Tim Brewster is getting his own type of education

Tim Brewster is getting his own type of education

TEL AVIV, Israel – Tim Brewster was thousands of miles from his classrooms at UCLA. His seat in his 300-plus-student lectures was empty again, as it had been for the previous two weeks while he was in the Dominican Republic and the Middle East. And yet, while his classmates and peers were in their seats like good students, listening to the professors, taking their notes, studying, Brewster was getting an education of his own, the same unofficial independent study he’d been getting for the previous three years.

It is one thing to learn about the religions of the world, a class he took with that very name. It is entirely another to stroll the cobblestone streets of Jerusalem, to walk the Via Dolarosa, to see the 14 stations of the cross, to touch the Western Wall, to hear the calls for prayer at the site where Mohammed ascended and descended from heaven.

It is one thing to learn of the poverty of countries like Cuba, and to listen to professors discuss the dangers of men like Fidel Castro. It is another to arrive on your first international beach volleyball trip as a 17-year-old in Havana, and to run out of running water one night, lose power for two, be bereft of functional wifi and any means of communication to the outside world, all the while being subjected to misleading government propaganda.

No, Tm Brewster may not be in the classroom as much as his professors may like.

But rest assured, he’s getting an education of his own.

“Definitely more valuable than college,” he said on SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter. And he said this, of course, not from a classroom or anywhere close to it. He said it at the kitchen table in an AirBNB in Tel Aviv, where he played in his fifth one-star FIVB of the year, finishing with a career-high fifth. He said it after eating in Old Town Jaffa, after praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, after hearing gunshots ring out from war-torn Jordan as he floated in the Dead Sea.

“I’m going to these places that I’ve learned about in school before, which is awesome. I’m getting the real-world experience of it,” he said. “I’m getting to see these cultures and learn a bunch, especially from the people I’m traveling with, because a lot of people I travel with are older. I wouldn’t miss this stuff for the world.

“I took a religion class last quarter and it was all about Christianity, Judaism and Islam and it’s what we saw today, all day. I’ve never really experienced that. It was crazy.”

Talk with Brewster and, aside from the boyish face and the body that hasn’t quite filled out yet, you would be hard-pressed to pin him as a teenager still finding his way in the world. This season alone, which coincided with his current sophomore year at UCLA, he competed in seven international tournaments. He’s competed against Olympians and AVP champions. He’s been coached by some of the all-time greats. He is 19 yet is surrounded by some of the most elite players and voices in the sport.

“It’s weird because these are guys I’ve looked up to for the last five or six years since I was 14 and playing,” he said. “It’s weird that I’m playing against them now. I’m still not there yet but I can see the progress from where I’ve come from and where I’m heading and it’s pretty exciting. It’s really cool, though, getting to play guys at that high of a level and you get to see the things they do well that you don’t.”

At 19, Brewster is considered precocious by U.S. standards in beach volleyball. Nearly every Olympic Games is a testament to the States’ delayed development system. In 2016, the four United States players – Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena, Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson – were surpassed in age only by one. Of the six players on the top three U.S. teams with a legitimate shot at making the Tokyo Games, four are older than 30, another, Trevor Crabb, is only a few months shy, and the other, Taylor Crabb, is 26.

And yet there is Brewster, alongside his equally young and aspirational peers in John Schwengel, Miles and Marcus Partain, and Kacey Losik, the few youngsters in the U.S. breaking in before their mid-20s.

This year was a watershed one for all: Brewster made his first FIVB main draw, Schwengel cracked into AVP Hawai’i for his first main draw, Marcus Partain made it in Manhattan Beach, Miles won the AVP Rookie of the Year.

To the United States, they’re young, babies on tour. To the rest of the world’s 19- and 20- year olds, they’re quite normal.

“There’s not a lot of guys my age who are committed only to beach,” Brewster said. “There’s John Schwengel and I, who are basically the only two who are only playing beach without playing indoor.

“A lot of these [international] kids specialize early, and a lot of these countries have academies. We don’t really have anything like that. I think the high performance does a good job but it’s hard to compete with a country like Brazil who has their kids living in a facility, training year-round.”

And so he has created his own developmental system, both on the court and off. On the court, he trains with USA Volleyball’s high performance program when it’s in session and with Jose Loiola when it’s not. Off the court, he is still figuring out his major at UCLA while seeing a great many of his lectures play out in real life while he competes internationally.

“Cuba was my first international trip and it was just wild,” he said. “There’s no way to describe it but just wild and crazy. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong, and everything we expected wasn’t there.

“It definitely taught me how to travel in a different way. I’m trashing Cuba but it was one of the most fun trips of my life. There’s something about adversity that bonds you to the people around you. There’s something about traveling. Nothing else matters but can you talk to each other, can you have fun, can you get through these crazy experiences together. It’s the little things like that that make traveling internationally to play volleyball so cool. The friends you make, the things you get to see, doing what you love, nothing beats it. It’s amazing.”

