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.
New Mexico Beach Volleyball Videos
Aspen Battle, 2007
Part I
Part II
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Back from the coast
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
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
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Beach volley in California!
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
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!
Friday, May 19, 2006
Gearing up!
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.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Going back to Cali...
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
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
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
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