End of Days AVP signing off
By: Hans Stolfus, on 08/13/2010
Whether the AVP's top pros will compete again on American soil is now in doubt. 2010 (c) AVP/Peter Brouillet
I write today with a heavy heart. Not to report on Phil and Todd’s progress in Norway, but to report on whether the Beast and Professor, as we’ve so brilliantly nicknamed them, will ever compete on American soil again. Frankly, the situation is that dire.
Our time is up; our run is over. What we see today will unfortunately be gone tomorrow and there’s simply nothing we can do now to stop it. How did we get here? What set the dominos in motion? Obviously, that answer is complicated, but if I had to pick one singular moment that initiated our downfall, it would be what took place on September 5, 2007, when a $36.9 million deal went south between Shamrock Capital Growth Fund II, Roy Disney’s investment arm, and AVP, Inc., after strong opposition from AVP stockholders initiated a mutual termination of the deal.
AmTrust Capital Management and other major shareholders felt a stock price of $1.23 a share did “not accurately reflect the true potential of the AVP,” and believed that the deal was “flawed by clear conflicts of interest.” Needless to say, they voted accordingly, and the fallout has been catastrophic. AVP stock is now valued at two cents, as of August 13, 2010.
Brass tax: the AVP would have gone belly up more than two years ago had our current ownership group, RJSM, not bailed us out with enough working capital to survive the rest of ’08. Believe me when I say those were not easy times to survive, and here’s why: at the end of ’08, Cuervo, McDonald’s, Nautica, Banana Boat and Hilton all said goodbye to the tune of $7.8 million. Unfortunately, the big brands supporting our act were savvy enough to understand that not only the show, but the entire production, was on the verge of getting canceled.
Cue the necessary management changes in April of ’09, fast forward to today, throw in the worst economic recession since the Great Depression and what we have is a sponsor-dependent sport, with more than 80 percent of revenues coming from corporate patrons, forced into leveraging assets with the almighty banks and creditors. Or, more succinctly put, a hand that’s cuffed, not tied.
Note: I'm not exonerating current management altogether; I'm merely stating that I believe they began their at-bat with an 0-2 count.
Will the AVP rise once again, with new sponsors and financial backing? No one can be certain, but I can try to give you a really good idea what the landscape is going to look like in 2011. The AVP’s best athletes will no longer regularly compete on American soil. Full stop. Teams such as 2008 Olympic gold medalists Dalhausser and Rogers and 2009 World Champions Jen Kessy and April Ross will be forced into playing year-round on the FIVB Tour and will disappear off the social consciousness radar until London, 2012. Players will opt out of the commute and instead pick up an apartment rental in a convenient location with an excellent training center like Hamburg, Germany, to cut down on costs and the negative physical effects inherent with intercontinental travel. Most athletes, except for Dalhausser and Rogers, who endorse international brands like Mikasa and Red Bull, will lose their AVP-based corporate sponsorship deals such as Gatorade, Wilson, Rockstar, Malibu, KGC, Real Water and Smack. The two-year Olympic qualification process will commence. USA Volleyball will look to organize and run between four and six “professional” tournaments with prize money as they begin their lead-up to the brand new U.S. Olympic Beach Trials in 2012. USAV will also attempt to partner with the FIVB to host an event on U.S. sand for the first time since 2003. The Wide Open Tour will continue to hold its old school-style tournaments across the country in preparation for the “U.S. Open.” All players except Dana Camacho and Justin Phipps will get full-time jobs. Domestic tournaments will feature nothing but weary weekend warriors and indoor national team members on summer vaca from Siberia, jonesing for a tan and a Malibu girl. The sport will become a hobby. The NCAA will once again vote to override the sand volleyball initiative and this time they will succeed, as no viable domestic professional version of the sport will exist for ladies to strive toward following college.
Unless…post-bankruptcy, a major player steps in, picks up all the shares, and proceeds to follow current management’s cost structure analysis to slash prices like Speaker City. Because, let’s be honest, the only way for the AVP to succeed in today’s economy is if the business model is uncompromisingly altered, and unfortunately, the gentleman recently responsible for liberating millions in event, overhead, marketing and payroll costs will no longer be around to reap the rewards of his diligent hard work.
