How the 2020 Olympic postponement could impact each team in the race
SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter25 Mars 2020

How the 2020 Olympic postponement could impact each team in the race

On Tuesday morning, what seemed to be the inevitable alas became a reality: The 2020 Olympic Games were postponed, to sometime in 2021. For some, it’s heartbreaking.

“I can understand why other people are devastated,” said Sarah Sponcil, who is third in the Olympic race with Kelly Claes. “They waited literally four years and now they have to wait five.”

Notice that Sponcil said “others” when mentioning those who are devastated. For some, the Olympic postponement is devastating. For others, it’s a blessing not even in disguise: It’s just a blessing.

This week on SANDCAST: Beach volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, we discussed, among a number of covid-19-related topics – is there anything else to discuss at this point, anyway? – how each team in the Olympic race could benefit or set them back from the postponement. We dug into how, depending on the FIVB schedule and any changes the IOC makes regarding the qualification process, the postponement could put additional teams in the race.

Here’s a team by team breakdown of the impact the postponement could have.

Women

April Ross, Alix Klineman

U.S.A. rank: 1

Points: 8,760

This one is difficult to pin down whether it hurts or benefits. On the one hand, Ross and Klineman were coming off their best season together, with five AVP finals in five tournaments and three wins on the world tour. They could have continued that upwards trajectory all the way to Tokyo. On the other hand, it gives Klineman another year to develop on the beach, which she has done at such a rate you’d be forgiven to think she hasn’t been playing on the AVP her entire volleyball career. It’s a bit neutral for these two, who are still all but a lock to go to Tokyo, no matter what year the Games are held. They didn’t seem to be in a hurry to play this year as it was, as they decided not to play in the Cancun four-star that was eventually cancelled, so perhaps this will be a good rest period to heal up the nagging injuries that build up.

Until then, you can find Ross going viral with what has become the April Ross Challenge.

Kerri Walsh Jennings, Brooke Sweat

U.S.A. rank: 2

Points: 6,960

The immediate reaction when thinking of these two is that it would have to negatively impact them. But the more one would think about it, the more that might not be entirely accurate. Yes, Walsh Jennings and Sweat are on the older side of the athletic spectrum, at 41 and 33 years old, respectively. Yes, they have quite a list of injuries and surgeries on the ledger. But Sponcil said it best: “Kerri is a machine,” she said on Tuesday. “She’s just going to keep going all out.”

If there is one athlete in the world who can take this and benefit from it, it might be Walsh Jennings, whose three gold medals and five Olympic appearances did not come by accident. That, and she gets time at home, with her family, when she would otherwise be circumnavigating the world.

Sarah Sponcil, Kelly Claes

U.S.A. rank: 3

Points: 6,640

There are two teams that I really don’t see any downside to this: Sponcil and Claes, and Kelley Larsen and Emily Stockman. For these two, it’s all upside.

“Everyone’s been asking how we feel about it and I feel great because the last year I’ve just been like ‘Ok, let’s get as many points as we can, let’s pass Kerri, it’s crunch time,’” Sponcil said. “It would have been crunch time right now and now I have the time to process the opportunity I have in front of me. I’m trying my hardest to slow down and be like ‘Whoa this is an amazing opportunity having another year to get experience, to slow down a little bit, and take it all in.’ It’s the best thing for our team and for me personally.”

It gives them more time to develop, both as players and professionals, and it allows them, as Sponcil mentioned, to finally slow down. Catch a breath. Sleep for a change. Sponcil has been competing at a breakneck pace for the previous few years, going from UCLA to the AVP then back to UCLA straight into the Olympic race. A break could be just what she needed. It could be exactly what the team needed.

Kelley Larsen, Emily Stockman

U.S.A. rank: 4

Points: 6,080

It is positively bananas that the fourth-ranked U.S. team is also the seventh-ranked team on the planet. America is deep. When you’re as good as Stockman and Larsen are, and you’re behind in the race, time and more events are what you need, and time and hopefully more events is what they’ll get. If they have a dozen more events to climb the ladder and take the second American spot, as they could, depending when the FIVB reschedules its laundry list of postponed events, they could very well do so. Their win in Warsaw proved they can compete with any team in the world. They just need some more time to do so. Now, they might have that time.