He’s back in school now, Brewster. Cramming for tests. Finishing papers he’s put off. Getting the education most Americans his age are accustomed to. Soon enough, though, he’ll be back on the road, on planes, figuring out how to get from one airport to the next, how to find edible food in China, bottled water in Cuba, seeing with his own eyes the religions of the world.

“Almost,” he said, “like college on the road.”

Jaksot(500)

BEDLAM ENSUES: Nobody Is Safe At The Beach Volleyball World Championships

BEDLAM ENSUES: Nobody Is Safe At The Beach Volleyball World Championships

Welcome back to SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, where Travis is back breaking down all things Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide, Australia. The round of 32 is over, and in this episode, we highlight: - The huge and shocking upset delivered to Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft by Martina Maixnerova and Kylie Neuschaeferova - The not so huge but still unexpected upset of Marco Krattiger and Leo Dillier over Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot - The still less huge but still unexpected upsets of Chaim Schalk and James Shaw over Nicolas Capogrosso and Tomas Capogrosso, and Julia Donlin and Lexy Denaburg of USA Volleyball over Zoe Verge-Depre and Anouk Verge-Depre - The ALMOST upsets, but not quite, as Thamela and Victoria survive Lezana Placette and Alexia Richard, Evandro and Arthur survive Ben O'Dea and Brad Fuller, and Anders Mol and Christian Sorum survive Sam Schachter and Jonathan Pickett - The Cinderella run of Melanie Paul and Lea Kunst amidst a thriving German federation, who will also see Louisa Lippmann and Linda Bock, and Sandra Ittlinger and Anna Grune in the round of 16 - The Big Game hunter who is Valentina Gottardi, as the Italian blocker and Reka Orsi Toth knocked out Germany's top pair in Cinja Tillmann and Svenja Muller - Poland's brutal draw of David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig in the first round - Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner continuing their World Championships title defense - Hendrik Mol and Mathias Berntsen careering at the perfect time with a fourth straight sweep SHEW! We'll be back again tomorrow! SHOOTS! *** WE'VE GOT MERCH! Check it out here!! Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Get 10 PERCENT OFF VBTV using our discount code, SANDCAST10 Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Our medical timeout was brought to you by SHIELD Athletic Tape. If you’re an athlete, coach, or just train hard, you know that staying healthy is easier said than done— it’s about staying supported. That’s where SHIELD comes in. SHIELD is a U.S.-based athletic tape company built by athletes, for athletes. Whether it’s rigid tape for serious support, kinesiology tape with true 4-way stretch for maximum mobility, or turf tape to fight off burns on the field — SHIELD’s got you covered. They even make recovery wraps for post-session cooldowns and inflammation control. And because it’s all made right here in the U.S., you’re getting elite quality and fast delivery —they are truly not cutting corners. Try SHIELD today — support that actually performs. Check them out at shieldhealthandfitness.com and use code SANDCAST for a discount. Tape smarter. Train harder. SHIELD up.

19 Marras 38min

Chaos Begins! World Champs Playoffs Set to Bring Madness in Adelaide

Chaos Begins! World Champs Playoffs Set to Bring Madness in Adelaide

Welcome back to SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, where Travis, on site in Adelaide for the 2025 Beach Volleyball World Championships, breaks down the pool play rounds and provides a little preview of the playoffs to come, highlighting: - Sweden's David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig AGAIN losing two matches in pool play in the biggest tournament of the year - The German women, highlighted by the stellar play of Melanie Paul and Lea Kunst, sending all four teams -- Louisa Lippmann and Linda Bock, Cinja Tillmann and Svenja Muller, Sandra Ittlinger and Anna Grune -- to the round of 32 - The USA men all moving into the round of 32, with Chase Budinger and Miles Evans winning pool, Chaim Schalk and James Shaw having a toss-up match against Argentina's Capogrosso Brothers, and Andy Benesh and Miles Partain playing an excellent Cuba team in Jorge Alayo and Noslen Diaz - USA and Brazilian women thriving behind the dominance of Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher, Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft, Julia Donlin and Lexy Denaburg, Kelly Cheng and Molly Shaw, Ana Patricia and Duda, Thamela and Victoria, and Carol and Rebecca. AND: Australia makes the best coffee. WE SAID IT! SHOOTS! *** WE'VE GOT MERCH! Check it out here!! Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Get 10 PERCENT OFF VBTV using our discount code, SANDCAST10 Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Our medical timeout was brought to you by SHIELD Athletic Tape. If you’re an athlete, coach, or just train hard, you know that staying healthy is easier said than done— it’s about staying supported. That’s where SHIELD comes in. SHIELD is a U.S.-based athletic tape company built by athletes, for athletes. Whether it’s rigid tape for serious support, kinesiology tape with true 4-way stretch for maximum mobility, or turf tape to fight off burns on the field — SHIELD’s got you covered. They even make recovery wraps for post-session cooldowns and inflammation control. And because it’s all made right here in the U.S., you’re getting elite quality and fast delivery —they are truly not cutting corners. Try SHIELD today — support that actually performs. Check them out at shieldhealthandfitness.com and use code SANDCAST for a discount. Tape smarter. Train harder. SHIELD up.

