Black History Month – Honoring Female Athletes

Over the years, there have been many great black athletes. This month, to celebrate Black History Month, we’d like to honor some of the women who have contributed to the soul of sports.

Pioneers
Althea Gibson was a pioneer in both amateur tennis and professional golf. In 1942, Althea entered and won her first tennis tournament. In 1947, Althea won the first of ten straight ATA National Championships. In 1956, she won the French Championships and, in 1957, won the All-England Championships at Wimbledon and U.S. National Tennis Championships at Forest Hills. Althea retired from amateur tennis in 1958 after she had won Wimbledon. In 1964, Gibson launched her golf career, joining the LPGA. She retired in 1971.

Another pioneer, Zina Garrison, became the first black woman to reach a Grand Slam Final (1990). She began playing tennis at the age of ten and held 20 major doubles championships before the end of her career.

Tennis
Both Gibson and Garrison are sports legends who paved the way for athletes like Venus and Serena Williams. Both sisters turned professional at 14 and have since moved up in the ranks to become two of the top single and doubles players on the circuit. In 2008, Venus won Wimbledon in a match against Serena, sister against sister. Last month, Serena won the Australian Open for a record fifth time.

Track & Field
It’s inconceivable to discuss black, female athletes without mentioning Jackie Joyner Kersee, considered by many to be the greatest female athlete ever, who became the first participant to score more than 7,000 points in the heptathlon.

Gail Devers is also an inspiration, winning gold in the 100 meter dash in two consecutive Olympics as is three-time gold medal winner Valerie Brisco. And of course there’s Flo Jo (Florence Griffith Joyner) who set record after record as the World’s Fastest Woman. Following in the footsteps of these great track and field athletes are contemporary runners like Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards.

Basketball
On the basketball court it’s easy to think about Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. But how about Lisa Leslie, Chamique Holdsclaw, Swin Cash, Cheryl Miller, Sheryl Swoopes and Candace Parker? From Final Four appearances to representing the U.S. at the Olympic Games and playing in the WNBA, these basketball players, and many others, are role models for thousands of girls.

Softball
Softball also boasts some great players. Gold Medalist Natasha Whately broke the Olympic record for stolen bases with five in nine games and emerged in 2004 as one of the best players in the world.

Gymnastics
It’s easy to see why Dominique Dawes was called “Awesome Dawesome.” Dawes vaulted her way into the record books with a string of awards and titles. She came home with a bronze medal from the 1992 Olympics and two years later became the first gymnast since 1969 to make a clean sweep of everything gold at the U.S. National Gymnastics Championship.

Volleyball
Flo Hyman is remembered not only as a great athlete whose life and career were cut tragically short, but also as a woman of great character. At 6 feet 5 inches she played volleyball for the University of Houston and went on to win the silver medal at the 1984 Olympic games. In 1986 Flo collapsed and died during a volleyball match. Later than year, she was posthumously inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Winter Olympics
Who can forget 2002 when Vonetta Flowers made Olympic history, becoming the first African-American to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics? Her fellow Olympians chose her to carry the U.S.A. flag in the closing ceremonies.

Swimming
Maritza Correia is part of a new generation of competitive African-American swimmers. In addition to competing at the Beijing Olympics, Correia hopes to provide young minority girls with a swimming role model and bring the sport to inner city communities.

Fencing
Black, female athletes are making moves in new arenas, some fairly obscure. Laura Flessel-Colovic has established herself as the top French fencer and one of the world’s best. Flessel-Colovic started her career at seven years old and worked her way up to winning three Olympic medals and three world championship titles.

For their contributions to female sports – from amateur and college competitions to the world stage of the Olympics and professional sports – black, female athletes have achieved parity with their white female counterparts and are celebrated around the world.

As we embark on a four-week-long celebration of African American History, let’s not forget these unforgettable athletes.

The history of volleyball

Surprisingly, one of the most well loved sports in the world is also relatively young. Despite the game’s youth, it has gone through a wide variety of changes and evolution as a part of its rich history.

To fully understand and appreciate how much the game has changed and how much work was put into to make it successful, you need to search back to the very origin of Volleyball, and study when and why changes were made.

Just over 100 years ago, in 1895, William G. Morgan developed the first game of Volleyball. At the time, Morgan dubbed the game “Mintonette”.

“Mintonette” was created for business men as a game that involved less physical contact at the chapter of the YMCA where he worked at in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Morgan borrowed aspects from several games to create his own game. The first aspect was from tennis, borrowing the net. Instead of the standard net, however, he raised it to be 6 foot 6 inches high, so it was just over the heads of average men.

