The sweet music of trainer Mykel Jenkins

The sweet music of trainer Mykel Jenkins

A GARAGE IN AN UNKNOWN LOCATION – It was all wrong. Mykel Jenkins is all about the soundtrack of not just sports, but life. He wants it to be beautiful, and when something is done right, it doesn’t just look beautiful, it sounds beautiful. It’s a symphony, with violins and cellos and tubas, all working in perfect harmony.

And here was Tri Bourne, “thundering in here with his heavy feet, ‘Boom! Boom!’” Jenkins said on SANDCAST: Beach volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter. “And I was like ‘Oh, my God, he’s going to break my self-made floor.’”

Jenkins looked at John Hyden, the only beach volleyball player he was training at the time, and asked him what in the world he was doing. Hyden was 40 at the time, and he was bringing Jenkins a project?

“Just look,” Hyden, fresh off a split with Sean Scott, with whom he had a wildly successful partnership, told him.

Jenkins saw some things in the 22-year-old Bourne, yes. But it was maybe one out of every three jumps. Hyden wasn’t going to be beating Phil Dalhausser with this kid. Bourne had been walking out of the gym when he heard that. The PG version of this story reads that Bourne simply disagreed with that sentiment, and if you’d like the R-rated one, you can listen to the podcast. Either way, “once he did that,” Jenkins recalled, “I turned to Johnny and said ‘That’s the dude.’ From that point on, I knew.” And Jenkins had his second beach volleyball player as a client.

He’s a difficult guy to track down, Jenkins. He is at once well-known and a secret in beach volleyball circles, and he likes it that way. He joked – maybe – that he was breaking protocol by having a podcast in his garage, the location of which we’re just going to keep secret because it seems that’s what Jenkins would like. Jenkins is responsible, in large part, for Hyden’s unprecedented longevity and Bourne’s blink-and-you-missed-it rise from 22-year-old kid who was barely qualifying to, in the span of a single season, a regular finalist.

Initially the trainer for Hyden’s wife, Robin, Jenkins was “always inquisitive about an Olympic athlete with his notoriety and skill set,” he said. “And she’d talk about how certain things were hurting him and I’d mention a few things I’d do. As fate would have it, he got into a few situations where they were nagging him so she talked him to coming to see her ‘actor friend.’”

Yes, the ‘actor friend’ is Jenkins. He’s acted in 17 movies and had a 13-week contract on General Hospital as Officer Byron Murphy. He’s currently in post-production on two of his own films where he’s producing, directing, and starring. You might say he’s a man who wears many hats, though here Jenkins will shrug and say that no, it’s all one hat.

It’s all art. Jenkins is here to make something beautiful, be it on the big screen or on the beach.

“The next time you watch an average athlete, listen to the sound of the game and listen to how sloppy it is,” Jenkins said. “It’s like somebody with a drumset who doesn’t know what they’re doing. Then go watch someone special and close your eyes and listen to the way that music plays in your ear. You don’t realize it because you’re caught up in what you see. The soundtrack of that – if you took the soundtrack off Rocky, you’re not watching it. It’s like [Floyd] Mayweather: There’s a sweet science. If the music is beautiful – that’s how I know you guys are playing well.”

Which is why he hated Bourne’s thunderous feet that first afternoon in the gym. There was nothing beautiful about his boom booming all over the gym. While Hyden was flitting over the mats, fast and soft, Bourne was providing an unwelcome percussion to the concert. But then five months passed, and when Jenkins closed his eyes, listening to his team work out, he couldn’t tell who was who.

“I knew we were onto something,” he said. And he was right. Bourne would pile up accolade after accolade: AVP Rookie of the Year, AVP Most Improved, FIVB Top Rookie, AVP Best Offensive Player. He and Hyden would win the AVP Team of the Year in 2015 and make nine finals from 2012-2016. They qualified for the 2016 Olympics but, because of the country quota allowing only two teams per country to compete, were left off, despite finishing the year ranked fifth in the world.

Jenkins joked that Bourne needed a plight. While Hyden had “worked in oblivion” for ten years on the beach before reaching the top, Bourne had been plucked to it. And then that plight came, in the form of an autoimmune disease that sidelined Bourne for the better part of two seasons. Recalling that moment, Jenkins paused, fighting tears. And it is there that you can see why he only trains a select few, why he won’t take dozens of players and train them as he has Bourne and Hyden and, now, Kelley Larsen and Emily Stockman.

“I don’t like heartbreak. I like Hollywood endings,” he said. “So if I don’t see a Hollywood ending, I’m not participating. I like champagne.”

Which is why his list of players he trains includes three – Bourne, Stockman and Larsen – who are contending for the 2020 Olympics, and another, Traci Callahan, who is on her way up the ladder.

