Marcio Sicoli loves what he does: Coaching to Olympic medals, living vicariously through his players

Marcio Sicoli loves what he does: Coaching to Olympic medals, living vicariously through his players

It was 2005 when Tatiana Minello and Mimi Amaral needed a coach. Not just any coach. The natives of Rio de Janeiro were making the move to the AVP. They needed someone who could speak English.

“You speak English!” they said to Marcio Sicoli. “Let’s use you!”

The United States didn’t know it at the time, but one of the most successful beach volleyball coaches of this generation was about to cross its borders.

Sicoli was more than just a 25-year-old who both knew his way around the beach and could speak English. Already, he had an Olympic silver medal, having coached Shelda Kelly Bruno Bede and Adriana Brandao Behar to a silver at the Athens Games. That would seem young, by American standards, to have risen to the top of any kind of hierarchy, be it in sports or business, at that age. It is not so in Brazil.

“I was really involved in playing and at an early age, it was ‘Do you want to play or do you want to coach?’” Sicoli recalled on SANDCAST: Beach volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter.

Sicoli took stock of his frame: 5-foot-11. Not short, but also not the fast track to developing as an elite player in the perpetually deepening Brazilian pipeline.

“Playing,” he said, “wasn’t an option.”

He took his father’s advice and enrolled in the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, setting for the indoor team but turning his focus mainly to his degree in Physical Education. He graduated in 2001, the same year he achieved a Level II certification in Brazilian Beach Volleyball, becoming the youngest to hold that title.

“I knew, early on, that I was a personal person,” he said. “I wouldn’t be talking to machines, I wouldn’t be talking to computers. I didn’t like that. I knew that. It was natural. In college, my sophomore year, I was playing on a team and I got an internship with PE at a high school and that was it. It’s that passion: To be with people, and drive through other peoples’ success. That’s what coaching is. If you see a process and you see something really cool happening that is not with you but someone else, and when that happens, great, and you move onto the next one.”

In 2007, his next move wasn’t an easy one. As it goes when you achieve certain levels of success, offers became coming in. Holly McPeak was one of the many to take note of Sicoli’s talents as a coach. The three-time Olympian offered him a full-time job, in the United States, to coach her and Logan Tom. She’d set him up with indoor contacts so he could make money during the off-season months.

Here Sicoli was, with a “job for life” as a PE teacher in Rio, a wife and family in Brazil – and an incredible offer in the United States.

“I talked to my dad and he looked at me and said ‘Worst case scenario, you’re coming back and I’ll be here for you,’” Sicoli recalled. “I said ‘Ok, let’s do it.’”

McPeak and Tom fizzled, but the indoor contact McPeak set Sicoli up with was Tim Jensen, then an assistant coach at Pepperdine.

“Twelve years later,” he said, smiling his cherubic smile.

Twelve years later, Sicoli is living a life that would have been difficult to imagine as a PE teacher in Rio. He’s an American citizen now, something he takes immense pride in, and though you are not likely to get him to talk politics, he will tell you that he’s thrilled to vote in the upcoming election. He has remarried, with an infant, Max, and another on the way. He has coached in two more Olympics, winning gold with Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor in London and bronze with Walsh Jennings and April Ross in 2016. He was promoted to head coach at Pepperdine in 2019, when Nina Matthies retired after an astonishing 35 years, one of the most successful individuals in the game.

Sicoli has never talked to machines. He does not sit in front of computers all day long. He’s doing what he has always been enamored with: Working with people, building relationships, thriving on the success of those he helps.

“I love what I do,” he said. “I don’t want to go anywhere. Hopefully I can do 20 more years then I can retire to the beachfront.”