Does the sport need to change its competition format to accommodate the new business model? Perhaps, but that’s what our sport has done for decades. Change, change and change. Only to create a further disconnect from its original fans. The current game of professional beach volleyball has been played the way it is now for the last nine years. My advice: embrace it. As much as we complain, it’s not going back, and most players today don’t want it to anyway. The “old” game is nothing more than a novelty to be played at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas or at the annual Olskool Beach Volleyball Tournament on Australia’s Gold Coast, and now, of course, on Karch’s Wide Open Tour. Sorry purists, I know you want a different answer out of me on this one, but even the greatest player of all time would agree you don’t play one version of a sport to be good at another. “Practice like you play.” As long as the game’s pinnacle of achievement is an Olympic gold medal, the rules will be governed by the FIVB, so don’t be surprised to see the Wide Open Tour switch back to the “new” rules now that there isn’t an AVP to market against.
Before I conclude and sign off for what may be my final time, let me be candid. Without the AVP, our sport is on the verge of dying. Not just the beach version, but the entire version. I know what you’re saying, Kevin Barnett – “it was never alive, so how could it die?” – but you’re wrong. For a stretch of time, it was alive and well, kicking ass and taking names. And I’m not just talking about the early 90s with its neons, tank tops, one pieces and flipped-up bills Dan Madden, I’m talking about just a few years ago. I’m talking about the Age of Aquarius with a couple of fine little ladies named Misty and Kerri. May and Walsh were bigger than Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain following their infamous ’99 World Cup victory and sports bra-revealing celebration at the Rose Bowl, and we rode ’em as far as they would take us: through 112 consecutive victories and back to the Olympics for a second gold medal. Upon returning to the states, Misty and Kerri received a hero’s welcome in the fine state of Ohio, and Lindner Family Tennis Center lit up like the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center when they stepped on Stadium Court for their Saturday night primetime match. Lines flooded out the gates, cars parked in neighboring counties and the nearby Outback Steakhouse operated with a two-and-a-half hour wait…it was nothing but sheer madness.
Now to pay credit where credit is due: you’ve been absolutely correct multiple times on The Net Live, the craziness in Cincinnati and beyond was, in fact, generated by their Olympic achievements, not their domestic AVP achievements, but for a weekend it didn’t matter; it was a combination of everything they had built as a team since pairing up in 2001. They were the biggest thing since Tom Brady knocking up Bridget Moynahan and marrying Gisele Budchen. Yes, I don’t care what you say, I saw it and the sport was definitely alive. And although men are generally considered to be the more dominant sports fans in a household, with good reason, the percentage of females who play volleyball in this country as compared to the males is so disproportionate it doesn’t even require a pie chart to illustrate. Girls Simply Play Volleyball. To infinity and beyond.
Beach volleyball unfortunately needs a new influx of youth in the sport because we have a very unique fan demographic: each and every person with a paid ticket Sunday afternoon has either played or is related to someone who has played the sport of volleyball. It’s a fact. We don’t have the casual fan like the NFL, who has never touched a pigskin, let alone gotten hit across the middle. We have current professional players, qualifying players, recreational players, former players and parents of players. And more often than not, those parents of players chaperoning for the weekend have daughters.
Bottom line: these girls need someone to believe in so they can show up and purchase a ticket, and despite winning gold and silver medals in Beijing, professional indoor volleyball stars do not exist in this country. Beach athletes are all we’ve got. Fortunately, our representatives have raised the bar of excellence to unprecedented heights and for a moment even took it to Monday nights on ABC. But without the AVP, this star-struck fandom dies, and so does the heart of our sport. There’s simply nothing left to strive for or emulate. The AVP is our NBA. Growing up in Iowa, I played a lot of hoops, and just before I released my turn-around, fade-away ‘J,’ the only thing I cared about was “being like Mike.” Girls playing AAU, hitting the diciest of dicey cut shots, should want to be like Misty. Without the AVP, they may still recognize the name May-Treanor from the Olympics, but they won’t have any idea how good a Misty-esque cut shot is or where they need to hit on the court to garner the prolific affiliation.
