Return volley

Mike Sciacca

Suddenly, Surf City has become a desired destination for professional

beach volleyball tours.

One week after the Assn. of Volleyball Professional’s Nissan

Series Tour dominated the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier

with the Huntington Beach Open, the Extreme Volleyball Professionals

took over the same stretch of sand by presenting the Corona Light Pro

Am Beach Volleyball Tour.

Although both tours proved similar in showcasing professional

beach volleyball to the local scene -- Surf City was the first of

nine national stops on the 2004 Corona Light Pro Am Beach Volleyball

Tour and the first California stop for the 2004 AVP Nissan Series

Tour -- there were a few differences between the two.

While the AVP Huntington Beach Open drew monstrous, boisterous

crowds and covered three days between May 28 through 30, the Extreme

Volleyball Professionals Huntington Beach Corona Light Pro Am was

played in one day, and before a much smaller gathering of relaxed

spectators.

On Saturday, there were no bleacher sets, no TV coverage and no

fanfare, like the week before.

The volleyball action, however, was just as intense.

“Our event is just one day, and it’s for the players and people

who have come out to watch,” said Carlos Jimenez, tour director.

“This is a really good turnout, considering it’s our first event and

a busy week for professional beach volleyball.”

Just up the road, about 40-minutes north of Huntington, the second

leg of the 2004 AVP Nissan Series Tour’s California swing was taking

place with the Manhattan Beach Open.

Several of those players who did not advance past Friday’s

qualifier tournament in Manhattan Beach headed down to Surf City on

Saturday to compete at the Huntington Beach Corona Light Pro Am.

One of those players doing double duty was Rocky Mayo, 25, of

Redondo Beach.

Mayo and his partner, Jeremy Simpkins, 25, didn’t qualify for the

main draw at the Manhattan Beach Open, and decided to head south to

play at Huntington on Saturday.

The two advanced to the men’s Pro Division semifinal round.

At the Huntington Beach Open two weeks ago, Mayo, who said he

plays regularly in Surf City, and Simpkins were one victory shy of

qualifying for the main draw.

“The opportunity to play in two nearby cities, on the same

weekend, is awesome,” said the 6-foot-7 Mayo, who played collegiate

ball at UC Santa Barbara. “I love playing in Huntington and have done

quite well here. I just enjoy what I’m doing. I mean, how better can

it get when your ‘office’ is the beach?”

Mayo, who has played in every AVP tour stop this year, said he

plans to do every extreme tour stop in 2004, too.

“The two tours are trying to develop a relationship,” Mayo said.

“The AVP is great and very business-oriented. The EVP organization

focuses on the players and game. Both are worthwhile.”

The Extreme Volleyball Professionals has Midwestern roots, where

it was founded 13 years ago.

It originated in Chicago -- where its headquarters still are based

-- and the early tour was “small,” Jimenez said.

“The tour back then really was just a local tour,” Jimenez said.

“Slowly, other cities asked us to come to their towns, most recently,

cities in California, like Huntington Beach.

“City officials here in Huntington really made a great effort to

bring us here, and we’re really happy to be here. This city is a

natural to host professional beach volleyball tournaments. The

atmosphere and weather here is terrific.

“That’s a far cry from Chicago, where our summers can be rough.

We’d play in the rain, through the humidity, in any type of weather.

But this, this is great.”

The Huntington Beach Corona Light Pro Am featured play in both

professional and amateur ranks. There were 28 men’s and 12 women’s

team entrants in the Professional Division, and six men’s teams in

the Amateur Division.

Leanne Haarbauer, 26, one of the key players on the extreme tour

and in her second year of playing professional beach volleyball,

enjoyed playing in Surf City.

“It’s great to be in the sun, having fun and competing,” said

Haarbauer, who also played in the AVP qualifier. “Everybody here is

really laid back and having a lot of fun.

“The AVP is going for an NBA-style feel but here, the EVP is

trying to encourage the sport of volleyball for everyone. It doesn’t

matter if you’re the best or a novice. That’s what makes this tour so

much fun.”

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at [email protected].