Avsnitt(500)

How to Build a Winning Team Culture | John Mayer, Billy Allen, Travis Mewhirter

How to Build a Winning Team Culture | John Mayer, Billy Allen, Travis Mewhirter

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter features the Coaching Your Brains Out crew: John Mayer of LMU Beach Volleyball and Billy Allen of Stanford Beach Volleyball. Chapters with the Coach Your Brains Out Crew 00:00 Coaching Reflections and Achievements 03:06 Building Team Culture and Relationships 05:57 Practice Dynamics and Coaching Strategies 09:01 Feedback and Player Engagement 12:01 Exploring New Techniques and Learning 15:06 The Importance of Trust and Psychological Safety 18:11 The Role of Technique in Performance 21:02 Cultural Dynamics in Coaching 23:55 The Concept of Mudita in Team Success 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!  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 Jan 1h 15min

The 2025 Beach Pro Tour Player Awards Show

The 2025 Beach Pro Tour Player Awards Show

Welcome to the 2025 Beach Pro Tour Player Awards Show! For the third straight year, SANDCAST has curated and hosted the player-voted awards, with Travis Mewhirter detailing which players won: - Team of the Year - MVP - Best Offensive Player - Best Defensive Player - Best Server - Best Blocker - Rookie of the Year - Most Improved - The Sportsmanship Award - Event of the Year - People of the Year 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/

31 Dec 202556min

2025 Year in Review Mailbag: Life Lessons, Biggest Takeaways, Fan Questions | SANDCAST

2025 Year in Review Mailbag: Life Lessons, Biggest Takeaways, Fan Questions | SANDCAST

Merry Christmas!! Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter drop a Christmas Eve special 2025 year in review podcast, talking their biggest life lessons in a year in which they both had kids, Tri Bourne retired from professional beach volleyball, Travis Mewhirter dove into coaching full-time at Florida State while hitting his stride as a commentator for VBTV. They also take on a few fan questions, talking about the future of beach volleyball, whether it's a financially stable sport (or ever can be), the need for superstars, and, of course, a Christmas lightning round. Chapters of SANDCAST with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter 00:00 Winging It: The Podcast Journey Begins 02:57 Christmas Traditions: Celebrating in Different Places 05:56 Parenting and Holiday Memories: The Joys of Family 09:01 Reflecting on the Year: Changes and Transitions 11:51 The Athlete's Transition: Finding New Purpose 14:57 Mindset Shifts: Embracing Parenthood 18:05 Balancing Work and Family: The Provider's Dilemma 21:13 The Future of Beach Volleyball: Challenges and Opportunities 24:06 Building a Legacy: The Importance of Superstars 26:57 Fan Engagement: The Role of Athletes in Growing the Sport 30:06 Funding the Dream: How Athletes Afford the Tour 32:57 The Business of Beach Volleyball: Finding the Right Model 35:59 Starting Sandcast: The Podcast's Origin Story 39:01 The Future of Juniors: Growing the Next Generation 42:12 Partnerships and Transparency: The Athlete's Perspective 44:51 The Importance of Media: Engaging Fans and Building Stars SHOOTS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!! *** 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/

24 Dec 20251h 3min

Marco Krattiger: A Decade Of Building Switzerland Into a Beach Volleyball Country

Marco Krattiger: A Decade Of Building Switzerland Into a Beach Volleyball Country

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter features Marco Krattiger, Switzerland's longtime veteran blocker who has been playing professional beach volleyball for more than a decade -- and is only just now beginning to peak, as he and Leo Dillier finished ninth at the 2025 Beach Volleyball World Championships. Their year included a top-10 at the Gstaad Elite, the home event to all Swiss Beach Volleyball players, victories over Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner, Evandro and Arthur, Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot, and more. Chapters with Marco Krattiger 00:00 Introduction and World Championships Tournament Context 03:46 Experiences at World Championships 06:12 Expectations vs. Reality in Major Events 10:55 The Roller Coaster of Performance 12:50 Learning from Low Points 15:41 Evolution of Beach Volleyball Tactics 18:47 The Impact of Rule Changes 24:24 Player Dynamics and Team Chemistry 28:15 Toughest Opponents in Beach Volleyball 33:36 The Rise of Swiss Beach Volleyball 47:49 Future of Swiss Women in Beach Volleyball *** 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/

