14 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Volleyball: More than 1,600 teams take the court in Seaside
Continued from Page C7
“We have kids that are younger
than 12 and adults that are older
than 60, and everywhere in
between,” Seaside Chamber of
Commerce Director Brian Owen
said. “To see the community sup-
port each other — seeing the kids
watching the adults, seeing the
adults watching the kids – it really
is why this is a family event.”
Local proprietor Michelle
Wunderlich and her 16-year-old
daughter Annika are a case in
point. Wunderlich has long pos-
sessed an affinity for beach vol-
leyball, summing up some of her
best adolescent and young adult
memories as playing the sport in
the sand, biking along the Prom-
enade, and eating at The Stand.
She has attended the tournament
— which takes place this year
from Aug. 8 to 11 — for about
30 years, playing in a majority of
them.
At 5 months old, Annika made
her first appearance as a specta-
tor. Now, for the sixth year, both
mother and daughter will compete
in the tournament, albeit on differ-
ent teams.
“It’s really fun for me having
her love it as much as she does,”
Wunderlich said.
They have a standing tradition
to watch pros play at the annual
Seattle Open with one of Wunder-
lich’s longtime friends and volley-
ball partners, but the Seaside tour-
nament is an equally meaningful
tradition and destination in its own
right.
“It’s my favorite weekend of
the summer, far and away,” she
said.
Optimizing the experience
The tournament originated in
1982 when local lifeguards were
raising funds to either fix a life-
guard tower or purchase a new
one. During the inaugural tourna-
ment, about 25 teams participated.
At present, the tournament
averages about 1,600 teams play-
ing among three division: doubles,
quads, and sixes. For 2019, there
will be 184 volleyball courts set
up on the beach, which is about 20
more than last year, Owen said.
Four years ago, Bad Boys
Jeff Ter Har photos
Players compete in the 2018 tournament.
Open Volleyball partnered with
the chamber, becoming the tour-
nament directors. The event also
is now sponsored by the AVPFirst
and AVPNext divisions of the AVP
Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, con-
tributing to a national pipeline for
youth, semi-pro and professional
beach volleyball.
During the past three years,
“the player experience has been
our No. 1 goal,” Owen said. The
tournament used to be open to
anyone who wanted to participate,
which led to inefficient scheduling
and game delays that negatively
impacted players and spectators.
“We had them always waiting
for us to tell them when they were
going to play next,” Owen said.
Based on input from partic-
ipants, each division has been
capped for the past three years.
The organizers also implemented
set brackets, so as soon as a team
finishes one game, they know
when and where their next match
will be, if not necessarily who
they are playing. They use a web-
based digital communication tool
that can be downloaded as an app
to schedule matches and commu-
nicate with the athletes.
Not only does that create “a
better player experience all day
long,” Owen said, but it also
means participants aren’t stuck on
the beach, waiting for their next
match. They can return to their
hotel to relax or migrate into town
to go shopping, eat a meal or visit
a local attraction.
Going green
Another way the Seaside tour-
nament is evolving over the next
few years is through an increased
focus on sustainable event prac-
tices and reducing the amount of
waste brought to the beach.
The first “big swing at this,”
Owen said, is a partnership with
Liberty BottleWorks, who will
be setting up a hydration station
where both players and spectators
can fill their reusable water bot-
tles. They also are providing first,
second and third-place prizes.
Next year, the organizers plan
to request food and other vendors
provide a recyclable and/or bio-
degradable packaging option for
bags and to-go containers, as well
as straws and other items. They
already focus on vendors that have
sustainable practices within their
mission.
“This way, we can make sure,
when we do leave the beach,
we’ve made our best effort to
leave it clean and clear,” Owen
said.
The beach volleyball culture
Billed as the world’s largest
amateur beach tournament, the
Seaside event draws in several
thousand participants and spec-
tators. In the open division, there
will be a few familiar faces. Past
champions Bill Kolinske and
Miles Evans will be back. Adam
Roberts, whose team placed sec-
ond in their division last year,
is returning with a new partner.
Chris Honer, an energetic player
who is “incredibly fun to watch,”
is also returning, Owen said. In
the women’s open division, Katie
Spieler, last year’s champion is
returning with a new partner,
Courtney Knudsen.
Doubles is the most popular,
and competitive, style of play for
beach volleyball, whereas play-
ing as quads and sixes is “really
a time to gather with your friends
and enjoy a day at the beach,”
Owen said.
The different divisions and lev-
els of competition create a con-
ducive environment for anyone to
join in, but they all contribute to
same unique culture surrounding
the activity.
“Honestly, at the heart of it, it’s
volleyball,” Wunderlich said. “It’s
just this feeling of being a part of
it, even when you’re not on the
court. I would challenge anyone to
go watch the tournament and not
feel it.” CW