“History doesn’t
repeat itself but it does rhyme.” Mark Twain.
My friend Don has had some health issues the last few
months. When I went to see him in the hospital our conversations usually
turned, at some point, to volleyball; beach was and still is his preference. He
likes to talk about the former beach players who he knew and watched as he grew
up in California. He talked about the better players he has seen in Phoenix and
his partners on his adult teams.
When you talk to people like Don, you get a sense of what we
are missing in our game and people like Don are the antidote.
Ask your team, your daughter, your son who Karch Kiraly is
and you might get a response like, “He played a long time ago… I think.” Ask
them to name a player on the national team and usually Kerri and/ or Misty’s
name will be offered. Maybe a Todd or a Phil…last names not that
important. After that, the results are
pretty slim.
Ask your daughter or son if they know who Babe Ruth is, or
Michael Jordan or Joe Montana? All of these athletes are well out of their generational
wheel house but these sports do a much better job with the history of their
game then we do.
We need to do better. We owe it to Don.
The Manhattan Beach Open was and still is the most
prestigious beach tournament in the United States. Since the 1960’s it has
given our best beach players a chance to show their wares and talents in a
perfect setting of sea and sky. Legend has it that the names of all the winners
are on the pier but in looking, it’s not easy to find. The hot dog stand at the
end of the pier had heard of them but didn’t know where they were. Local
merchants said the same thing. Even a post man and a police officer had no
idea. The search finally took on a political air as the glass double doors of
City Hall were entered and the staircase was climbed and the receptionist in
the Parks and Rec department was asked.
Turns out history is under our feet!
The plaques are embedded in the actual pier with the winners
ascending by year toward the ocean.
The names are what would make Don smile. He may not have seen some of the players from the 1960’s but those that know the history of our game, like Don, know the names; Mike Bright and Mike O’Hara who won the first five Manhattan Beach Open’s starting in 1960. Ron Van Hagen was a 5 time winner, names from Olympics past like Chris Marlowe. Six time champions Sinjin Smith and Mike Dodd. How about Karch who won the Manhattan Beach Open 7 times with 4 different partners over a 16 year period and not to be outdone by Kathy Gregory and Nina Matthies who won the Open Women’s title 7 times each with each other AND different partners from 1972 through 1986.
This generation will recognize Todd and Phil’s names on the
pier 3 times and Kerri and Misty who are emblazoned with 5 plaques but
volleyball historians, or those old enough to remember when the Brady Bunch
wasn’t a rerun, know these names from the past, as several are successful
coaches now in the college and pro ranks and many are still involved in the
sport one way or another.
While the plaques are a historical record of Beach
Volleyball’s Grand daddy event, the stories that fans like Don can tell you are
what brings the color to the page. Last year, for example, saw one of the most
unexpected finishes in the Open’s celebrated history when 38 year old Casey
Jennings and 39 year old Matt Fuerbringer, who hadn’t played together since
2009 and with Fuerbringer coming out of retirement upset the #1 seed in three
sets and will soon have their names emblazoned on the pier. This is the stuff
that volleyball legends are made of and fans like Don tell their friends, kids
and grandchildren.
As coaches and Parents, we need to celebrate the history of
our game. More and more footage is available on YouTube of old matches, both
indoor and beach. As a coach, with 3 hours to kill in an airport, come up with
12 names in volleyball history and have the team pull up info on their iPhones
and give impromptu research papers to the group. Parents who fall for the sport
will appreciate the history and share these great people and stories with other
parents in between matches.
For players and coaches and fans like Don, these are moments
that make him smile and fondly remember and share the stories and players of an
era gone by, but never forgotten.
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