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May 27, 2004 Taking
Sand by Storm By Peter Yoon, Times
Staff Writer The snow, it seems, was
only the tip of the iceberg as far as beach volleyball was concerned. Assn. of Volleyball Professionals players Misty May and Kerri Walsh were shown playing volleyball in the snow for a television commercial that made its debut during the Super Bowl and continues to air four months later. But the sport has
gathered so much steam over the last few years that AVP Commissioner
Leonard Armato expects to see an increasing number of players featured
in commercials, magazine articles and on television talk shows in the
coming months. It's all part of a
rejuvenated AVP Tour, which visits Huntington Beach this weekend for the
fourth tournament of the 2004 season with a swagger that has been
missing since the tour filed for bankruptcy protection in 1998. On the court, May and
Walsh have continued to dominate the women's side with three victories
in three events, while the men's side has shown parity. A different team
has won each event, and only Todd Rogers and Sean Scott have made a
final more than once. Tour veteran Karch Kiraly, a crowd favorite, has
played well, teaming with Mike Lambert to finish second last month in
Tempe, Ariz. The buzz off the court,
however, is what has Armato and many of the players in an optimistic
frame of mind as the tour arrives in Southern California, the birthplace
of beach volleyball and the blueprint for the lifestyle associated with
the tour. "We have been
seeing an exponential growth in the marketing of the AVP, the sport of
beach volleyball, our players and the Southern California
lifestyle," Armato said. "It's all catching fire quite rapidly
and we're gaining legitimacy as a true competitive sport and as an
organization as a whole." Some may say Armato is
just promoting his tour, but he has evidence to back up his claim. The
number of tournaments has grown from 10 last year to 12 this year. The
prize money offered has increased nearly 25% to $1.6 million and for the
first time, there will be live television coverage of every event. Next year, 14
tournaments and $3 million in prize money are promised. "Usually it's one
step forward and two steps back, so this is good," said Eric
Fonoimoana, winner of the 2000 Olympic gold medal. "I haven't seen
this happen in, like, six years, and I've been through the good and the
bad so I should know." Fox Sports or NBC will
carry live coverage of the finals for every tournament this year. Major
sponsors such as Nissan, Pepsi, Bud Light, Wilson and Gatorade are
signed through at least 2005. Another reason for
optimism is that this is an Olympic year. In the past, that wasn't
always a good thing because the AVP has little to do with the Olympic
qualifying process. Armato, who took over
in 2001, has worked to reduce scheduling conflicts with the
international tour (the FIVB), but AVP tournaments at Huntington Beach,
Manhattan Beach and San Diego may lose players. Still, in the past,
players were penalized for missing AVP tournaments. This year, Armato
has allowed players to miss events. He expects that beach volleyball
will get prime-time coverage during the Olympics and wants the top AVP
players to be part of that. "That only
increases our exposure," he said. "And if the sport gets
discovered by the public, we have the opportunity to convert them to
fans. That can only be good for us." Walsh and May played
exclusively on the FIVB in 2002 because they wanted to pursue the
Olympics. The new policy allowed the Californians to play on their home
sand last year and they will split time between the tours this year.
They are ranked No. 1 in the world and are the favorites for gold in
Athens. "It's very
important that we play both tours," Walsh said. "We need to
prepare for the Olympics by playing internationally. The ball is
different, the net is different, and the teams play different styles. At
the same time, we want to support our home tour." It's unlikely there
will be a mad dash to the FIVB for Olympic qualifying points. The U.S.
can send only two men's and two women's teams to Athens. The tournaments that
conflict with Olympic qualifying should still have plenty of star power.
Kiraly, the elder statesman of pro beach volleyball players at 43, says
he will continue to play as long as he's competitive. He has a new partner
this year in Lambert, who was injured last year but had six top-10
finishes in seven events in 2002. Jose Loiola, a 23-time winner from
1997 to 2000, also has returned after spending most of the last two
years on the FIVB. On the women's side,
the story will be whether May and Walsh can remain undefeated. They have
won 11 consecutive AVP events. "I'm pretty confident in what's going on with this tour," said Stein Metzger, who with partner Dax Holdren is battling for one of the Olympic spots. "It's not a stagnant, secure period here, either. We're growing. We're moving forward. There's a lot of reason for optimism." |
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