Other sports he borrowed from include basketball, baseball and handball. During one of the demonstration games of the sport, one of the spectators commented the game was more about volleying, and the games name was changed to Volleyball.

That was only the beginning.

In 1896, the first official game of Volleyball was played at Springfield College. This game signified the first real take-off of the sport, and led into further games being played at a variety of different Colleges. In the year 1900, Volleyball had taken off enough where a special ball was designed just for the game. Another feat also accomplished in 1900 was that the YMCA took the sport from America to Canada, the Orient and the southern hemisphere. Five years later, Volleyball also spread to Cuba. This spreading was what signified the start of the Volleyball era. Unlike most sports, Volleyball moved International in its early days, allowing for the game to evolve to meet the players needs world wide.

In 1907, Volleyball received its first recognition of being one of the most popular sports at the Playground of America convention. This was the first recognition the sport received, and helped to further its popularity. In the following ten years, the YMCA continued to spread the sport to Brazil, Puerto Rico and Uruguay. In 1913, the first official Volleyball competition was held in the Far Eastern Games.

1916 saw Volleyball have its first true evolution. In the Philippines, the set and spike offensive pass was introduced, and game play was altered to involve this new form. The Filipinos developed the “bomba”, which is the kill, and the named the hitter the “bomberino”. In this same year, the NCAA was invited by the YMCA to alter the rules of the game, and it was initiated into Colleges and other schools as a part of the standard physical education courses and intramural programs. A year later, the scoring system was also adjusted so that a game ended after 15 points instead of 21. This allowed more games to be played within the same span of time, in an attempt to make the sessions a little shorter for the players.

Three short years later, in 1919, the American Expeditionary Forces donated 16,000 Volleyballs to the troops, which provided a stimulus for growth in foreign countries. With this rise in growth of the sport, new rules began being developed. A year later, the three hits per side rule and the back row attack rules were put into place.

By 1928, players and fans of the sport realized that “official” tournament rules and regulations were required. The United States Volleyball Association was formed, and the first U.S. Open Volleyball tournament was held. The U.S. Open allowed for squads that were not YMCA sanctioned to participate, which was a breakthrough at the time. This evolution permitted lovers of the sport to fully enjoy the game without having to be tied to the organization that created it.After 1928, the game of Volleyball was forever changed. With the “official” rules set down, and a tournament that wasn’t private to the YMCA, the popularity of the sport was allowed to sky rocket. The Men’s U.S. Open was held every year thereafter, with the exception of three years. 1943, 1944 and 1989 did not have the yearly tournaments, due to wars and other obstacles.In 1934, Volleyball saw another extensive change through the recognition of official referees to oversee the games. This change in particular drastically altered the calls and the fairness of the game.The 1940’s held several special events for Volleyball. Not only was the forearm pass introduced into the game, the first world championship Volleyball game was held. It was during this time that the volleyball movement saw fruition, and squads from all over the world could find out who was the best. This became a yearly event, allowing for more publicity of the sport, which aided in its growth. Around this time, over 50 million people were playing world wide, in over 60 different countries.

By 1964, Volleyball had spread enough to warrant introduction into the Olympic games. The first games took place in Tokyo, where a rubber carcass with leather panels was used for the ball. This ball became the one that would be used in most modern competitions. As a part of the Olympic games, Volleyball was allowed to grow even further, until it secured a place for itself as the second most played game in the world.

Despite this high level of popularity, it wasn’t until 1986 that the Women’s Professional Volleyball Association, or the WPVA, was formed. With the growing rate of professional interest by both sexes, Volleyball was finally allowed to reach its full potential for popularity. Elementary, middle and high schools, as well as colleges all invested into the game by providing courses in Volleyball in their physical education, so that the sport was known in most households around the world.While still trailing behind Soccer for popularity, Volleyball has done extremely well for a game with roots so young.

About The Author  Rebecca Blain is a professional and hobbyist writer who enjoys taking care of her fish and educating people about volleyball.

NCAA Volleyball Tournament Final Four tonight

Where the elite meet: Be sure to catch tonight’s national volleyball semifinals when they take place in Tampa, Florida.

Thursday’s semifinals: Minnesota (28-8) vs. Texas (28-1), 6 p.m. • Penn State (36-0) vs. Hawaii (32-2), 8 p.m. • St. Pete Times Forum (Tampa, Fla.) • TV: ESPN2

Championship: Saturday, 7 p.m. • TV: All matches on ESPN2.

