an athlete my size were finally starting to add up. I also started gaining weight, setting forth on my goal of gaining 15 lbs. I was able to add about 8 of lean body mass during this phase. The other important part was that I had to focus on my eating habits and increase my protein and caloric intake. I also did no cardio.
OK, week off, then time for the next phase. This one was brutal. Absolutely brutal. It was a 5x5 program. That means 5 sets of 5 reps of the same weight for each exercise, and that weight should be heavy, starting around 80% of a 1rm and increasing each week. Each body part was hit 3 times a week. The program was modified for volleyball, so it had more relevant exercises like squats, deadlifts, BB rows, etc. This was known as a loading phase, where the body was kept in a constant state of fatigue and breakdown. Did I mention I got sick a lot this winter? The worst was during this phase, I guess part of the breakdown inlcuded my immune system. Anyhow, at the end of 4 weeks (3.5 for me actually, my cold forced me to stop short), I went through a deload phase, allowing the body to recover. The end result was my body returned stronger than when it started. Again lots of calories and no cardio. My overall weight went up another 2 pounds.
I took about a week and a half off after that, and boy I needed it. Back to the gym and I'm in my current phase. Right now, 3 days a week working with weights. I'm doing more functional exercises, such as 1 leg roman deadlifts, front squats to press, Bulgarian squats, etc. I've also added complex training, such as doing squat jumps after the squat to press, split jumps after Bulgarian Squats, etc. Plyometrics have entered the picture now, since I have a solid strength foundation and the risk of injury is reduced. I should also mention I've been doing lots of active stretching prior to workouts and static stretching afterwards throughout the training sessions. This is giving me a greater range of motion and I believe will translate well in game situations. I'm also back doing cardio, mostly on the elliptical machine, working interval training. It takes a little while to get your wind when you're starting at 7000 feet elevation, but I'm slowly getting there. As this phase progresses, I'll be doing more plyometrics (Like box jumps), 2-3 times a week and continue with the cardio, flexibility and functional training. I'm really trying to build stabilizer muscles throughout my core, legs and shoulders, since these subtle guys play a huge role. And of course it is getting warm now, so that means some fun stuff in the sand, but we'll save that for another post.

About Our Team

2006-03-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

Loric and Adam first came together during a King of the Beach event in New Mexico, where individual players compete against each other by changing teammates, early in the 2005 season. They tied for first place at that tournament, with equivalent point totals. They decided to team up for the prestigious King of the Mountain event in Vail. With several weeks to train and a strong finish in a local tournament, they placed well in Vail, finishing 9^th out of 27. A highlight of the event was nearly upsetting a duo of current

USA

indoor volleyball national team members. Loric and Adam continued to play events during the season, winning several local events in New Mexico. In September, they teamed to play the challenging Motherlode tournament in Aspen, the nation’s largest pro/am event. The team finished 9^thout of a field of 67 in the top division, the highest of any team from New Mexico in the events 33 year history, and coming within points of an even higher placing. The duo won the 10^th annual Badass Grass event in Albuquerque. They closed the season with an appearance in the finals at an event in Arizona. Not only did they play well and finish strong in every event, they had a lot of fun doing it! This year, Loric and Adam are setting out to have strong finishes in higher caliber tournaments. They both anxiously await the challenges the new season brings.

Welcome to our new blog!

2005-12-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Adam and Loric's volleyball adventure blog. We're a couple of guys living in New Mexico that play and compete in the almost underground sport of two man beach (in these parts, we call it "sand") volleyball. There are local and regional tournaments, sometimes growing quite large in size that attract players of all calibers. We compete at the highest levels offered, where cash prizes are on the line and talented players abound.
In here, we'll chronicle our jouney to prepare and compete in beach volleyball tournaments, locally and perhaps around the nation. We'll type about our training and preparation, hoping that there might be a tidbit or two other players find useful. We'll talk about our travel plans and previews of upcoming tournaments. Finally, we'll chronical our experience at the tournaments we attend, not only our experience, but about those we meet along the way. We hope to have plenty of pictures and other information to share with you all as well. OK, let's get started... off to the sand!