17 Dec 202556min

Zach Schubert: The Brutal Yet Beautiful Road to The Olympics

Zach Schubert: The Brutal Yet Beautiful Road to The Olympics

On this episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, Travis sits down with Australian Olympian Zach Schubert, who after 9 years of playing professional beach volleyball is retiring, doing so at the 2025 Beach Volleyball World Championships. We cover quite a bit of ground in this chat, including: - Why double-elim is the best format in the world - Zach Schubert's trying journey to the Olympics, and why Thomas Hodges is the man responsible for his success - Why he chose to retire from the game - Why the pursuit of the Olympics shouldn't be the end all, be all for athletes 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/

10 Dec 20251h 9min

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

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

Welcome back to SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter where the boys are far and wide: Bourne is at home in the studio in Hermosa Beach while Travis is out and about in the Outback, on day 9 of the 2025 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide, Australia. They catch up and chat: - A breakdown of the 2026 AVP Schedule, looking at the AVP Major Heritage events and the glut of AVP Heritage Contender events - Travis Mewhirter reviewing the Beach Volleyball World Championships, looking at how the crowd was, how the vibes were, who played well, who didn't - What Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson need to do to get over the 5th place hump - Is the honeymoon over for Andy Benesh and Miles Partain, who took a 17th at the Beach Volleyball World Championships? - Why folks should be tuning in to beach volleyball right now (hint hint: David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig are on the scene) - The AVP's return to one of its longtime stops: Belmar, New Jersey - What April Ross' new role is with USA Volleyball - Who we'd play with from the 80s and 90s eras of beach volleyball - If we'll have Anders Mol and Christian Sorum on SANDCAST again (yes, please) - What we eat for breakfast - Why Chicago was not disappointing at all for the AVP 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/

3 Dec 20251h 10min

"CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Unbelievable Finish to An Unbelievable World Champs

"CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Unbelievable Finish to An Unbelievable World Champs

Welcome back to SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, where we are back, again, for one final time, from Adelaide, Australia, home of the 2025 Beach Volleyball World Championships. And that. Is. A. Wrap. Travis and Kyle Friend recap a World Champs that was historic in so many ways, including: Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova winning not just the first World Championships GOLD MEDAL in Latvian beach volleyball history, but the first medal at a World Championships at all, regardless of color. We are so, so, so happy for them Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher taking an excellent silver medal, becoming the only team to take a set off Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova at these World Championships Carol Salgado, the Iron Woman, Mother of Dragons, winning her long-awaited World Championships medal, making it a bronze in her NINTH World Champs appearance alongside Rebecca Cavalcanti, beating world no. 1 Thamela and Victoria to do it An All-Sweden final, the first time it has been an all-country battle since 2011 in Rome featured Brazil vs. Brazil. Crazier still? The oldest member on court was Jonatan Hellvig…at 24 years old. David Ahman becomes the youngest World Championships winner in history at 23, and their No. 2 team, Elmer Andersson and Jacob Holting-Nilsson, at 19 and 20, are absurd beyond measure. It’s Sweden vs. the world now The first World Championships medal in France beach volleyball history secured by Arnaud Gauthier-Rat and Teo Rotar, who swept an impressive German team in Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler And, for one final time folks: FLAT WHITEEEEE 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.

23 Nov 202522min

THE STAGE IS SET! Who Will Be Crowned World Champion?

THE STAGE IS SET! Who Will Be Crowned World Champion?

Welcome back to SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, where we are back, again, from the Intercontinental Hotel in Adelaide, home of the 2025 Beach Volleyball World Championships. Travis and Kyle Friend called all four semifinals, where… Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher barely survived a white-knuckler against Brazil’s Carol and Rebecca, and will now seek to make it back-to-back World Championships for the United States for the first time since 2007-2009 Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova absolutely destroyed world No. 1 Thamela Coradello and Victoria Lopes in a convincing rout that had Travis Mewhirter wondering who the favorite will be heading into the gold medal match David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig exorcising their pool play demons in an onslaught over Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler in an eerily similar match to the Paris Olympic Games gold medal match Jacob Holting-Nilsson and Elmer Andersson showing why they’re nicknamed The Icemen, displaying remarkable poise in a sweep over Teo Rotar and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat Championship Sunday is just around the corner. Who are y’all taking to win some medals?! FLAT WHITEEEEE 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.

22 Nov 202531min

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