Despite Nasty Weather, AVP Show Must Go On

With wind gusts of up to 30 mph and heavy downpoor expected all day, the volleyball pros still plan to play, even though there won’t be many there to watch. I was told by someone that the last event they had attended 18 out of the 25 games they watched were in bad weather.

They play, rain or shine. I was told the qualifiers went well yesterday; the players got wet, and had to fight the wind, but they played. Coming from one direction, the players barely had to tap the ball to serve it over the net, but from the other way, hitting it as hard as they could, the ball sometimes wouldn’t even make it. I guess the advantage of wearing bikinis and boardshorts while you play your pro sport is that getting wet just doesn’t matter.

I was up on the roof of Seahaven, Origin, and felt like my Blackberry was going to be blown out of my hand; my jeans were flapping in the wind, and I don’t wear baggy jeans. My hair was even blowing, and I keep it too short for it to move.

On the ground, flags were flapping in the wind, near the brink of ripping. I overheard one worker screaming “that’s all you got!”, then it started raining – hard. Luckily I was under the covered area of Sharkys. Cameras and rain don’t mix.

Play was postponed until 10 am when I was there. Not sure if they are playing right now (its 1020). It isn’t raining right now, but it is very windy still. Tomorrow, however, is supposed to be nice. We’ll see.

AVP is getting Geared up behind Sharkys

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Amid cloudy weather and red-flag seas, the yellow AVP tents tower above the sand. For the first time ever a professional volleyball tournament will be hosted by AVP in Panama City Beach.

Today’s schedule is to include a collegiate tournament, however with wind kicking at up to 15 knots some of the onsite players are skeptical whether it will happen. The professionals are out practicing right now.

On Friday, there will be a series of games where locals and other aspiring pro-volleyball players can enter the qualifier tournament to compete with the pros on Saturday and Sunday. When talking to Nick Lucena at the recent press conference, he was telling me that some players can play up to 8 games in one day, depending on their win-to-lose ratio. He was telling me that the pros usually train for up to four hours each day to prepare for such grueling endurance playing.

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Here is the schedule:

Friday, March 27, 2009

Men’s and Women’s Qualifier Competition
Gates open at 7:00 am
Start time 8:00 AM. End Time (Approx) 6:30 PM.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Men’s and Women’s Main Draw Competition
Gates open at 7:00 am
Start time 8:00 AM. End Time (Approx) 6:30 PM.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Men’s and Women’s Main Draw Competition
Gates open at 7:00 am
Start time 8:00 AM. End Time (Approx) 5:30 PM.

AVP this week – Pro Volleyball on the Beach

This is just a reminder – don’t forget the Crocs Tour this weekend and all the pro volleyball activities behind Sharky’s this week.

To start it all off AVP will launch the first ever Collegiate Beach Challenge tomorrow where college students from across the country will have the chance to participate in a two-day four-on-four beach volleyball tournament. There will be men’s, women’s and coed divisions competing for cash prizes.

The finale of the AVP’s Spring Break in Panama City Beach will come at the end of week three, with the AVP Crocs Tour Panama City Beach Open. In what will serve as the 2009 season-opening event, the AVP Crocs Tour will showcase some of the best beach volleyball players in the world, including 2008 Olympic Gold Medalists, Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers. A one-day qualifier will begin on Friday morning followed by a live band in the evening. Men’s and women’s main draw action will start on Saturday morning with the finals scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

The AVP Crocs Tour event will take place directly behind Sharky’s Beach Front Restaurant & Tiki Bar, located in the heart of Panama City Beach at The Towne of Seahaven. In an attempt to revert back to the sport’s beginnings, six of the courts will be set up in “old school” style. This set-up will include minimal bleacher seating, allowing plenty of room for beachgoers to throw down their towels and fully enjoy the beach party atmosphere of Spring Break.