Gophers at a glance: Captain Lauren Gibbemeyer is 11th in the nation in hitting percentage (.393) and blocks (1.45 per set). … Freshman Tabitha Love, a 6-6 outside hitter, was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Minneapolis Region after collecting 22 kills in the semifinals and 21 in the final. … Senior setter Taylor Carico played in the Final Four on Southern Cal’s team two years ago. … Libero Christine Tan is returning home; her family lives in Safety Harbor, Fla.

Longhorns at a glance: 6-4 Destinee Hooker was the Big 12 Player of the Year (4.95 kills and 2.31 digs per set). … The Longhorns’ only loss was at Iowa State 3-2 on Nov. 4. … Jerritt Elliott, 41, has a 213-63 record in nine seasons at Texas.

Nittany Lions at a glance: Penn State, which has won 100 matches in a row, has a chance at an unprecedented threepeat. The No. 1 seed, Penn State has lost only five sets this season. … Russ Rose, in his 31st season, has 999 career victories. … Megan Hodge, the Big Ten Player of the Year and a two-time Final Four MVP, is averaging 4.75 kills per set and hitting .399. Setter Alisha Glass is averaging 12.02 assists per set.

Rainbow Wahine at a glance: Kanani Danielson of No. 12 seed Hawaii is averaging 4.25 kills per set and Aneli Cubi-Otineru 3.08. … David Shoji is in his 34th season and has 1,016 career victories, second among active D-I coaches (behind UCLA’s Andy Banachowski). … The Rainbow Wahine has won 28 consecutive matches.

( b/g via StarTribune)

Mailbag: Support Sand Volleyball

Hello Friends and Beach Volleyball Enthusiasts,

Many of you have contacted USA Volleyball with questions as to the status of sand volleyball in the NCAA.  On January 15, 2010 there will be an override vote led by universities who are trying to block the addition of sand to the NCAA emerging sports list for women in 2010-2011.  We need your voice to help block this override vote!

Please take a quick moment to click on the link below to voice your support of NCAA sand volleyball!  (Below is the text of the petition.)

http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/2420g41250

LET US PLAY!

SUPPORT SAND VOLLEYBALL IN DIVISION I

“We, the undersigned, feel passionately that Sand Volleyball should be added to the NCAA emerging sports list for women in 2010-2011. We urge you to support the exciting and numerous opportunities for women that this sport creates. To make sand volleyball a reality for Division I, we respectfully request that each institution send a representative to the 2010 NCAA Convention in Atlanta, Georgia and vote on January 15 to defeat the override. We will watch this vote very carefully. Please support Sand Volleyball for the athletes, coaches, parents, administrators, fans, vendors and many more that will be positively affected by the addition of the sport. If you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact the AVCA at members@avca.org or visit the AVCA Facebook page.”

So, if you’re a fan of Beach Volleyball and want to see it a NCAA sport, now is your time to have your voice heard!

Volleyball Cheers

Let us know if you have any cheers to add:

You gotta bump to set
You gotta set to spike
You gotta spike to win
Let’s Goooo… (Team Name)

Ace, Ace Baby
(To the tune “Ice Ice Baby”)

Bump, Set, Spike, Score
Never let it hit the floor!
GO (Team Name)

Bump, Set, Spike, Score
That’s what volleyball is for!

Bump, Set, Spike it
That’s the way we like it.

Bump Bump Bump It Up!!!
[team repeats]
Bump That (Team Name) Spirit Up!!!
[team repeats]
Spike Spike Spike It Down
[team repeats]
Spike The Ball Onto Their Ground
[team repeats]
Win Win Win The Game
[team repeats]
COME ON (Team Name) WIN THE GAME!!!

Uno dos tres, ace ace ace!

We’re fired up, we’re sizzlin’
We’re turnin’ up the heat
’cause when it comes to volleyball
We just can’t be beat!

Podcast: Interview with Gabby Reece

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:33 — 11.5MB)

Gabby Reece possesses a look that conveys both athleticism and feminine beauty. At 6’3”, she is a dominate force on and off the pro beach volleyball circuit, and an inspiration to all who meet her.

