The Wavelength of a Pro

The New York Times has a nice “how-to” interview with Misty May-Treanor today, in their lead up to the Beijing Olympics.

About defense, May-Treanor says: “Hitters give a lot of things away, if you pay attention.”

A Great Weekend of Volleyball

Beautiful weather and the prelude to the Beijing Olympic Games set the stage for a great four days of beach volleyball.

Thursday were the qualifying rounds for the last eight slots in the main draw, for those players trying to make the jump to the big leagues. I have made a few friends in that category since I started shooting volleyball and it was nice to see them working out. The reigning AVP champs Kerri, Misty, Phil & Todd make it look so effortless, but when you start on Thursday you realize the size of the pyramid they are standing atop.

It was also a good way to test my shooting strategies and get my timing set — those players are not near the ball for very long, and I surprised myself at how well I was able to time and focus my shots this weekend.

For the first time in a decade the AVP charged admission to the three main courts, which created a situation Friday and Saturday of large crowds on the outer courts, enjoying a soulful volleyball experience; and thin crowds on center court, which meant you could get a great seat to a more “professional” experience. Here are links to my shots of Friday morning, Friday afternoon, and Saturday morning. You can probably tell I preferred shooting at the outer courts, where I could frame my shots with surf and blue sky in the background. But I have to say I really like being a spectator in the stadium, where emotions are higher and the drama is more, uhh… dramatic.

By Sunday of course, all the action was on the main courts, which meant getting a seat up high in the stands to enjoy both the ocean waves and breezes; and the incredible volleyball performances on the sand, punctuated by MC Jeeter’s informative ramblings. I can just imagine the stories he’ll have to tell when he gets to be Vin Scully’s age.

All in all, a great time! If you didn’t get enough volleyball this weekend, the AVP will be back in Long Beach in July and Manhattan Beach in September. They will be playing in Beijing August 9~22.

Volleyball Time Again!

The construction in view of the web camera is the stadium being erected for the AVP Hermosa Beach Open, which will take place this coming weekend June 6-8.

TV broadcast will be delayed a week on most of the cable sports channels (FSN in Southern California).

At right, Jake Gibb & Sean Rosenthal from last’s years event.

Special Prices on Photos at Fiesta Hermosa

This weekend I’ll have all my photos at 20% off my regular prices plus I’ll pay the sales tax — that means about 28% off.

I’ll also have a limited selection of prints from the AVP Hermosa Beach Open available for $20 each.

Stop in and say hi, check out the big limited-edition prints on display… and find one you can’t live without!

If you can’t make it to Hermosa Beach, the website will have discounted prices as well.

Weekend Volleyball Photo Links

In case you haven’t seen them yet, here are links to the photos I took this weekend at the AVP Hermosa Beach Open:

• Saturday Best Shots
• Saturday Morning More Shots
• Saturday Afternoon More Shots
• Sunday Best Shots

Shocker on the Board

Kerri Walsh and Misty May drop into the contenders bracket after a loss to Boss/Ross, today at the AVP Hermosa Beach Open. They beat Roca/Statton however and are now playing Branach/Youngs in the Semi-final.

Update: Walsh and May beat Branach/Youngs in the semi-final and Rachel Wacholder/Tyra Turner in the final to win the Hermosa Beach Open. Congratulations!

Turned out to be a beautiful day for volleyball

After a gloomy morning start (I was using my flash to take pictures), the sun came out and we had a nice day for the AVP Hermosa Beach Open. Many great games today… some things that stood out for me:

- Medel/Souza taking Kiraly/Wong to 34-32 before finally pulling out a win (21 points wins a game, but you have to win by two points). Kiraly/Wong won the match evenutally.

- The fans for Gibb/Rosenthall and Meyer/Prosser dressing up and taunting each other across the court. Amusing, but almost got out of control.

- Speaking of out of control, Nick Lucena accumulated about a half dozen penalty points from one of the referees…

- Holly McPeak’s new partner Logan Tom was very impressive in several matches I watched.

- Fuerbringer/Scott seemed to be playing better after stumbling through the first through stops of the season, losing only to juggernaut Dalhausser/Rogers.

- Karch Kiraly was great in a ninth place match agains Gibb/Rosenthall. After Gibb & Rosenthall won, their fans (Rosie’s Raiders) seranaded Kiraly with a pogo dance on the court.

You can see my best photos of the day here…

AVP Hermosa Beach Open: Quick Links

Here are some links to results on avp.com:

In Progress:
Men – Women

Brackets:
Mens Winners Bracket
Mens Contenders Bracket
Womens Winners Bracket
Womens Contenders Bracket