“Once you see something special, God takes over,” Jenkins said. “If I don’t see you in the movie, you’re not going to be on the set. But if I do, we’re going to see it through, until we’re going to be on the big screen. I want to build characters who can handle any situation, and then watch them handle it. That’s captivating to me.”

His workouts leave anyone who’s allowed to try them heaving. Stockman, one of the fittest women on tour, said that his workouts kick her ass. Larsen said this past season was the best shape she’s ever been in.

“You’re never comfortable,” Bourne said. “So you’re whole gym session is all about finding your music, your flow state.”

Jenkins wants you to find your music among chaos. When he’s watching Bourne or Larsen or Stockman on Amazon Prime, “I turn the volume down, and I watch,” he said. “And I know when to turn it up, because I can see the violins lining up and the tubas because you can hear the beauty of the game.”

Jaksot(500)

Taryn Kloth has always taken the harder path, and she continues making it work

Taryn Kloth has always taken the harder path, and she continues making it work

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features the newest elite blocker on the AVP Tour: Taryn Kloth.  Kloth pulled off the virtually unprecedented in winning the first AVP event of her career alongside wunderkind Kristen Nuss, and in Manhattan Beach, the two claimed fifth, losing only to April Ross and Alix Klineman and Sarah Sponcil and Kelly Claes.  On this episode, we discuss: - How Kloth was able to manage the nerves of her first AVP main draw and win the whole thing, beating three Olympians in the process - Kloth's path to beach volleyball, from frigid South Dakota to hot and humid Louisiana - How a street sign was all she needed to turn down big offers indoors to pursue beach volleyball full-time - The mindset she has, and why choosing the difficult path is always the path for her And, as always, much, much more.  ENJOY!   *** This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball   Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB    Be sure to check out some of the coolest beach volleyball gear in the country at Vollis Beach! Recently partnered with LuLu Lemon, Vollis is offering high quality, good looking apparel, and you can get it at a discount using Travisfans to get 15 percent off! https://www.vollisgear.com/   SHOOTS!

25 Elo 20211h 1min

Tri Bourne -- Olympian Tri Bourne -- is always staying ready

Tri Bourne -- Olympian Tri Bourne -- is always staying ready

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, finally brings the hosts back together, in person, for the first time in a few months. Here they discuss Tri Bourne's recent wild ride into the Olympics, and how he thrived during them, finishing with the highest hitting percentage of the entire Olympic Games.  On this episode, we discuss: - When Bourne got the call, sitting in a Dairy Queen with his daughter, from Jake Gibb, asking him to come to Tokyo - The weird vibe at the Olympics, with all the strange occurrences that had happened, from Taylor Crabb testing positive to Phil Dalhausser and Jake Gibb being forced to quarantine - Tri's energy, and how he was able to perk the team up more than a bit - What's next for Bourne, and how everything has changed, yet nothing has changed at all *** This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball SHOOTS!

18 Elo 20211h 16min

April Ross is living out her own personal legend

April Ross is living out her own personal legend

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, is a rare throwback episode, a replay from the fifth podcast we ever did: With April Ross.  The reason we're re-airing this one, and not recording a new one, is because it's just so damn good, and to hear what April Ross had to say in November of 2017, and then compare it to what happened four years later, is nothing short of incredible. Every word she said back then in Tri Bourne's kitchen came true. To the word. Honestly, it's one of the best episodes we've ever recorded, and it aged far finer than the wine we shared that night.  If you missed this episode before, please listen to it now. We discuss: - April's crossroads at the end of 2017: To continue pursuing the international game, or to simplify, play AVPs, and begin her exit.  - Her mindset, and her commitment to small, daily improvements, and how she finds -- or tries to -- balance in life.  - The critical importance of introspection throughout her career - Why she chose Alix Klineman, and why she thought, four years ago, Klineman was her only option to win a gold medal in Tokyo *** This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball SHOOTS!

11 Elo 20211h 48min

Lewie Lett: The most passionate (and positive) voice in beach volleyball

Lewie Lett: The most passionate (and positive) voice in beach volleyball

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features a voice you will all likely recognize, and that's the voice of Lewie Lett, who does the color commentary for virtually every major FIVB tournament and has also been a prominent voice throughout the Tokyo Olympic Games, commentating on everything from beach volleyball to indoor volleyball to -- yes -- ping pong and skateboarding. On this episode, we cover: - Lewie's wild ride at the Tokyo Olympics, and how he can possibly keep up with a schedule that often includes four matches in a single day - How a guy from England turned into one of the most passionate men in the sport of beach volleyball - His ability to always, always, always keep things positive - His thoughts and takeaways on the upset-filled Tokyo Olympic beach volleyball - And, as always, much, much more. ENJOY! *** This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball SHOOTS!

