USA Sweeps Beach Volleyball

Just got back from Beijing and enjoyed these Olympic Games - my fifth since Atlanta in 1996 when beach volleyball was first introduced to the Olympic slate.

Had the wonderful opportunity to see both the women's and men's gold medal beach volleyball finals in Beijing's Chayong Park. In back to back competitions, USA stood atop the podium. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh swept their Chinese opponents; whereas Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser needed to go the full three games to upend their Brazillian competitors.

Seeing the teams on top of the medals podium, with the USA flag being raised, and the national anthem playing was a memory I'll always treasure.

Beijing Baby!

Just arrived in Beijing after a 24-hours of travel from the East Coast. As of this moment, 3 U.S. teams are still in contention. Although Gibb & Rosenthal have a tough matchup against a top Brazillian team. Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh bowed to the top Chinese team to settle for a fifth, unfortunately. Still precdicting Gold Medal wins for Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh as well as Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser.

"Uniformity" in Beach Volleyball at the Olympics

As the AVP pro beach volleyball tour takes a hiatus as eight of its players compete in Beijing, let's take a moment to look at the uniforms the players must wear when competing.

For the men, unlike in the AVP where the guys can go shirtless, they must wear jerseys in Olympic competition. Todd Rogers, one-half of the 2007 World Championship team and a Gold Medal contender, is all for playing bare-backed. In reply to a question a reported raised about having a petition signed to relax the tank top rule, Todd said, "I'm in. I'll sign. It's more comfortable anyway in this heat." he said. (Reuters 8/7/08)

Whereas for the women, they can either wear one-piece swimsuits or bikiins - with many fans preferring the latter. DUH! According to the Olympic regulations, bikini bottoms should be no more than 2.75 inches (7 cm.) across the hip - kinda skimpy compared to what the fencers and formal equestrians wear!

And you never know, to increase greater interest in the sport, the International Olympic Committte may allow the women to soon compete in thongs - as some players do in the anything goes beaches in Brazil. Time will tell....

Look-Ahead to Beijing

Four U.S. beach volleyball teams will be leaving for Beijing in a few days. The teams of May-Treanor/Walsh, Rogers/Dalhausser, Rosenthal/Gibb, and Youngs/Branagh all have high seeds and are expected to do well in the first round of extended pool play, before the single eliminations start. Despite their #1 Olympic qualifiaction ranking and 2007 World Championship status, the first two pairs have been assigned a #2 seed for the Olympics. Why do you ask? Well, there's a unique rule in Olympics beach volleyball that allows the home country a #1 seed - as long as its team ranked in the top six. And in the case of the top two men's and women's Chinese teams, each has earned the #1 seed. Incredible? - Yes! Unfair - Yes?

PS - To my knowledge, no other Olympic sport affords this advantage.

Inside Pro Beach Volleyball

With 2008 an Olympic year, all eyes are on the sport of beach volleyball due to its popularity on the worldwide stage. Although NBC has stated that the sport is the "hottest ticket" at the upcoming Beijing Olympics and will be seen by viewers in the hundreds of millions, the U.S. pro beach volleyball tour is sruggling to survive. For the past several years, the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) tour has suffered financially, and this 2008 summer season is "make or break".

To understand why, grab a copy of "Order On The Court" - the first book of its kind to explore the sport, complete with its successes and failures, its fun times and sad times. (www.orderonthecourt.com)

Yet, there are so many untold stories that this benchmark book could not reveal, and each and every day more drama unfolds. So, keep checking back here to catch the latest news and gossip about the players who compete in a sport they love within a tour on the edge.

And of course, your opinion is always most welcome.