Rafu Rodriguez-Bertran: Winning weird in semi-retirement

Rafu Rodriguez-Bertran: Winning weird in semi-retirement

Rafu Rodriguez-Bertran was not supposed to win an AVP this year. Heck, he wasn’t even sure if he’d play an AVP this year.

This past winter, he had a son, Nico, his first child. His club in Temecula, Viper Volleyball, was growing and taking off. He’d had an excellent career, one that took him as high as the 2015 World Championships.

It was time for a shift in priorities.

He told this to his partner, Piotr Marciniak, who nodded and went to Ty Loomis for Austin. Rafu sat out.

And then beach volleyball happened. Partners changed. Eric Zaun moved from Ed Ratledge to Tim Bomgren, leaving Ratledge without a partner.

Which brings us to another point: Ed Ratledge was not supposed to win an AVP this year.

He’s 41, been trying for 18 years. Dumped by the partner with whom he’d had his most career success, Ratledge, it seemed, was on his way out, no different than Rafu. Like Rafu’s club, Rateldge’s business, VolleyOC, was constantly expanding.

And so the most wonderful band, one quasi-retired, one sort of reprioritizing, was formed.

“It’s sort of stepping out, kind of doing it part-time slash full-time,” Rafu said on SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter. “I have some other stuff to do but I still want to train and I still want to compete because In like competing but for sure, I never had it in my mind that I would be in that final. Ed is the same way: he loves playing. We do it for fun because that’s what we want to do. That takes away all of the pressure.”

So what did their pre-semifinal routine look like? What was the master strategy to toppling Billy Allen and Ryan Doherty and then Sean Rosenthal and Chase Budinger?

What was the key to unlocking 18 years of championship buildup for Ratledge?

“It’s like, ‘Let’s just go out and play.’ We didn’t even have a strategy going into the semifinals,” Rafu said, laughing when saying it aloud, as if it just occurred to him how outrageous that is. “[Sunday] morning he was on the phone, setting up his tournaments back home, on the phone, and then we skateboard down to the site and ‘Hey, let’s just play!’ It worked out. I don’t know why. No pressure. Just play. It’s so fun because there’s never a single drop of pressure between us.”

They play free and weird, and in this world, weird is the most supreme of compliments. Ratledge’s dialogue with the fans is one of a kind, and his arm swing, coined the “wet noodle” by Tri Bourne and Trevor Crabb on the New York livestream a year ago, is the most frustrating swing on tour, one that doesn’t bring a tremendous amount of pace but was, by tournament’s end, the most effective of any player in San Francisco.

“And,” Rafu added, “he optioned at least 50 percent of balls I passed.”

Unconventional. Weird. Quirky. From the dialogue to how they’ve both taken half-steps back in order to achieve their career bests.

But really, is there any other way it could have gone?

“It’s kind of crazy, all the messages and all the people that are interested and are aware of what’s going on and watching,” Rafu said. “It’s pretty fun, it’s pretty cool to have all that support. Even when you don’t know there’s not many people watching you. It’s cool.”

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Alvaro Filho, Cesar Benatti: A Deep Dive Into Brazilian Beach Greatness

Alvaro Filho, Cesar Benatti: A Deep Dive Into Brazilian Beach Greatness

This episode of SANDCAST features Alvaro Filho, one of the most recent Brazilian greats who is now an assistant at Stetson, and Cesar Benatti, a longtime coach who was most recently an assistant at LMU with John Mayer. This is SUCH A GOOD EPISODE, as we chat about all things Brazilian beach volleyball, including: Why Alvaro views Emanuel Rego as one of the best players to ever play What made Alison Cerutt such an incredible partner What Benatti’s three pillars are as a coach when designing an effective practice How parenting has impacted their playing and coaching careers, and how coaching has changed their lens as a parent And so, so much more. Just absolute gold all over this one. SHOOTS! *** WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH! Check it out here!! Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, sandcastpod-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/

28 Maj 1h 17min

Mark Paaluhi, The Hermosa Open, And Reviving The Purity of Beach Volleyball

Mark Paaluhi, The Hermosa Open, And Reviving The Purity of Beach Volleyball

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter features Mark Paaluhi, the man behind the improbably successful Hermosa Open – and the man who extended it to a three-year deal, bringing the Hermosa Open back through 2027 at least. Exciting stuff. We chat all about that, as well as: Why Paaluhi felt the sport needed a professional event in Hermosa, and why it needed to be pure: a true double-elim, and a true open format What he learned from last year’s Hermosa Open The importance of grassroots marketing via getting players out on the town to market events themselves What so many people are getting wrong with the sport – and how the Hermosa Open is laying the groundwork to getting it right And so much more. Awesome chat with the 2024 Man of The Year SHOOTS! *** WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH! Check it out here!! Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, sandcastpod-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/

21 Maj 1h 5min

John Mayer, Billy Allen: Navigating the Complexities of Coaching College Volleyball

John Mayer, Billy Allen: Navigating the Complexities of Coaching College Volleyball

