CEO’S MESSAGE
http://www.facebook.com/USAVolleyball http://twitter.com/USAVolleyball Digital issue:
www.usavolleyball.org/mag
CORPORATE PARTNERS
All in the family I
t’s often said that the sport of volleyball is one big family, and I certainly have to agree. Making up that extended family are hundreds and probably thousands of individual families that have been enjoying the game for years, passing it along from one generation to the next. One of those families is the Smiths, who we have written about on page 68 of this issue in our Flashback section. In this case, we are fl ashing back and also fl ashing forward in our story about Sinjin Smith, one of the great beach champions of all-time and also a very good indoor player at UCLA, and his son Hagen. The younger Smith is currently a setter at UCLA who wears “22” on his jersey, his dad’s recently unretired number.
®
There are countless family volleyball connections all over the country. It’s common to see the game being enjoyed by a wide cross section of players and coaches who are linked by lineage: parents and sons, parents and daughters, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, you name it. And not only do they all enjoy the sport, they often enjoy it together – maybe in one of the many tournaments scattered through- out our 40 regions or in a ‘nooner’ sand game at a beach or park or indoor at the ‘Y’; even on a road trip to the annual USA Volleyball Open National Championships, which will be held this year from May 23-28 in Phoenix, Ariz.
SPONSORS / SUPPLIERS
Many others have followed in a family member’s footsteps, obviously too many to name in this space. My own son, Mitch, plays at Ohio State, my alma mater. Others who come to mind who are playing currently are Stanford setter/outside hitter James Shaw (son of Don Shaw), his team- mate, Joe Ctvrtlik (son of Bob Ctvrt- lik), and St. Mary’s setter Dalas Dodd (daughter of Mike and Patty Dodd). Another is Princeton outside hitter Cody Kessel (son of USAV staffer John Kessel). Aldis Berzins, who was an outside hitter on our gold-medal team in 1984 alongside Karch Kiraly, has three sons who have been exposed to the volleyball bug. Dainis Berzins is a senior at No. 1 ranked Loyola-Chi- cago and his brother Kris is serving as an assistant coach at that rising program. Mik Berzins played on Ohio State’s 2011 national championship team. Two more members of that 1984 Olympic team also have a second generation currently playing at high levels. Kendall Partie (son of Doug Partie) is on UCLA’s roster and Alexis Salmons (daugh- ter of Steve Salmons) is playing at St. Mary’s College.
FAMILY TIES: Taylor Crabb is one of many Long Beach State players with a dad who played at a high level.
LICENSING PARTNERS
At Long Beach State, there are three teammates who are all sons of former high-level players and coaches: outside hitter Taylor Crabb (Chris Crabb), setter Connor Olbright (Dave Olbright) and libero Andrew Sato (Gary Sato). It’s no mystery to anybody involved in the game that volleyball is infectious, and I don’t think
TRAINING CENTER PARTNERS
that’s only because it’s so much fun to play. Whether it’s with family, friends or teammates who often become friends, volleyball is a source of social enjoyment. Year after year, I hear people com- ment on how wonderful it is to reconnect at our USA adult nationals with people they have known for a long time but may only get to see once a year. As you are probably aware, one of USA Volleyball’s top priorities is growing the game in all parts of the country. It certainly helps that the game itself is so easy to like. As many of our second- and third-generation players are fi nding out, once you walk onto a volleyball court, it’s hard to walk away.
Doug Beal
PHOTO: PETER BROUILLET
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78