Back from the coast

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.