MAILBAG! Breaking Down The AVP Schedule; The Return to Belmar; World Champs Review

Chaim Schalk had been to the United States before. The Alberta native has actually been an American citizen his entire life -- his mother is an Iowan -- but as a kid raised in Red Deer, Schalk has been competing in the Canadian pipeline his entire life.  Until now.  After the 2017 season, Schalk, who finished fifth at the 2017 Beach Volleyball World Championships with longtime partner Ben Saxton, the 6-foot-5 defender made the decision to transfer to compete for the United States, homeland of his wife, Lane Carico, another top-flight U.S. defender whom he married on New Years Eve of 2015. “It was probably halfway through the season when I considered what my options were going to be,” Schalk said. “Me and Ben, we weren’t, I don’t think, were on the same page after a certain period of time. We had a really good run over five years but I was hoping we were going to become more consistent and we never actually won a tournament, and every team around our level has won a tournament. Every team. And that was one thing I wanted to do: I wanted to win. “We’d get into these tournaments where we were so close and every time, something happened. Not to say that’s the reason why I wanted to move on, because if it’s not Ben, who am I going to win with?” And that remains the No. 1 question for Schalk moving forward: Who will the erstwhile Canadian partner with? Because of an FIVB transfer rule, Schalk will have to sit out of FIVB tournaments until October of 2019. He’ll be an exclusively AVP talent, though it's possible he could compete in the World Series of Beach Volleyball, should it not fall under the FIVB umbrella, as it did not this past season. He hasn’t decided on anything; he hasn’t ruled anything out. It’s just as possible he plays with Brazilian blocker Ricardo Santos, with whom he played in AVP New York and stunned Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena in the first round, as with a young and developing blocker. For now, Schalk is rehabbing his pinky finger post-surgery, though the next time he steps on the sand, it’ll be as a member of USA Volleyball. WATCH: SANDCAST host Tri Bourne plays against SANDCAST guest Chaim Schalk in the Toronto semifinals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8BHlrar2wc&t=934s Where to find Chaim Schalk: Twitter: @chaimschalk  Instagram: @Chaimer Website: ChaimSchalk.com

25 Marras 20171h 18min

In a frenetic span of 120 days, Kelly Claes was able to accomplish what the vast majority of the beach volleyball world would be satisfied with in a career.  She won a national championship with USC, which was preceded by the USAV Collegiate Beach Championships. She stunned 2016 Olympic gold medalists Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst to claim a bronze medal in the World Series of Beach Volleyball. She won an AVP during the season finale in Chicago, which came with the added bonus of boosted prize money, money she was alas able to accept. She even won a NORCECA qualifier – playing defense with Lauren Fendrick. And Claes isn’t done yet. Not even close.  “I want to be the best blocker in the world,” she says repeatedly throughout the podcast. She’s not far off, despite playing professionally for less than one full season (she had to skip the AVP’s opener in Huntington Beach). While her and partner Sara Hughes, the FIVB Rookie of the Year, finished the collegiate season No. 1 in the country and national champs for the fourth straight season, they also finished No. 16 internationally and sixth on the AVP.  On the podcast, Claes discusses her remarkable partnership with Hughes, which includes a record 103-match winning streak, and what she learned by playing with Fendrick and AVP MVP April Ross in an FIVB in China. “You can only learn so much from one person,” she says. “I feel like reaching into another hat is always helpful. I feel like I learned from both of them and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. It was a really cool experience.” With a little less than three months to go before the opening event of the 2018 season, in The Hague, Claes and Hughes are back on the sand. Claes discusses what her training looks like, what events she’s looking forward to in the 2018 season, her aspirations both immediate and long term, and how she plans on developing into the best blocker in the world. Where you can find Claes: Twitter: @kellyclaes3 Instagram: Kellyclaes3 Facebook: Kelly Claes Of course, this podcast would not be possible without our generous sponsors from Marriott Vacation Club Rentals, which offer the best vacation accommodations in the world’s best vacation destinations. Wherever you travel… Florida to Hawaii, Europe to California, choose to rest in our luxurious guest rooms, suites or villas for your next getaway. Villas offer all of the comforts of home including a full kitchen, living and dining area and separate bedrooms. Stay with the Marriott name you know and trust.    Book Big Spaces in Great Places today.  Visit www.MVCRentals.com!

