I N S I D E B E A C H
“Was it a surprise?” Tim said of the season-opening finish. “Maybe we made it a little farther than we thought, but certainly our expectations are up there.” Added Brian: “We both analyze a game and know that we might not win this 50 percent of the time, or even 20 percent of the time, but we’re able to see what we do well and how we could win.” It’s that same strategy that led them to their most notable AVP victory – a win in Santa Barbara in 2013 over a pair of two-time Olympians: Dal- hausser, a gold medalist in Beijing, and Rosenthal, who represented the U.S. with Gibb in both Beijing and London. “Mentally, looking at a match, they would beat us nine times out of 10,” Brian says. “But we knew they hadn’t seen us play, and we knew if we did A, B and C – and did them really well – we could win. We weren’t shell- shocked. We look at matches strategi- cally.” It’s nothing shy of astounding to
most players that the Bomgrens are do- ing this well while training in a state that, as Tim says, “is not exactly the mecca of beach volleyball.” “They’re not taking the easy road by being in Minnesota,” says Ed Ratledge, a longtime pro beach player who estimates he has played the Bomgrens a dozen times. “I’m sure they have a competitive training group, but Phil Dalhausser isn’t rolling through Minnesota to train.” Despite the fact that Brian now has a beach volleyball court in his
Pro beach volleyball players and Minnesota natives Brian Bomgren, left, and brother Tim have the right chemistry together in any type of weather. After graduating from Bethel, Brian, as older siblings often do, gave
a directive: He and Tim would be beach volleyball partners from that point forward. It didn’t take long for them to realize that all of those football games, basketball tournaments, golf matches and baseball double-headers had molded them into the type of all-around athletes that’s well-suited for beach volleyball. “A well-rounded athlete is much more rewarded because you have to
backyard – a project he undertook last summer – their location is nearly unanimously viewed as a burden. In fact, it seems as if there are only two people who don’t view it that way: Tim and Brian. One advantage they mention is that being in Minnesota provides a
longer rest period, both mentally and physically. While injuries hobbled a number of AVP stars in 2015, the Bomgrens were fully healthy, with no signs of burnout. They also don’t believe they need an extra four or five months of
training time during the offseason. They’re content putting in hours at the gym before work until the weather warms up, and they’re able to get some touches on the ball, either on Brian’s backyard court or at a local park.
Diverse sports backgrounds Growing up, the brothers played pretty much every sport there is to play,
mostly basketball, baseball and golf, which Brian played for Bethel Univer- sity. It wasn’t until Brian played volleyball with a couple of college buddies that the two got serious about the sport that’s now first on their list.
“
do everything,” Brian said. “It’s not like football where you can be good at just one thing.”
Their athleticism is most evident on the defensive side of the game.
Despite standing at a modest 6-4, Tim was fifth on the AVP in blocks (92) in 2015. Brian, who is 6-3, was fifth in digs (282). “They touched every ball,” said Tom Kohler, who lost to the Bomg-
rens in Manhattan Beach, California. “There were no easy points in the match against them. They always seemed like they were on the same page.” Dozens of times each year, the Bomgrens are asked if they’re going
to move to California. They respond with many variations of the same answer: It’s not happening. “It’s a huge plus that we’re able to compete in volleyball, but I have higher priorities in my life,” Brian says. So they go to work, hang out with their families, and they play vol- leyball when they can. “It’s a hobby that we spend a lot of time doing,” Tim says. As soon as the snow clears.
A well-rounded athlete is much more rewarded
because you have to do everything. It’s not like football where you can be good at just one thing.
— Brian Bomgren 34 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag ”
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