18 Marras 31min

Favorites, Contenders and Dark Horses: The FINAL World Champs Preview

Favorites, Contenders and Dark Horses: The FINAL World Champs Preview

Kyle Friend and Travis Mewhirter break down all things Beach Volleyball World Champs here in Adelaide, Australia, going over the favorites, contenders, and dark horses for each gender. Favorites: Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher, Duda and Ana Patricia, Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan. Contenders: Linda Bock and Louisa Lippmann, Anouk Verge-Depre and Zoe Verge-Depre, Remi Bassereau and Calvin Aye, Clemens Wickler and Nils Ehlers Dark Horses: Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno, Katja Stam and Raisa Schoon, Andre and Renato, Timo Hammarberg and Tim Berger SHOOTS! *** Our medical timeout was brought to you by SHIELD Athletic Tape. If you’re an athlete, coach, or just train hard, you know that staying healthy is easier said than done— it’s about staying supported. That’s where SHIELD comes in. SHIELD is a U.S.-based athletic tape company built by athletes, for athletes. Whether it’s rigid tape for serious support, kinesiology tape with true 4-way stretch for maximum mobility, or turf tape to fight off burns on the field — SHIELD’s got you covered. They even make recovery wraps for post-session cooldowns and inflammation control. And because it’s all made right here in the U.S., you’re getting elite quality and fast delivery —they are truly not cutting corners. Try SHIELD today — support that actually performs. Check them out at shieldhealthandfitness.com and use code SANDCAST for a discount. Tape smarter. Train harder. SHIELD up.

13 Marras 27min

The Importance of Storytelling in Sports ft. Kyle Friend, Frito, Tri Bourne | SANDCAST

The Importance of Storytelling in Sports ft. Kyle Friend, Frito, Tri Bourne | SANDCAST

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, is a SANDCAST family affair! Bringing in our star videographer, Daniel "Frito" Freitas and co-host and regular contributor Kyle Friend to chat all things beach volleyball, and particularly what we can do from a storytelling standpoint.

12 Marras 1h 19min

Brian Lewis: The Evolution, Future, and Current State of Volleyball | SANDCAST

Brian Lewis: The Evolution, Future, and Current State of Volleyball | SANDCAST

In this episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, former AVP professional beach volleyball player Brian Lewis shares his journey through the world of beach volleyball, discussing the evolution of the sport, the importance of entertainment value, and the role of youth development in shaping future athletes. - He reflects on his personal experiences, training dynamics, and the need for athletes to take ownership in promoting the sport. - The discussion also touches on the cultural shifts within volleyball and the promising future of the sport as it continues to grow in popularity. - He chats about some absolutely GOLDEN old school stories - The ridiculous talent pipeline that is Hawaii's baby court And so much more. Another one for the gold mine, folks! SHOOTS! *** WE'VE GOT MERCH! Check it out here!! Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Get 10 PERCENT OFF VBTV using our discount code, SANDCAST10 Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/

5 Marras 1h 16min

Beach Volleyball World Championships: Women's Pool Breakdown and Preview

Beach Volleyball World Championships: Women's Pool Breakdown and Preview

Welcome back to SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter. On this episode, Travis breaks down the upcoming beach volleyball world championships, where he looks each of the 12 women's pools. He looks at: - Why Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth are headlining the Pool of Death - TCU Beach Volleyball boasting FIVE players in the World Championships - Why it might be medal or bust for Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher - Can Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft finally become the bride they've long sought to be? And a whole lot more! SHOOTS! *** WE'VE GOT MERCH! Check it out here!! Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Get 10 PERCENT OFF VBTV using our discount code, SANDCAST10 Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/

29 Loka 44min

Beach Volleyball World Championships: Men's Pool Breakdown and Preview

Beach Volleyball World Championships: Men's Pool Breakdown and Preview

Welcome back to SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, where Travis breaks down all things beach volleyball world championships, specifically previewing the men's field and its 12 pools. We cover: - Why Pool C is the pool of Death - Andre Loyola and Renato Lima being Travis' dark horse pick to medal - Why he has Arnaud Gauthier-Rat and Teo Rotar heading a pool of rising stars - The format and intricacies of the World Champs And a whole lot more! SHOOTS! *** WE'VE GOT MERCH! Check it out here!! Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Get 10 PERCENT OFF VBTV using our discount code, SANDCAST10 Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/

22 Loka 53min

Mailbag! Why Doesn't the USA Host More Events? Sara Hughes' Triumphant Return

Mailbag! Why Doesn't the USA Host More Events? Sara Hughes' Triumphant Return

Welcome back to a Fan Question episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, where the boys take on all of the questions from our loyal listeners. We talk about: - Why doesn't the USA Volleyball host more professional beach volleyball events? - Why are crowds in the USA not showing up to anything? - Is Kelly Cheng the best player in the world? - What do we think of Sara Hughes and her new partner, Ally Batenhorst And a whole lot more! SHOOTS! *** WE'VE GOT MERCH! Check it out here!! Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball Get 10 PERCENT OFF VBTV using our discount code, SANDCAST10 Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/

15 Loka 1h 3min

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