I think it’s apparent what the AVP has meant to me. I’d be lying if I said I did not tear up on the drive home this evening from L.A. after it dawned on me that I was no longer going to commute to the Starbucks in Torrance. The sport of volleyball has been my entire life since the age of 19. It’s dominated every thought in my mind and every conversation out of my mouth. How one person can love something so much is scary, and overwhelming at the same time. And finding a way to remain involved in the sport after my neck injury has meant more to me than anyone could possibly know. Every article, column, blog and video I produced, I had the chance to talk about my friends and peers as they played a game I love. It could be said, for the last nine months I had the best job on Earth, and I’m going to miss it every day. But what I’m going to miss even more are the players I had the honor to share the court with from ’03-’09. Not every second with each partner was positive, but for some reason, at this particular moment, I cannot seem to remember any of the negatives. From Chris Magill in his home state of Texas in ’04 to Hot Winter Nights coed fours with Nicole and Angie, each of these amazing athletes below shared the same side of the court with me at one time or another during my career and now I’m lucky enough they’ll also share the same side of the page, as each attempts to convey what the AVP has meant to them during the sport’s darkest hour. Who knows, maybe their sentiments can help bring the tour back even sooner. We can only pray…
“It’s not only been a sport for me, but also an obsession/addiction. I have moved twice just for better volleyball. Once in college from Dallas to Austin to play on the University of Texas men’s club team and once from Dallas to San Diego to chase the AVP dream. The volleyball community is large but feels incredibly small. It's difficult to explain how, even though I quit playing three years ago, I can still tell you who the young up-and-coming teams are in Florida! It’s bigger than any fraternity or sorority could ever become. In fact, my wife has a tough time fathoming how I can have 500 Facebook friends and actually know all of them? Well, all but two. It sounds kind of sad to say but volleyball has played a large roll in my identity and purpose. Even into my late 30s, I always had a career going but I would have described myself as a volleyball player with a job. The AVP was the reason I worked out year-round and it’s what kept me from becoming a big fat guy. I have six AVP player patches from the 90s, in two different styles, resting in my nightstand and I no longer play volleyball. That says it all.” –Chris Magill
”The AVP has been the fulfillment of a dream for my family and I over the past seven seasons.” –Matt Olson
“I can’t come to terms with the end of the AVP. I’ve put everything I’ve had into becoming as good at volley as I can over the last seven years and as long as I can remember before that. Now that I can feel the improvement, growth and maturity elevating my game I have nowhere to go. I’ve put off more lucrative careers because I have love and respect for the game and want to make my mark. Be a part of the great history I grew up loving.” –Aaron Wachtfogel
“The AVP allowed for the world’s best beach volleyball to be played in the U.S. I was fortunate enough to be able to compete against the best for wins and prize money but still able to walk away with many lifelong friendships.” –Scott Wong
“The dream started at the same time every weekend I hit the play/record button to record Karch on my VHS...and it's never stopped being a dream ever since. I used to shag balls for the players when I was 12 in Hotlanta and never forgot how much I loved being a part of it. Brooklyn was really the moment my dream came true…I’ll never forget it, or the AVP. It’s meant everything to me.” –Ty Loomis
“The AVP to me was 10 years, 98 tournaments, 65 road trips, 40-some partners, thousands of sunburns and 1 GLORIOUS win. Beach volleyball was one late Sunday afternoon in 1990, 15-year-old J. Ring watching the AVP on NBC in Fort Lauderdale, a guy parachuting onto center court with a briefcase full of money, crowd going crazy, celebrating players that were Gods, a bikini contest, a beer garden, raging…I repeat, raging. It was cutting out ‘I Dig’ logos from Volleyball Magazine, buying yellow Oakley ‘M frames,’ wearing ‘Sideout’ t-shirts, skipping Sunday school to watch as much AVP action as possible. In other words, every red-blooded American kid’s dream. Beach Volleyball is sunny Southern California. It’s warm-up jogs on Marine St. It’s the calm ocean, sea-gulls, blue sky, 78 degrees and a guaranteed chance of having a great day. It’s battling Monday thru Thursday and going to war on Saturday and Sunday. It’s the weight room and ‘Sand-Hill’ in Manhattan. It’s deep breaths and good friends. It’s surfing, playing 18 holes and healthy living. It’s ‘CUTTY, LINE, ANGLE, NO ONE!!! JUUUUMMMMMBOOOOOOO!!!!!’ It’s five minutes of fame and a dream come true... Beach Volleyball will always be my choice, my way, once in a lifetime, ‘I gotta try,’ road trips, crowded hotel rooms, five guys splitting a rental car, long flights, bad beats, hard draw, nice play, good friends and great memories. Thanks beach volleyball. It was as good as I thought it would be.” –Jason Ring