Men

Taylor Crabb, Jake Gibb

U.S.A. rank: 1

Points: 6,680

It is hard to imagine how another year added to Gibb’s career would be a positive for these two, but it’s also hard to imagine how Gibb played some of his best volleyball at age 43 as he did in 2019. He, like Phil Dalhausser and John Hyden, have hoarded a gallon from the fountain of youth and just continue to defy athletic norms. For Crabb, it’s just another year to get better. With his trajectory the way it is – a sharp incline upwards – the postponement isn’t going to do any harm. Perhaps this will be a useful rest period for Gibb, a bit of a sabbatical before one final charge in 2021.

Tri Bourne, Trevor Crabb

U.S.A. rank: 2

Points: 6,360

Like Sponcil and Claes, and Larsen and Stockman, this is another team where it’s almost only upside. They held a slim lead over Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena for the second spot, slim enough where it was basically a tie. But now Bourne and Crabb have another year to dial in their team dynamic, which both admit they’re only just beginning to figure out. Bourne can dial in his world-class blocking again, while both can dig into the nuances of defense and different roles in transition. It’s inconvenient for anyone to have to wait another year, but as this is this only team where age is not a factor at all, there isn’t much downside to the postponement for Bourne and Crabb.

Phil Dalhausser, Nick Lucena

U.S.A. rank: 3

Points: 5,840

It is impossible to say how this will impact Dalhausser and Lucena. Dalhausser has readily admitted that Tokyo was it for him. Then it was onto family time and working at his new facility in Orlando, Fla. This news obviously pushes that timeline back. Like Walsh Jennings, though, it could just mean more time at home with their families for what could be the remainder of the year. They live close enough to one another that practicing won’t be a burden. If there isn’t another meaningful event until, say, August, maybe later, that’s another five months at home they otherwise wouldn’t have had. It could be exactly what they need, or it could be difficult to sustain the motivation needed to make an Olympic push for another year and a half.

Time will only tell. And time is exactly what we have in abundance.

Avsnitt(500)

Kerri Pottharst: The Australian GOAT Living Her Best Life

Kerri Pottharst: The Australian GOAT Living Her Best Life

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Kerri Pottharst, one of the greatest beach volleyball players of all time and certainly Australia's GOAT. We shot this episode in Gstaad, on July 4 weekend, and we chat all aspects of Pottharst's career, from her multiple Olympics to where she is now as one of the key commentators on VBTV. Chapters with Kerri Pottharst 00:00 Introduction to Australian Beach Volleyball 03:01 The Growth of Australian Volleyball 05:57 The Evolution of Beach Volleyball 09:09 Mindset and Mental Preparation in Sports 11:58 The Importance of Enjoyment in Sports 14:54 Lessons from Competing at the Highest Level 17:47 The Role of Coaches and Mentors 21:00 The Impact of Social Media on Sports 24:05 Reflections on Olympic Experiences 26:52 The Future of Beach Volleyball 30:06 Conclusion and Final Thoughts 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/

27 Aug 1h 2min

Hector Gutierrez: The Man Who Finally Stole The NCAA Beach Title From California

Hector Gutierrez: The Man Who Finally Stole The NCAA Beach Title From California

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Hector Gutierrez, the head coach of the TCU Beach Volleyball team who recently won the first NCAA Championship outside of California. We chat a whole lot about that win, as well as: - How he was able to build a program around Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno - How he was able to lure Sarah Sponcil as his new assistant coach - What it was like, winning his first NCAA Championship, and the first outside of California - Why Gulf Shores presented more pressure than the Olympic Games (no joke) SUCH A FUN ONE with Hector. Love this guy 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/

20 Aug 1h 13min

BEACH ACCESS: Canada's Queens, Beach Volleyball's Kings On Top In Montreal

BEACH ACCESS: Canada's Queens, Beach Volleyball's Kings On Top In Montreal

Welcome back to Beach Access, presented by SHIELD, where Travis Mewhirter and Kyle Friend recap all things Beach Volleyball wherever they are in the world. This weekend, they were in Montreal for the Beach Pro Tour Elite, where Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson successfully defended their gold medal in 2023, as did Anders Mol and Christian Sorum.  They chat all about that, as well as: - What an incredible event the promoter put on and why we hope it continues - The return of Ana Patricia Silva and Duda Lisboa - Another f****** Sweden team is quickly becoming a problem on the Beach Pro Tour in Jacob Holting-Nilsson and Elmer Andersson - Teams making the biggest moves in the World Champs race, including Germany's Lui Wust and Paul Henning 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.