15 Marras 20171h 2min

Dos Equis had it all wrong when the beer company casted actor Jonathan Goldsmith as its "Most Interesting Man in the World" campaign.  It missed out on Ryan Doherty.  Even amongst a group of peers with circuitous routes into beach volleyball, Doherty’s path has been exceptionally itinerant. A star pitcher out of the baseball-mad town of Toms River, New Jersey, Doherty threw for Notre Dame in college. He left early, going undrafted but getting scooped up by the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he spent two years in the minor leagues, years filled with long bus rides, pitching well, pitching not so well – until he got the call from the manager’s office. Doherty was cut. It was, as rock bottom moments can often be, a watershed moment for Doherty, as serendipitous as it was crushing. After couch surfing for a bit in South Carolina, where he was routinely beaten down in beach volleyball by high schoolers, Doherty had made up his mind: He was moving to California, and he was going to play professional beach volleyball. Since, the 7-foot-1 – well, 7-foot-and-a-half – blocker has partnered with Olympians Casey Patterson, Nick Lucena, Todd Rogers and John Hyden. He has beaten Phil Dalhausser. He has represented the United States internationally and domestically, becoming a mainstay on both the AVP and FIVB Tours. Doherty discusses all of that and a great deal more on SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter. Mentioned in the show: Doherty wrote a book, Avatar’s Guide to Beach Volleyball. You can get that on Amazon here: Where you can find Doherty: Twitter: @RyanDVolley Facebook: Ryan Doherty As always, this show would not be possible without the sponsorship of Marriott Vacation Club Rentals, who offers the best vacation accommodations in the world’s best vacation destinations.  Wherever you travel… Florida to Hawaii, Europe to California, choose to rest in our luxurious guest rooms, suites or villas for your next getaway.   Villas offer all of the comforts of home including a full kitchen, living and dining area and separate bedrooms.   Stay with the Marriott name you know and trust.   Book Big Spaces in Great Places today.  Visit www.MVCRentals.com!

8 Marras 20171h 3min

Welcome to the first episode of The Sandcast: Beach volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, presented by Marriott Vacation Club Rentals and brought to you by VolleyballMag.com.  The podcast will delve into all areas of beach volleyball, from the top players and talents across the globe to coaches, influencers and any individual who could bring valuable insight regarding the game of beach volleyball.  The first episode is the podcast's host himself, Tri Bourne.  After qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio -- though missing the cut due to the country quota -- and finishing the year ranked No. 5 in the world alongside John Hyden.  Recently, however, Bourne has been sidelined, out with an enigmatic autoimmune disease that kept him out for the 2017 season. It made for a bit of an odd year for Bourne: watching, not playing; commentating on the AVP livestream, not traveling the world; going to the doctor's office, skipping the beach.  On the podcast, Bourne discusses how he has dealt with the adversity of an illness, being limited in terms of playing, and how he actually wouldn't trade his year.  "It's funny," Bourne says. "At this particular moment, it kind of has been a great year."  Indeed. Bourne hit the books, learning about mindset, sports psychology, meditation. He developed new talents, beginning with commentating on the AVP livestream, which was a smash hit throughout the year.  "It's been fun," he says. "It's been cool. There's been highs and lows." This podcast, of course, is sponsored by Marriott Vacation Club Rentals, which offers the best vacation accommodations in  the world’s best vacation destinations. Wherever you travel -- Florida to Hawaii, Europe to California -- choose to rest in our luxurious guest rooms, suites or villas for your next getaway. Villas offer all of the comforts of home including a full kitchen, living and dining area and separate bedrooms.   Stay with the Marriott name you know and trust.     Book Big Spaces in Great Places today. Visit www.MVCRentals.com!   Where you can find Bourne:  Twitter: @TriBourne Instagram: @tribourne Facebook: @tribournehi   Let us know what you think -- it's just episode No. 1, so be kind.

31 Loka 20171h 16min