Tag Archives: beach

Salt Lake City AVP recap and Twitter guide.

Aug 22 athlete, AVP, beach, volleyball Blog, Uncategorized

I have to admit, going in, I didn’t know what to expect from a beach volleyball tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah. Especially once I found out it was supposed to be 100 degrees all weekend. Let me tell you what my experience was like and you can be the judge….

First off, for Brad (@BradKeenan6) and I to fly it would have been almost a grand so we chose the ten hour drive instead. We stopped in Beaver, Utah about seven hours in to spend the night. I felt like I needed a work out and in this tiny town there was no chance I was going to find a gym so I ran in a circle around our hotel for twenty minutes, felt kind of ridiculous, but it got the job done. In the morning we ate breakfast in one of my favorite establishments- the small town diner, it did not disappoint. Two and a half hours later we checked in to the AVP (@AVPbeach) player hotel in downtown Salt Lake.

After a delicious food truck BBQ lunch we headed over to the event site to pass and serve, this was going to be the moment of truth… As we walked up to the site (after parking in the prime “athlete parking” spots!) any doubts I had were immediately dashed. It was one of the most beautiful parks I’ve ever seen! Green grass throughout, monstrous evergreens surrounding the courts, four pristine courts ready for competition, a picturesque center court complete with jumbotron, VIP suites, and court side seating, AND when we went to start practice we were supplied with as many Wilson balls as we needed! All my suspicions that we had found the right guy (Donald Sun) to lead us (the players of the AVP) were confirmed that instant, and the tournament hadn’t even started yet.

First round on Friday we played Dianne DeNecochea (no twitter), who at 6’4’’ and 45 years old is still baller and not the best first round draw, but we managed to come out on top. That was it for Day 1, so we got some great local Mexican food, saw a movie (We’re the Millers, it was hilarious), and rested up for Day 2. Unfortunately, we didn’t play very well in the first match the next day and our opponents- Christal Engle (@ChristalEngle) and Tealle Hunkus (@TealleHunkus)- brought their A game. We ended up losing that one in a close three set-er and therefore dropped into the losers bracket. BUT we were still alive! After playing every tournament internationally in a pool play/single elimination format we were stoked to be given a second chance and we definitely took advantage of it!

Luckily the day cooled off and we actually got some sprinkles. We took our next two matches in two each which brought us to Day 3. The draw would have us play Kerri (@KerriLeeWalsh) and Whit (@WhitneyPavlik) to get to the semi’s, you don’t normally see the 1 seed play the 2 seed in the contender’s bracket… This match-up could qualify for a final in any tournament so we were ready for a battle, and a battle it was! We were able to pull it out in three close sets winning 17-15 in the third and it felt like we had just won the tournament, but we had only qualified for the semi’s and would have to win two more matches if we wanted the title of SLC champs.

In the semi’s we came up against Christal and Tealle again and were stoked to have a second chance at them. We learned from our first match, adjusted accordingly, executed a little better, and won in two. On to the FINALS!!!

In the finals we played a great team that we (shockingly) had never played before- Brittany (@BrittHochevar) and Lauren (@LaurenFendrick). We were tired, it was hot, the stands were packed, and it was on TV (@CBSSportsNet); I wouldn’t expect anything less for an AVP final. Dustin Avol (the MC- @DustyGringo) did a great job getting the amazing fans fired up and after 15 minutes of warm up we were ready to go.

We played well in the first set overall, we had a slow start and ended it in a way that I plan on learning from for a very long time. We lost the first when they came from behind and scored a run of points at the end. I made myself wipe the slate clean and start over in the second. We played much better and took the second pretty handily, on to the third. Anything can happen in a third set on the beach so you HAVE to be ready to go and not assume any momentum from the second set is going to stay with you. The third set was a back and forth battle, we were up, then they were up and then thankfully at the end we were up enough to hang on for the victory.

I can’t tell you how excited I was and still am to have won this AVP Open!! Especially since it was the first stop, we hadn’t seen a lot of the competition for almost a year, it was our first competition with the Wilson ball this year, and in a place we’ve never competed before. And, to add to it, I know my time on the court with Jen (@JenniferKessy) is slowly dwindling and that makes the win that much sweeter.

I am so thankful to Donald Sun (no twitter) for taking over the tour, putting his heart and soul into it, and creating an inaugural event that really sets the bar for the sport. The fans that came out were awesome and I have a strong feeling we’ll be back next year, so you better be back too! And to all the sponsors that make it possible to play this amazing sport for a profession, my personal ones (@MizunoVolley @TheWilsonVB @4point4) and the event sponsors (@RockwellWatches + others), you guys rock!
Change and Strengthen.

Apr 04 athlete, beach, change, volleyball, weight lifting Blog, Uncategorized
DISCLAIMER: I am not a certified trainer! Make sure you consult experts before taking any of my advice (as good as it is ;))!

