SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter

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

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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!

 

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!

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!

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!

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!

 

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!

 

Jason Lochhead: The globetrotting route to becoming a two-time Olympic coach

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, is an ABSOLUTE BLAST! We have Jason Lochhead, the coach of Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena, in the house. It is a packed episode, filled with tremendous stories and, as a bonus, a New Zealand accent. 

We chat about:

- What it was like for Lochhead to grow up as a beach volleyball player in New Zealand, a country not exactly known for beach volleyball

- His career as a player, nearly qualifying in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games

- How he almost became a professional golfer before being recruited to coach the Vanuatu National Team

- Coaching Canadians Ben Saxton and Chaim Schalk to the 2016 Olympics

- The call from Nick Lucena that changed his life: Coaching Phil Dalhausser and Lucena to the 2021 Olympic Games

That, and, as always, so 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!

 

Taylor Crabb, and the arrival of beach volleyball's next generation

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter is a special one, for it is the first episode featuring a player competing in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. Taylor Crabb has long been the presumed face of this next generation of American beach volleyball players. Now that generation is here, as he and Jake Gibb qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, alongside lovable veterans Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena.

On this episode, we discuss:

- What it is like for Taylor Crabb being an Olympian, something he's long dreamed of

- The moment in Ostrava when he and Jake Gibb and coach Rich Lambourne knew they had qualified for Tokyo

- The strangeness of this 2021 season, with so much uncertainty post-COVID

- Why players should prioritize competing on the AVP just as much as they do the FIVB

- The blessings of being raised in Hawai'i, growing up at the Outrigger Canoe Club And much, much more.

Such a fun episode.

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!

SANDCAST Mailbag: A review of the Tokyo Olympic quad, and looking ahead to AVP 2021

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features our monthly fan question episode. Before we dove into the fan questions, we recapped the Tokyo Olympic quad, and Bourne's journey through it with Trevor Crabb, finishing ranked No. 11 in the world yet just shy of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

We chatted about Mewhirter's five-week FIVB stretch, competing in Bulgaria, Sochi, and Bulgaria twice more. You can find a full written recap of Mewhirter's journey at VolleyballMag.

And then, of course, we dove into fan questions, beginning with...

- What are our thoughts on the AVP schedule, which was recently announced? 

- What is the purpose, and best format, for the AVP Next Gold events, which are growing in popularity and size? 

- What's next for Tri Bourne, with this Olympic quad now finished?

- How do you handle burnout? 

And much, much more. This episode is a comprehensive one, as we had much to talk about -- AVP, Olympics, FIVB, you name it. 

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!

 

DJ Klasnic is bringing the passion for beach volleyball back to Serbia

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features DJ Klasnic, one of the top players in the Serbian beach volleyball federation who recently won the second event on the Bulgarian National Tour. 

Klasnic lived in Florida for six months this year, competing with some of the best blockers in the country, including Ricardo Santos, Piotr Marciniak, Andy Benesh, and Logan Webber. Now he's back to Serbia, competing in the final round of the Continental Cup as well as on the FIVB Tour. 

On this episode, we discuss:

- How Klasnic got into beach volleyball while growing up in Serbia, a country that doesn't view beach volleyball as a real sport

- Becoming the first Serbian team to win an international medal

- His time spent in Florida, and the critical role Ricardo Santos played in motivating him in his career

- How Phil Dalhausser encouraged Klasnic to continue pursuing beach volleyball

- His love for Florida beach volleyball, and how he's attempting to bring that kind of passion and love for the game back to Serbia

***

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!