“Playing on the AVP Tour has allowed me to live my dream as a professional beach volleyball player. The AVP has given me an opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the world as well as the reigning Olympic gold medalists. Playing on tour has also allowed me to travel our country and meet volleyball fans from coast to coast in order to help the sport grow in popularity. I grew up watching Kiraly/Steffes, Smith/Stoklos, Hovland/Dodd and wished that I could someday compete at the same level as those legends. The AVP allowed me to do that, and I will always be grateful.” –Matt Prosser
”The AVP has provided more excitement and joy to me and my family than I could have ever expected. It has become addicting for my parents to follow the results online and live at the events. The thought of it not being around just doesn’t seem right. It has been the direct reason why the USA has won 4 gold medals in the Olympics. It’s where the dead average (in my case) learns to become the elite in the world. Damn, I don’t know what to say. Just writing this makes me bummed.” –Jake Gibb
“The AVP has fulfilled my dreams. The opportunity to play beach volleyball as a means to provide for my family has been better than I ever imagined. I love this sport more than anything. The AVP is and always will be the tour that made my dreams come true.” –Casey Patterson
“I can’t even put into words what a tremendous amount of sadness I’m feeling at this very moment. I don’t really want to dwell on that, but rather share a few of my fondest memories of a sport that has given me what few people get to experience – the rush of the crowd in a huge stadium, thousands deep; beating the 2008 gold medalists to reach my first AVP final; playing the sport I love and supporting myself doing just that...with each endless summer running seamlessly into the next. The AVP, and volleyball in general, has been my life ever since I was 13 years old. I fell in love with this sport years ago and always wanted to play on the AVP Tour someday. I wanted to be just like Karch. Did I mention I got to compete against him 7 or 8 times? What an honor and a privilege. I really did get to live out my dream even if it was cut a bit short. I got to play in 3 professional finals, 2 on the AVP, and one live on NBC. I won back-to-back-to-back 6-Man championships in true Magnum fashion with some of the best gentlemen/volleyers in the world. I can't forget about winning a NORCECA with my old partner Hans in Guatemala!!! With the whole crowd chanting, ‘CUBA!!! CUBA!!! CUBA!!!’ Hans and I proudly wore red, white and blue, defeating the Cubans for NORCECA gold and silencing the crowd. What great memories.... Volleyball has taken me all over the world and introduced me to some amazing and genuine people – people I have met on Volleyball Vacations at ClubMeds, Hot Winter Nights, and private tournaments on a little island owned by a fashion mogul. This is such a unique sport, a sport that can take you anywhere and everywhere. It has been my passion and my life for many years. I hope that the next generation of players can have the opportunity to strive to be the next great beach volleyball players of the future, and be able to experience the wonderful world of competitive beach volleyball like I have." –Anthony Medel
“I decided to invest my life into the AVP and the sport about six years ago as a kid just out of college. I put off using my degree (teaching credential) and threw everything I had into the profession. It wasn’t because I thought I could win tournaments or make lots of money, it was because I saw something that I really loved doing and an opportunity to try and become as good as I could be at it. Six years later, I look back and am thankful for all the highs and lows I experienced on the court. Mostly, I am thankful for the experiences away from the court. I’ve been able to spend time with and learn from Olympians, legends, and current stars. I’ve also been treated with open arms (and open homes) by strangers around the country who share the common bond of a passion for the AVP and the game associated with it. It’s this passion, not driven by fortune or fame, which makes it something so special.” –John Mayer
“It has provided an opportunity for so many of us to live out our dreams, do something we love and for me, the following and taking of doors that have been opened to lead to this experience. Being able to play in front of the many fans, family and friends is something that I will always cherish. Thank you to the AVP for providing a league for all of us to keep living the dream. I hope to live this dream for many years to come.” –Nicole Branagh
“I feel like one of the fortunate ones who got into the FIVB at the right time. To think that so many great players will most likely hang it up and move on to a new phase of life is sad. So much talent with no place to go. It is devastating to even think about. For the last nine years the AVP has been my life. I have lived and breathed it. I have been bored out of my mind in the off-season and then once January rolls around, I feel excitement like I am a kid starting something new again. I only imagine it is the same for most players. There is something special about playing on your home turf. You appreciate it even more after spending so much time abroad. There are so many loyal fans who have become part of the AVP family and to think we may never hear their cheers again is a tragedy. The AVP has been the catalyst to me discovering my dreams and finding a way to make them come true. I owe a debt of gratitude for the opportunities that the AVP has set before me for the last nine years.” –Angie Akers
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