4 Elo 202149min

Olympic Beach Volleyball Mailbag: Could we see multiple American medals in Tokyo?

Olympic Beach Volleyball Mailbag: Could we see multiple American medals in Tokyo?

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with (OLYMPIAN!!) Tri Bourne and (not Olympian) Travis Mewhirter is a unique one. Again, we are turning to fan questions, as Mewhirter and our popular new cohost, Savvy Simo, a phenomenal player in her own right, discuss the Tokyo Olympics. We go over virtually everything in Tokyo: - Tri Bourne's strange ride thus far, from a family vacation in Las Vegas to winning now TWO Olympic matches and ensuring a berth into the single-elimination phases. - Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil's all-college battle vs. Latvia's Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka - Is everything pointing towards a gold medal match of April Ross and Alix Klineman vs. Canada's Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan? - What will the rest of Phil Dalhausser's last dance look like? That, and much, much more from the Tokyo Olympic beach volleyball action. ENJOY! *** This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball SHOOTS!

28 Heinä 202151min

Beach Volleyball Madness: Olympic Beach Volleyball Preview; Bally's Buys the AVP

Beach Volleyball Madness: Olympic Beach Volleyball Preview; Bally's Buys the AVP

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter is our monthly fan-question episode, though we didn't actually take any specific fan questions, as all of them centered on two topics only: Who is going to win the Olympics? What is Bally's purchase of AVP going to do for the sport of beach volleyball? Now, before we begin: Savvy Simo and Mewhirter recorded this episode late Tuesday night. We were aware that Taylor Crabb had tested positive for COVID, and that Tri Bourne was on a flight bound for Tokyo. However, at the time, the information wasn't public, and, per Bourne's request, SANDCAST was not going to be the one to break that news. So we didn't chat about it, and we're still hoping Crabb can get a negative test in time to compete. That said, what we do discuss on this episode includes: - Bally's purchase of the AVP, and the potential upside a casino with deep pockets can bring to the sport of beach volleyball - Why April Ross and Alix Klineman are the favorites to win gold in Tokyo - Why Ahmed Tijan and Cherif Samba, and not Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, are the favorites to win gold in Tokyo - Much more on the Olympic Games - The exciting AVP Next Gold event in Atlantic City - And, as always, much, much more. ENJOY! *** This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball This episode is also brought to you by Chasing Gold, a new non-profit founded by Matt Callahan and SANDCAST host Travis Mewhirter, aimed at funding aspiring Olympians to relieve the financial burden of traveling around the world. Read more and donate today at www.chasinggold.org! SHOOTS!

21 Heinä 202141min

Derek Olson, and Morocco's 'Disney story' into the Tokyo Olympic Games

Derek Olson, and Morocco's 'Disney story' into the Tokyo Olympic Games

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Derek Olson, a longtime player on the AVP and FIVB tours. He was an assistant coach at the University of California, Berkeley for two years before being promoted to interim head coach for the previous two. This off-season, he had the strangest of calls: Would he like to coach the Moroccan National Team as they prepared for the Continental Cup, which could secure them a bid for the 2021 Olympic Games?  Yes. Yes he did. On this podcast, we chat about: - How Olson wound up getting the call from Morocco to coach the National Team - How, in just five weeks, he was able to take over a program and lead it to its first Olympic bid in history - The African Continental Cup, and the wild ride that the tournament was - His future prospects at Cal, and internationally And, as always, much, much more.  ENJOY! *** This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball   This episode is also brought to you by Chasing Gold, a new non-profit aimed at funding aspiring Olympians to relieve the financial burden of traveling around the world. Read more and donate today at www.chasinggold.org!   SHOOTS!

14 Heinä 202155min

Sean Rosenthal is the same now as he's ever been: Beach Volleyball's greatest ambassador

Sean Rosenthal is the same now as he's ever been: Beach Volleyball's greatest ambassador

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, is a phenomenal one, a wide-ranging conversation with Sean Rosenthal, a two-time Olympian and one of the best to ever play the game. While Rosenthal will not be featured in the Tokyo Olympic Games, his influence on the game is the same as it's ever been.  On this episode, we chat about: - What it's been like for Rosenthal to not go for the Olympic Games this quad, the first time since 2008 he has been out of the running - His deep relationship with Jake Gibb - His mindset throughout the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, and why he never could wish ill-will on his fellow countrymen vying for his spot - Why he's been able to remain so popular with the fans after all these years - His thoughts on the AVP's three-event season And much, much more.  ENJOY!! *** This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball   This episode is also brought to you by Chasing Gold, a new non-profit aimed at funding aspiring Olympians to relieve the financial burden of traveling around the world. Read more and donate today at www.chasinggold.org!   SHOOTS!

7 Heinä 20211h 20min

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