Seaside 2024

If you are a Disney fan, then a trip to Disneyland must be full of magic, wonder, and “AHHH” as you walk through the vast expanse of all things Disney… As a volleyball player, that is the same magic, wonder, and “AHHH” that I felt as I strolled up an down the beach of Seaside Oregon During the 2024 Seaside Volleyball tournament, looking on in astonishment at the shear vastness of the talent, positivity, camaraderie, and competitive drive that permeates the entire city of Seaside for a moment in time. AVP pros, Local heroes, out of town ballers ready to show up with all they’ve got, and unsuspecting spectators that just came to enjoy the beach, not knowing that they would stumble into a rabbit hole of volleyball.

With over 200 courts and 2000 teams all on one beach, it’s hard to resist the temptation to dive further and further into this rabbit hole; The explosive Bursts of aggressive cheering as a ball clips the boundary from a court near by, the constant “buzz” and murmurings of all things volleyball, The screams of excitement from the winners when the match finally concludes… with so much happening in this vortex of volleyball, I couldn’t help but hear the calm droning of the Sea, quiet enough to forget about, but loud enough to come through the frequency mix and blend all the other sounds together into a Fresh Positive vibration, all dancing to the love of balling.

Sav and I put our heart and soul into our game and we ended up taking the 33rd place out of 64 on our BB Doubles tournament. I’ve been awed by Sav’s dedication to the game and her desire and drive to push to become the best teammate and player on the court. Some of my highlights of the weekend are me throwing up a block on the line, watching a chip roll right over my hands for a “High line” shot, and then turning around to see Sav Flying through the air with a trailing wake of flying sand being thrown up by her aggressive hustle! or her rolling the PERFECT roll shot 1” over the net and have it plop down in the sand well in front of the opposite defender. She had my back all weekend both on and off the court, and I’m really thrilled to be able to play with such a talented partner.

I can’t write about Seaside without mentioning Dynamic Drywall and all the energy and investment they have poured into this journey. They have been beyond generous and have proved to be our #1 fans during this tournament. Thank you so much for all you did to support Sav and I through this tournament. Not only did they sponsor Sav and I to play doubles, they also sponsored our quads team where we teamed up with Ian and Kassidy Hull from McMinnville… We came onto the court to battle our hearts out, and battle we did! We ended up taking 2nd in our pool and Seeding 19th out of 64 for Bracket play. In our first bracket play match, we were fired up. We came into it a little too relaxed after seeing our opponents seeding, but after they won the first match, we cranked it up and brought them to a 3rd. In the third match, we held nothing back and put on a match like nothing I have ever played before. I was fired up, WE were fired up. We were all jiving with each other in rhythm. My mind was laser focused on the game, I heard people cheering and trying to get my attention, but all my focus went to the inside of those thin blue boundary lines marking out court 39… I paid no mind to the outside distraction… It felt as though I knew where the ball was going before it even moved, I was reading the court in a way I have never experienced, which allowed me to dig up straight butter for Ian who was setting and blocking for us. Words could never describe the way that high-level, high-focussed playing feels, but the only thing that topped that feeling in the 3rd match was the screams from the four of us as we put away the ball for our final point needed to send the other team packing!!! The feeling of winning is an interesting feeling, it’s addicting, it’s pure joy, it takes dedication and perseverance to win, and the feeling of winning comes with a large amount of satisfaction…….. and then it’s over, and we look into the eyes of the next team. Do we have what it takes to beat them? do they look stronger? do they look tougher? Do I need to change my tactics because of who we are playing?… I shut it all out! those are questions and volleyball play does not involve questions, it involves execution from a body that is being directed by a laser focussed mind… I must let the questions move on and focus… let my ears hear all the sounds, let my nose smell all the smells, let my eyes see all the sights, let my tongue taste all the tastes, let my skin feel all the feels. My senses are open but my mind is focussed on the game ahead; it pays no extra energy analyzing those sensory inputs happening off the court… no questions, no thoughts; those both only take place in the mind, NOT on the court, so I let them swirl away with the sound of the sea and I tune into the rhythmic play of the game. This next game was another game for the books. I could write about it, but words will never explain it. We took it to a third and ended up losing by 2 points… our day was done, our game was bested, and we were disappointed… and then it’s over, and we look into the eyes of those that helped us get there, The eyes of my wife and two daughters who drove from Portland just to watch me for the day, the eyes of Sav’s family who helped us get here and have been cheering us on since the beginning, and as we look into these eyes that look back at us full of love and support, we remember that we are immersed in a game, the sting of the loss is quickly replaced by the renewed love of the game that penetrates the heart and soul of all who join in… a love that gets swirled around the salty sea air on the beach of Seaside…

The games are over, the sun has began its daily plunge into the sea. The players walk back, exhausted; drained of all energy, yet full of the passion and the magic that came from exploring the rabbit hole of Seaside… and as normality of our typical day resumes, what will Seaside 2024 become? a distant memory, a simple experience, a major changing point?… only time will tell, so I’ll continue to press on and listen to time as I trudge along through it…

VOLLEYBALL!