California born, Gabby was raised on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. She didn’t take up volleyball until in the 11th grade when she and her mother moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. Gabby won an athletic scholarship to Florida State University where she majored in Communications and played two seasons of volleyball before accepting offers from the modeling world in New York.  Gabby returned to FSU campus and set two school volleyball records before being inducted into the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Gabby trained hard to hone her skills in 2-person beach volleyball and competed domestically in the 1999-2000 Olympic Challenge Series and the 1999-2000 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. In 1997, competing with the best global beach volleyball players ever assembled, Gabby’s 4-person team took first place at the first-ever Beach Volleyball World Championships.

Gabby was Nike’s first female athlete to design a shoe, and Nike’s first-ever female cross-training spokesperson (1993-99). The Air GR was the first women’s shoe to outsell men’s and outsell the Air Jordan.

Gabby’s skills cross over onto the big screen where she played a pro beach volleyball player in ‘Cloud Nine’ with Burt Reynolds (2004), a guest star in ‘North Shore’ (2004) and as a physical trainer in the film ‘Gattica’ (1997). She’s graced the cover of Sports Illustrated for Women, Travel & Leisure Golf, Women’s Sports & Fitness, Outside, Elle, Shape, Self, Harpers’ Bazaar, Volleyball, Fitness, Life, Vogue, Experience Life and People.

Gabby is currently the creator  of The Honey Line, a fast-paced, magazine-style program that delivers realistic solutions to women’s questions concerning style, health & fitness, home, food and the environment. She’s also married to surfer Laird Hamilton and is the mother of two young daughters and a step-daughter.

Passionate about fitness, Gabby has produced and released numerous  exercise DVDs and health & fitness products. She’s a spokesperson for Simply Nutrilite, a line of vitamins and supplements and her fitness tips can be found on the pages of Shape magazine where she is a monthly contributing editor.

Gabby can also be seen hosting various TV broadcasts for ESPN, Discovery and others. She won a huge following by taking risks road-luging, white water kayaking, drag racing, surfing, and sky diving on “MTV Sports” and “The Extremists with Gabrielle Reece” in the 90’s, and she was a commentator at the 1998 Goodwill Games.

Women’s Sports & Fitness named Gabby one of the ‘20 Most Influential Women in Sports’ in 1997, the same year Crown published the book, “Big Girl in the Middle,” which Gabby co-wrote with Karen Karbo.

To learn even more about this athletic superstar, and all-around Pretty Tough gal, listen to our candid interview.  Gabby talks  about her incredible career, her advice to girls pursuing athletics in school or for a career and what she thinks about the evolution of women in sport.

Would you play volleyball in high heels?

Shoes are designed for a specific purpose. Just like these shoes are designed for strutting your stuff on the dance floor or the occasional model’s “walk-off” at the old members warehouse, running shoes are designed for one purpose, running. Each year I exhibit at volleyball tournaments and at each tournament I see countless volleyball players come into our booth wearing running shoes. Would you wear bowling shoes to run a marathon? Absolutely not! While I understand that everyone has different feet and different needs, my goal is to simply educate you as the consumer (and the volleyball player!) giving you the tools needed to make the best footwear buying decision to not only to protect your feet, ankles, and knees, but even improve your game!

The Basics

Running shoes are made specifically for running and are not conducive to the mechanics of volleyball.

Think of a runner’s movements…they only move in one direction, forward!  So when engineers at design studios are constructing the blue prints for a running shoe, their goal is to create a smoother, faster, more comfortable experience for that continuous forward motion.

Now think of the movements you make during a volleyball game.  You move forward, side-to-side, take off and land from jumps, make abrupt starts and stops, etc…   The construction of a volleyball shoe is designed to cushion and support all of these movements, not just the forward motion.

Here are the differences between these two types of shoes and the reasons why a volleyball shoe should be the shoe in your bag when heading to court to rock your killer game.

Upper

If you hold up a running shoe next to a volleyball shoe, it is easy to see that these two shoes are made up of different materials.  Running shoes are made up of mostly mesh; this creates a lighter, more breathable shoe.  Volleyball shoes are made up of mostly leather or synthetic leather; this offers a stronger and more supportive environment for all movements (i.e. lateral).

What does this mean to you as a volleyball player?

Leather or Synthetic Leather is much more conducive to lateral movements.  If you wear an all mesh shoe your muscles are going to have to work harder to stop your movement before starting again in another direction, which means your movements will be a tad slower.  However, if you wear a shoe with a more supportive material, like leather or synthetic leather, your change of direction will be much easier on your muscles and on the time clock as well.

Most importantly, playing volleyball in a mesh running shoe will not give you that support needed to prevent injuries.