18 Aug 25min

Mailbag Reunion! Tri's Retirement and Future, Thoughts on the AVP, Indoor Players on The Beach

Mailbag Reunion! Tri's Retirement and Future, Thoughts on the AVP, Indoor Players on The Beach

This is our first mailbag episode of the year -- and maybe the last, depending on Tri Bourne's and Travis Mewhirter's schedules. They catch up in a little reunion episode, chatting Tri's retirement, amongst a host of other topics in a wide ranging episode that gets looooose in the best of ways. We answer questions on: - Tri Bourne's impending retirement - What's going to happen with the podcast - The difference between refs on the AVP and FIVB - The NCAA players with the best chances of becoming world-class professionals - And we just catch up. It was really, really nice.  ENJOY! 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/

13 Aug 1h 29min

Gary Green: How to Coach The New Generation of Athletes In an Attention Deprived World

Gary Green: How to Coach The New Generation of Athletes In an Attention Deprived World

This episode of SANDCAST features Gary Green, who might be the most fascinating guest we've ever had on the podcast. He's the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of Georgia who has given talks to hundreds of teams and works with Kirby Smart and the Georgia football team. What's that got to do with volleyball? Well, everything, as Green is a master of human behavior, and in particular this young generation of athletes, whose brains are becoming Tik-Tokified. Enjoy this masterclass from the master professor himself (We know Travis Mewhirter did). 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/

6 Aug 1h 2min

Kristen Nuss, Taryn Brasher: The Glitch In The Beach Volleyball System

Kristen Nuss, Taryn Brasher: The Glitch In The Beach Volleyball System

This episode of SANDCAST is a Gstaad special! Shot from the Beach Pro Tour Gstaad Elite, Travis Mewhirter and Kyle Friend sit down with Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher to chat all things beach volleyball, from their journey to veterans of the sport and number one in the world to the Olympic Games. We cover: - How they have become veterans on the Beach Pro Tour now - What they have done to maintain the youthful joy for which they are so known - Their experience at the Paris Olympic Games, and its lasting effects - Their new merch line and all things TKN Beach Volleyball 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/

30 Juli 57min

Tri Bourne: The Retirement Of The Man Who Was Bourne On The Beach

Tri Bourne: The Retirement Of The Man Who Was Bourne On The Beach

This episode of SANDCAST is a heartfelt one, one in which Tri Bourne and his wife, Gabby, the Pod Mama herself, chat about Bourne's retirement from the world of professional beach volleyball. It's a reflective episode, as Bourne and Gabby talk about: - Bourne's wild journey, filled with the highest of highs, and perpetual health issues that robbed him of a fully healthy season since 2016 - Why he is deciding to retire now, at still a relatively young age in a sport that allows for longevity - Why he isn't sure, and doesn't need to be sure, about what's next in his life - The emotional weight of the decision to retire when he still has plenty of game left in him And so, so much 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/

23 Juli 1h 22min

Evan Cory: Adapting, Adjusting, THRIVING In 2025

Evan Cory: Adapting, Adjusting, THRIVING In 2025

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter features Evan Cory, one of the best players in the United States who alas had his plans aligned, with a full-time partner in Bourne, sites on the AVP League and World Champs -- everything dialed. And then beach volleyball happened. Bourne got hurt. They missed the League. Now Cory is, per usual, scrambling -- and thriving amidst the chaos. Fun episode with one of our favorites. We chat about: - What is was like for Cory to miss the league with Tri Bourne - How he has adjusted, leaning on patience, patience, and more patience, and adaptability, after he thought he broke through - His new partner prospects he's looking at - The importance of the mental side of sports, and how he is teaching it to junior players with his new business And so much more. Gold mine of an episode here! 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/

16 Juli 1h 16min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

motiv
svenska-fall
aftonbladet-krim
p3-krim
spar
politiken
rss-krimstad
rss-viva-fotboll
rss-sanning-konsekvens
flashback-forever
fordomspodden
aftonbladet-daily
blenda-2
rss-frandfors-horna
rss-krimreportrarna
olyckan-inifran
rss-vad-fan-hande
rss-flodet
dagens-eko
krimmagasinet