This is going to be my eighth year on the beach, and I’m happy with how things have gone thus far, but am I satisfied to the point of complacency?? NO way!

Every year is a new opportunity to get better, work smarter, and add to your game. I go into each new preseason with an open mind. I am constantly on the lookout for a better way to do things, or a crazy idea that might just work. I probably annoy Jen and Jeff with all of it, but I’m always applying a tweak here or there to see if it improves something in my game. The game is changing so quickly and becoming so much more competitive each year I can’t afford to just do the same thing over and over, even if it has been successful in the past. I know some people don’t agree with that thinking, hence the age old saying, “If it ain’t broke, why fix it?” But, in the world of competitive sports, if you don’t adapt and change to stay ahead of the curve you run the risk of being passed by, by someone who IS willing to innovate and be a risk-taker.

I’m not going into detail, but I believe this year Jen and I have improved on something that has been done a certain way for a really long time. I’m also giving myself another option on offense- it’s still rough around the edges, but you have to give new ideas time to take hold. We’ve played for a long time and mastered a lot of skills so sometimes it’s hard to be patient with new ones. I know I’m being super vague, but hopefully it encourages some young players or coaches to get innovative with the game. People might tell you you’re crazy, but if you believe in your ideas, I say, go for it.

One change I AM going to share with you here relates to my strength training routine. I’ve touched on how to train in the gym for beach volleyball in some of my other blogs, but I want to spend a little more time on it because I want everyone to realize how important it is for a player’s game. For the past four years I’ve subscribed to a weight circuit workout focused on moderate weight and lots of reps plus some sprint cardio in-between the circuits. So, for example, one circuit might look like this:
- 10 squats @ 115 lbs
- 10 burpies with pushups
- 15 rows @ 75 lbs
- 20 sit ups on a bosu ball
- repeat 3 times
- 2 minute sprint on elliptical machine or sprints on an inclined treadmill
That’s one circuit and we usually do four to five circuits in a workout.

I still love this kind of training and think it is much more sport (SAND volley) specific than Olympic lifts on their own. In the past I would do this workout three times a week, but this year I wanted to increase my strength. I can’t tell you why I chose to tinker with my strength, it was just an idea. Then I thought more deeply about it, looking at the men’s game and how generally they are more powerful than the women. I have to assume this is because naturally they’re just stronger…. so I decided to learn from the disparity between men’s and women’s strength and adapt accordingly. (I think the men can learn a lot from the women’s game as well, but that’s a whole ‘nother blog!)

I did that by committing one of my weekend days to lifting heavy for the duration of preseason. I give myself more rest between sets to recover so that I can handle the extra weight. I’m loving the results, I feel much stronger, AND what I didn’t see coming is that my endurance has gone through the roof! It’s something I didn’t expect from weight lifting, but now that I think about it, it makes a lot of sense. If I’m stronger, it’s easier for my body to do everything it’s called to do in volleyball and therefore it can handle playing longer. I’ve always looked to cardio to improve my endurance, but I am so happy to have found this added benefit of increasing my strength through weight lifting! This revelation may seem obvious, but it wasn’t until I took control over my own training (when I started on the beach) that I really started paying attention to how things benefited or detracted from my performance.

I still believe, with longer rallies in the women’s game, that cardio endurance is very important, as well, which is why I’ve only dedicated one of my three days to lifting heavy, the other two I still do circuit training.

I’ve lifted since I was 14 (as a freshmen in high school). We did Olympics lifts about 3 times a week in preseason and twice during season, though I did not continue to lift during club season. Based on my own experience, and after speaking with my trainer, I think creating a strong base through lifting when you’re in high school and carrying it on through college is smart move for athletes. Everyone is different and ready to begin lifting at different ages and you always have to listen to your body, but 14/15 years old is usually a good starting point. Playing indoor I always lifted heavy with less reps, maxing out every now and again. It wasn’t until I started on the beach that I eventually switched to circuit training because, like I said, I think it’s more conducive to the demands of beach volleyball.

There are so many benefits to weight lifting, I could go on forever, but the last thing I will say is that it’s great for injury prevention. With the demands these days on club athletes the amount of overuse injuries is through the roof. Juniors need to be strengthening their rotator cuff muscles, back muscles, and hamstring muscles, among others, to prevent injury to shoulders, backs, and knees, which in my experience are the most common in volleyball players.

If you are in sports and take it seriously, you need to include weight lifting in your training plan. Definitely consult professionals before you begin a lifting program, it is NOT something you can learn on youtube or from your friend! There are many places that train high school athletes (and adults looking to improve their game as well!), we work out at CDM Fitness (if you’re looking for one :)), but if you are just starting out make sure you learn from an expert, bad lifting technique is way worse than not lifting at all.

Happy lifting!

Tag Archives: beach

Salt Lake City AVP recap and Twitter guide.

Change and Strengthen.