Midsole

Running shoes are constructed on a graded platform.  This means that your foot will sit up higher off the ground due to the foundation being much higher in the heel and lower in the toe.  A traditional running shoe will decrease from heel to toe anywhere from 11mm-15mm.  This construction serves two functions for running:  The heel is higher not only to house the extra cushioning/technology added to help absorb impact at heel strike, but it also helps transition the runner through his/her gait cycle.

Volleyball shoes are constructed on a lower, flatter platform.  This formation allows your foot to sit closer to the ground to not only give you strong lateral stability but also creating a more favorable environment for you to explode into motion and quickly change direction.

Couple of things to note here…

1. Your heel sits up higher than your toe.  Remind you of anything?  Take another look at the shoe graphic at the top of the page!
2. Most of a running shoe’s technology is located in the heel because that is the runners main impact zone…when are you as a volleyball player ever on your heels?

Outsole

The outsole of a running shoe is significantly different than that of a volleyball shoe.  The running shoe’s outsole is partly made out of a hard rubber.  This material is designed to withstand the rigors of constant impact on cement surfaces.

Volleyball shoes, as most indoor sport shoes, are made out of a gum rubber.  This material is much more suitable to hardwood or sport court traction.  Not only does this material keep it’s “stickiness” longer than a running shoe, it is also much more durable in this environment.

Have you worn running shoes to play volleyball or tennis in?  Notice that the sole always seems to tear or peel away after just a couple games?  That’s because the material and construction is not designed to move laterally.

How often do you need to replace your volleyball shoes?

How do you know when volleyball shoes are at the end of their life? Even though, they may still look like they are in good condition when examining wear and tear on the upper and the outsole, the true breakdown comes from the midsole.

Runners are encouraged to replace their shoes every 500 miles – which, for an average runner, means 3-4 times a year.  Volleyball shoes are designed to absorb the impact of up to eight times your body weight.  When used two or three times a week a typical volleyball shoe will last around 100 hours of exercise or roughly nine months.   The more active a volleyball player is, the more he/she needs to replace their shoes.  For example, a typical high school volleyball player who practices 5 days a week in high school and 4-5 days a week during club season should probably replace his/her shoes 2-3 times a year (i.e. a pair for school, a pair for club, and a pair to transition from club through next year’s pre-season).

Final Thoughts

Would you play volleyball with a basketball?  OUCH! No way!  Remember, everything is designed for a specific purpose, so why not take advantage of all the hours those “geeky” engineers have invested to provide you, the volleyball player, with the safest, most comfortable, and stylish pair of kicks.

There are many different types of volleyball shoes available: different technologies, different weights, different fits, and different looks.  Not sure where to start?  Shop around, read shoe reviews, consult your trusty volleyball network, and find the best volleyball shoe that fits your style and your feet.   Not only will your feet, ankles, and knees thank you, but your game and your wallet just may see the benefits as well.

Christine Shelby is the volleyball brand manager at nfinity.

Volleyball star Kerri Walsh becomes a mom

Olympic gold medals are cool. But two-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh just got the biggest prize of all: She became a mom.

Walsh, 30, and her husband, AVP pro-volley ball player Casey Jennings, 33, welcomed son Joseph Michael Jennings at 7:15 p.m. on May 22 in Los Angeles. The first child for Walsh and Jennings weighed in at 8 pounds, 10 ounces, sporting a soft shock of blond hair, the same color as Dad’s.

The AVP Tour said mother and baby are “happy and healthy.”

“We could not be more thrilled to welcome Joseph into the world,” Walsh told People.com. “It’s the most incredible feeling. We are already so in love with him and it’s such an amazing, special moment for our family.”

Walsh and teammate Misty May-Treanor won the Olympic gold medal in Athens in 2004 and again in Beijing in 2008. Both players have said they would take some time off to start families and Walsh apparently conceived the night of the Olympic triumph.

For Dad, the 24 hours leading up to the birth was topsy-turvy. Jennings was in the middle of the AVP Crocs Huntington Beach Open. Walsh was a week past her due date when main-draw play began Friday. Jennings and partner Matt Fuerbringer won both of their Friday matches.

And “Joey” waited until Dad was finished playing Friday to enter the world.

Walsh’s water broke at 6 p.m. Friday, five minutes after Jennings returned to their Hermosa Beach home. Jennings drove her to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, in traffic.

“It was just a beautiful thing,” Jennings, a defensive specialist, recalled. “Kerri is a star. She waited for me to get home, and I think mentally she just did exactly what she wanted to do.”