This episode of SANDCAST features John Mayer and Billy Allen, hosts of the Coach Your Brains Out podcast as well as coaches in NCAA Beach Volleyball. Mayer is the head coach at LMU, leading the Lions to six straight WCC titles and a berth in the National Championship. Allen is an assistant at Stanford, helping the Cardinal to a single season wins record and an MPSF Championship. With the NCAA season over, they chat about: - How to navigate the art of playing time vs. winning at all costs (hint: nobody knows) - Billy Allen's recent entertaining run through AVP Huntington Beach with Taylor Crabb - John Mayer reflecting on the most successful season to date with LMU - Travis Mewhirter's first season at Florida State and what he learned SHOOTS! *** WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH! Check it out here!! Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, sandcastpod-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/

14 Maj 1h 23min

TCU Makes History; AVP League Comes Down to The Wire; April's New Coaching Role

TCU Makes History; AVP League Comes Down to The Wire; April's New Coaching Role

Welcome back to another solo episode of SANDCAST, where Travis Mewhirter breaks down all the happenings in the world of beach volleyball. This week, Mewhirter chats: - TCU's historic NCAA Championship win in Gulf Shores, the first in program history and a long time coming - This week's AVP tournament in Huntington Beach, which will decide the final two spots per gender in the 2025 AVP League - Volleyball World's proposed rules changes, including, yes, no doubles. Yikes - April Ross' new role with USA Volleyball, and why it's her dream job SHOOTS! *** WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH! Check it out here!! Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, sandcastpod-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/

7 Maj 31min

NCAA Championship Preview: Can The East FINALLY Beat The West? | SANDCAST U

NCAA Championship Preview: Can The East FINALLY Beat The West? | SANDCAST U

Welcome back to SANDCAST U, where Madison Fitzpatrick breaks down all things NCAA Beach Volleyball. This is an AWESOME edition, where Madison is literally on the sand of Gulf Shores, shooting our preview episode of this weekend's NCAA Championships. She chats about: - Is this finally the time TCU takes home the first non-West Coast title in NCAA history? - Why she thinks Stanford is the hottest team in the country at just the right time - Will UCLA alas get back on top after watching rival USC win four straight? - Can USC manage to make it an absurd FIVE STRAIGHT NCAA Championships?! That, and more. SHOOTS! *** WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH! Check it out here!! Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, sandcastpod-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/

1 Maj 6min

NCAA Champs Are Here! AVP League Coming Down to the Wire; The Beach Pro Lucky Loser Tour

NCAA Champs Are Here! AVP League Coming Down to the Wire; The Beach Pro Lucky Loser Tour

Welcome back to another solo episode of SANDCAST, where Travis Mewhirter recaps a wild weekend, and previews a hectic one to come, with the NCAA Championships descending upon Gulf Shores again. Meanwhile, the AVP League had two more tickets punched, and the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour is hereby renamed the Lucky Loser Tour.  Mewhirter chats about: - How Kristen Nuss simply wills gold medals into existence sometimes - James Shaw and Chaim Schalk demolishing folks to clinch their AVP League bid - The wild run of Lexy Denaburg and Julia Scoles into the AVP League - How the new Elite16 format can be changed for the better instead of being the Lucky Loser Tour And, per usual, more SHOOTS! *** WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH! Check it out here!! Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, sandcastpod-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/

30 Apr 35min

NCAA Beach Playoff Preview: Will Postseason Follow Craziest Regular Season Ever? SANDCAST U

NCAA Beach Playoff Preview: Will Postseason Follow Craziest Regular Season Ever? SANDCAST U

Welcome back to SANDCAST U, where Madison Fitzpatrick talks all things NCAA Beach Volleyball. In this episode, she chats about the end of the regular season, which she thinks is the wildest NCAA Beach Volleyball regular season she's ever seen. She chats about the regular season, and previews the upcoming: - MPSF Conference Tournament, which includes Cal, Stanford, USC, UCLA, and more - Why Florida State, Texas and LSU are in an absolute brawl in the CCSA, where the 'Noles traditionally reign supreme - How LMU can -- and is expected to -- continue dominating the WCC SHOOTS! *** WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH! Check it out here!! Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, sandcastpod-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/

24 Apr 10min

Silila Tucker: The Man Linking The Beach Volleyball Community Nationwide

Silila Tucker: The Man Linking The Beach Volleyball Community Nationwide

This episode of SANDCAST features Silila Tucker, a longtime professional on the AVP Tour who chats with Tri Bourne about the development of yet another new beach volleyball league called the Community Circuit, and it's one you can certainly get behind. Fun development from Lila announced on this one, as well as chats about: - How the 15-15-15 style of the AVP League matches changes things - How to develop mental toughness in beach volleyball - Why Lila is obsessed with golf as a tool for mental toughness training - What makes Phil Dalhausser a legend of the game, beyond his obvious accolades SHOOTS! *** WE'VE GOT NEW MERCH! Check it out here!! Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, sandcastpod-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/

23 Apr 1h 2min

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