40 years of Seaside beach volleyball
Tournament attracts players
from around the globe
BY LINDA HOARD
From its origin as an amateur event four
decades ago, the Seaside Beach Volleyball
tournament has grown into one of the larg-
est beach volleyball gatherings on the West
Coast.
The first Seaside tournament, held in
1982, was inspired by Debbie Hauger, then
a local high school student. Hauger first dis-
covered beach volleyball on a study abroad
trip to Argentina, then brought the concept
of a tournament back to the North Coast
as a fundraiser for her fellow Seaside life-
guards, who were looking to add a new life-
guard tower.
The first event featured a series of 57
teams for a total of 215 players. Compare
those numbers to this year’s forecast: Over
the course of four days, this year’s tour-
nament expects to host more than 1,600
two-person teams across 190 volleyball
courts.
The tournament is organized by the
Seaside Chamber of Commerce. Katie
McCloud, the chamber’s interim CEO, said
it’s quite an undertaking.
“When you have that many players, it
takes an army to make it happen. We have
many set-up and take-down crews, tourna-
ment directors that handle the play of the
tournament and many, many volunteers,”
McCloud said. “We are on the beach for
almost two weeks.”
In addition to its many volunteers, the
tournament is supported by several spon-
sors, many returning year after year.
For players, the event offers a full set of
tournaments, including doubles and quads
in both junior and adult divisions, all orga-
nized by player experience level. Clin-
ics, taught by college coaches and vet-
eran players, will take place throughout the
gathering. Todd Rogers, one of this year’s
coaches, is a 2008 Olympic gold medalist
for beach volleyball.
While the tournament’s legacy is
focused on serving amateur players, it also
boasts the distinction of being one of the
last seasonal tournaments players can enter
as a bridge to the next level. “We are one of
the last tournaments players can play in to
place for nationals,” McCloud said. “Last
year, many that did not place in Atlanta,
Georgia, flew here overnight to place in
Seaside.”
12 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Jeff Ter Har
The Seaside Beach Volleyball tournament
draws players of all experience levels from
across the world.
Seaside Beach Volleyball
tournament
Seaside Beach
Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
www.seasidebeachvolleyball.com
It’s a unique event and still growing.
New this year will be the Dino Division, an
event in which “two players with the com-
bined age of 80 for men or 70 for women”
will play, according to McCloud. “It will
be fun to see — say a 25-year-old and a
55-year-old compete together,” she said.
Commemorating 40 years on the beach,
the group will also introduce a hall of fame,
honoring past players and winners. “Our
goal in the next few years is to really honor
the ones who started this — the lifeguards,”
McCloud said.
Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian
Under a cloudy sky, Nola Morrison, 55, waits for the ball to drop before spiking it over the net
during a previous Seaside Beach Volleyball tournament.