Jennings will never forget the first look the baby gave Mom. He drifted back to the moment and explained:

“The baby looked at her right away and was just staring at her like: ‘This is the woman that’s been talking to me for the past nine months.’ And he’s looking at her, and you can just tell there was that immediate bond.”

Congrats to both Casey and Kerri.

The Alt Games – Collegiate Action Sports

You’ve heard of the X Games, the Dew Tour and NCAA Championships. But how about The Alt Games?

CBS Sports and CBS College Sports Network created The Alt Games (formerly known as the Collegiate Nationals) to provide a stage for competitors in action sports to compete and represent their colleges (and presumably to make a few bucks).

The 2009 Alt Games’ line-up is highlighted by last year’s roster of championships, which includes snowboarding, wakeboarding, flowboarding, freeskiing and beach volleyball.

The snow portion of the comp took place April 9th, at Colorado’s Copper Mountain. Events included men’s and women’s snowboarding and freesking.

Kelsey Huelsman admits one of the biggest factors she enrolled at Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado, was so she could ski a lot. After winning the Alt Games slopestyle ski championships yesterday, it appears to be paying off for the third-year graphic design major.

Snowboarder Michelle Zeller, a junior at the University of Colorado in Boulder, absolutely stomped her second slopestyle run at the Alt Games collegiate snowboard championships to earn her first-place prize. Zeller, who is studying international affairs and Japanese, hopes to head to New Zealand this summer for a few more comps. Zeller’s CU-Boulder classmate Kendra Tombolato also made the Buffaloes proud with a second-place finish in this year’s competition.

The Alt Games continue April 17-19 in Southern California with beach volleyball, flowboarding, and wakeboarding.

For the wakeboarding comp, each of the 16 competing schools is expected to bring seven riders to compete at Hidden Anchorage Bay Cove on Mission Bay. Individual titles in respective events will also be at stake. The University of Florida is the defending team champion.

In addition, the Alt Games will feature the second annual Competitive Eating Championship, showcasing the nation’s top collegiate competitive eaters, as well as a music festival.

More than 500 competitors from 45 different colleges and universities nationwide are expected to compete at the 2009 Alt Games, which will ultimately crown 11 national men’s and women’s champions in both individual and team events.

Coverage of the Alt Games kicks off with a special one-hour program airing on CBS Sports on Saturday, May 16 (2 p.m. EDT). The show will launch two weeks of Olympic style and sports specific programming on CBS College Sports Network, beginning on Sunday, May 17.

Hot Winter Nights ahead for pro volleyball tour

January 16, 2009 – The idea of playing beach volleyball in the dead of winter may seem like a novel idea, but that’s exactly what’s happening as part of the Hot Winter Nights Indoor Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.

Starting this weekend AVP athletes will pack up the sand (over 200 tons of it) and head out on a 17-city tour, visiting indoor arenas in various cities throughout the East Coast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest. First stop – the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

The format for the HWN Tour will be different from what is seen during the summer. Instead of playing in set teams, a round-robin format will be used to determine both a men’s and women’s individual champion. Each event will showcase four men’s and four women’s athletes, who will battle it out on the sand to determine the best player on the beach for the night.

The round robin format separates athletes from their normal teams, and in many cases puts long standing partners on opposing sides of the net.

Featured this year are seven of the eight Americans who competed in the Beijing Olympics. Misty May-Treanor, who won her second straight gold medal, will miss the tour because she is recovering from knee surgery after tearing her ACL practicing for Dancing with the Stars.

Her partner, Kerri Walsh, is pregnant; she won’t be playing but will appear in Grand Rapids, Mich., Kansas City, Mo., and Indianapolis next weekend to sign autographs and mingle with fans.

During the course of the Tour, the women’s side will feature such AVP veterans as Elaine Youngs, Nicole Branagh Annett Davis, Jenny Johnson-Jordan, Katie Lindquist, and Holly McPeak.

Annett and Jenny have been partners on the outdoor tour for many years, and for the first time will face each other on opposing sides of the net at a HWN event. McPeak captured one indoor title in 2008 and will provide tough competition going into the 2009 season.

The HWN Tour attempts to replicate the authentic Southern California beach party atmosphere. The only thing trumping the unabashed fun is the world-class volleyball action. So if you’re in a part of the country where it is freezing outside, hit the beach and see some of the best athletes in the world bump, set and spike their way to a title.

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