AVP Press Conference – 2009 AVP Crocs Pro Beach Volleyball Touney

Tuesday March 10th, AVP (stands for Association of Volleyball Players for you cheeky ones) will be holding a press conference announcing its first-ever Spring Break event, the 2009 AVP Crocs Tour Panama City Open, as well as its exciting new partnership with Seahaven and Sharky’s Beachfront Resturant. A light lunch will be provided.

Attending will be top VP athlete Nick Lucena. In 2008, Lucena and partner Sean Scott finished the season as one of the Tour’s highest-ranked teams. He is a Florida native and played volleyball collegiately at Florida State University. He will be competing in the 2009 Panama City Beach Open.

“We are excited to bring the AVP to Spring Break for the very first time,” said Leonard Armato, CEO and Commissioner of AVP Pro Beach Volleyball. “The biggest beach party in the country is the perfect atmosphere in which to kick off our 2009 season.” – A recent press release.

The press conference will be held at Origin in The Towne of Seahaven at 12 noon on the Observation Deck. I’m not sure if they mean the 15th floor observation deck, and if so, which side, but I would assume the “public” side. Either way, however, I’m sure the person at the front desk will know where to direct you.

I should be there.

PCB Sand Sports Teams up with AVP for Beach Volleyball

PCB Sand Sports in partnership with AVPNext, the grassroots program of the Association of Volleyball Professionals will be developing a Beach Volleyball league and series sponsored by Barefoot Wine to launch at Sharkys the week of May 11th, 2009. The leagues will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday nights for men’s doubles and Friday evening for women’s doubles.

The leagues will run for 8 weeks and offer both the men and women’s winners a prize of $1000 in cash along with airfare and entry into competition for the “first ever” Barefoot Cup Championship in Hermosa Beach, CA. The top 16 teams from across the U.S. will compete in Hermosa Beach to represent their area.

Sharkys and Seahaven are partners with PCB Sand Sports to bring the “fun” of beach sports directly to Panama City Beach with programs, events and activities to showcase the white sand and ambience of the area. Roman Reese founder of PCB Sand Sports and Director of Nashville Beach Volleyball has been involved in volleyball for more than 20 years.

He has been a major influencer to develop the long standing Fud’s 4-Person Tournament that is located in the Destin, Ft. Walton area that has grown from 17 teams to more than 250 teams with a waiting list to play. This tournament is now a “regular” vacation for the players who began to come in the beginning and developed the event into a “memorable” tournament to meet friends and reconnect with players across the country.

The AVP Pro Tour will be hosting their first Tour Stop in Panama City Beach in front of Sharkys the weekend of March 28th-29th and will showcase some of the top players in both men and women’s categories to kick off the focus Panama City Beach has to bring FUN beach sports to the area. We hope to see the local community come out to meet the Pros.

PCB Sand Sports and Seahaven will be working closely with Bay Area Sports Association a non-profit focused to support sports programs for the local kids to set up visits with the Pros to promote beach volleyball.

PCB Sand Sports is also coordinating additional leagues for Sharkys to provide Co-Ed 4’s on Tuesday nights and Co-Ed 6’s on Thursdays. For more information on the leagues and beach volleyball events and activities contact Roman Reese @ beachresearch@yahoo.com

More Info on Pro Volleyball Coming to PCB

The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour will kick off its 2009 season in a unique fashion; the Tour is holding its first-ever Spring Break event in Panama City Beach, Fla., March 27-29. The event will feature the world’s best beach volleyball players, including 2008 Olympic gold medalists Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, battling it out on the sand amidst the excitement of Spring Break.

Panama City Beach plays host to hundreds of thousands of college students each year, who descend on the Florida coast to soak up the surf and sand, and party on the beach. While the main event of AVP’s Spring Break will be the AVP Crocs Tour Panama City Beach Open, taking place March 27-29, the AVP will head to Panama Beach City on March 7 to start its three-week Spring Break experience.

“We are excited to bring the AVP to Spring Break for the very first time,” said Leonard Armato, CEO and Commissioner of AVP Pro Beach Volleyball. “The biggest beach party in the country is the perfect atmosphere in which to kick off our 2009 season.”

The finale of the AVP’s Spring Break in Panama City Beach will come as the AVP Crocs Tour Panama City Beach Open. A one-day qualifier will begin on Friday morning, March 27, followed by a live band in the evening. Men’s and women’s Main Draw action will start on Saturday morning with both men’s and women’s finals planned for Sunday afternoon. AVP specifically chose the last weekend of March for their tournament because it is both the final weekend of collegiate Spring Break and the first weekend of “family spring break”. The event will be a fun party for all ages.

Prior to the competition, the first two weeks of Spring Break will include numerous promotions and events geared towards Spring Breakers. The third week of the AVP’s Spring Break event will start off with the first-ever Collegiate Beach Challenge. Starting on Tuesday, March 24, college students from across the country will have the chance to participate in a two-day four-on-four beach volleyball tournament. There will be men’s, women’s and coed divisions competing for cash prizes.

About AVP, Inc.:
AVP, Inc. is a leading lifestyle sports entertainment company focused on the production, marketing and distribution of professional beach volleyball events worldwide. One of the fastest growing entities in the sports world, the AVP operates two of the industry’s most prominent national outdoor touring series, the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour (1983) and the AVP Hot Winter Nights Indoor Tour (launched in 2008). The AVP is set to stage more than 35 events throughout the United States in 2009 and features more than 150 of the top men and women competitors in the sport. AVP athletes won both the women’s and men’s gold medals at the 2008 Games in Beijing, marking the first gold medal sweep by a single country in the history of Olympic Beach Volleyball. AVP is headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. For more information, please visit http://www.avp.com.

AVP Coming to Panama City Beach for Spring Break

As college students across the country prepare for the time honored tradition of Spring Break, the AVP prepares to start a Spring Break tradition of its own this year in Panama City Beach, Florida.

Known to many as Spring Break Capital of the World, Panama City Beach plays host to hundreds of thousands of college students each year, who descend on the Florida coast to soak up the surf and sand, and party on the beach. Along with the endless sea of Spring Breakers, also come some of the biggest names in Spring Break entertainment, including MTV, who has called Panama City Beach its Spring Break home for several years.

This year, the AVP plans on making its own name for itself in Spring Break entertainment, as it will pack up the Southern California beach party atmosphere found on the AVP Crocs Tour and bring it to Panama City Beach for the first event of the 2009 season.

While the main event of AVP’s Spring Break will be the AVP Crocs Tour, March 27-29, the AVP will head to Panama Beach City on March 7 to start its three week Spring Break experience.

The first two weeks of Spring Break will include numerous promotions and events geared towards Spring Breakers, and hosted by the AVP’s official sponsors, including, Bud Light, Crocs, Gatorade, Naked Juice, and Nature Valley, among others.

The third week of the AVP’s Spring Break will start off with the first ever Collegiate Beach Challenge. Starting on Tuesday, March 24, college students from across the country will have the chance to participate in a two day four-on-four beach volleyball tournament. There will be a men’s, women’s and coed division, each competing for cash prizes. Also at stake for the winning teams will be the unique opportunity to move on to a final where they will face a team of two AVP Pros.

The AVP Crocs Tour event will take place directly in front of Sharky’s Beach Front Restaurant & Tiki Bar, located in the heart of Panama City Beach. In an attempt to revert back to beach volleyball’s beginnings, six of the courts will be set up in “old school” style. This will include minimal bleacher seating, allowing plenty of room for beach-goers to throw down their towels and mingle, while fully enjoying the beach party atmosphere of Spring Break.

Those wanting to be close to all of the AVP’s Spring Break events are encouraged to stay in one of the several hotels and condominiums that are affiliated with Sharky’s. For more information, please click here.

Stay tuned for more details as AVP’s Spring Break gets closer.

Source: AVP.com