Rachel Wacholder, AVP Defensive Player of the Year
Stein Metzger, AVP #1 Team

Karch Kiraly, Winningest player of all time
Holly McPeak, Winningest female player of all time

It's hard to believe that the 2006 AVP season is already underway. I am excited about all that lies ahead and 2006 is already looking to be a big year for me...

First off, I have a new partner this season in Sean Rosenthal. Change can definitely be a good thing and Sean and I are already off to a great start winning the title at Ft. Lauderdale, the first stop of the 2006 AVP Tour.

I have to say that the win in Ft. Lauderdale is probably my favorite so far. As a player, you're always nervous heading into a new season - especially when you've got a new partner. But all the nervous energy and excitement helped us win and were so elated, and also relieved, to take home that top prize. What a perfect way to kick off the season!

Looking ahead, our goal is to be No. 1. I'd love to win the title at every event I play in, but Sean and I just taking things one tournament at a time. Tempe is up next and I'm really focused on playing my best there and coming home with a win.

As I said, change is good. Not only do I have a new partner this season, but I also have a new coach in Mike Dodd, a volleyball legend who won the silver medal at the Olympics in '96 and 75 Open titles in his career. He is an amazing player, and a great coach. He's already molded Sean and me into a pretty good team. We're going to keep working hard and with Mike's help I know we'll keep getting better and better.

In regards to training, I've started working out with Marcus Elliott, one of the top trainers in the country who has worked with the likes of the New England Patriots. He's put together a pretty extensive workout routine for me and I'm working out harder than I ever have in my life. In volleyball, core strength is very important so that's a big focus of my training this season. It's also a great workout for anyone who's looking to get ready for the fast-approaching swimsuit season!

Overall, to have the support of a brand like Speedo is really exciting. I am proud to be a part of Team Speedo alongside stars like Karch Kiraly, Kerri Walsh, Holly McPeak, Rachel Wacholder, Jen Kessy-Boss and Stein. And I don't know what I'd do without my favorite Speedo Waimea Watershorts! I wear them all the time, on and off the court.

Well that's all for now. Keep an eye out for me this AVP season and have a great summer!

Hi everyone!

It feels like the 2005 AVP season just ended – it’s hard to believe that 2006 is already underway.   

My partner Elaine Youngs and I had a great season last year in ’05 and we’re both looking forward to working hard and improving on our success in ‘06.  We won three tournaments last year but we really want to add to that this season and it is our goal to reach every final – and push Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor as much as possible. 

We’re off to a pretty good start so far.  Elaine and I finished third in Ft. Lauderdale, the first stop of the 2006 AVP Tour, and third at the Tempe Open this past weekend.  Next up is Santa Barbara the third weekend in May. 

For Elaine and me, the more we play together the better we get.  We have a whole year under our belt now and we continue to grow as partners.  I think we’re lucky because in many ways our skills compliment each other really well – she’s a great setter and blocker and that compliments my defense.  It’s a perfect match. 

We didn’t have much of an off-season last year finishing in South Africa around Thanksgiving and then starting up again in Brazil at the end of February.  Though it was a short off-season, I made sure to make good use of it.  I took some time to rest – as we all need a little break – and was sure to make time for the things I enjoy outside of volleyball.

I spent a lot of time with my family and friends.  They are so important to me.  My sister just had twins a few months ago and I also have a two-and-a-half year old niece.  We only live an hour away from each other so I’m always spending time with them.  Even during the season, I try to spend as much time with my family as possible.   

This is my first year as a member of Team Speedo and it’s something I’m really excited about!  I’m so happy to have the opportunity to work with the brand and be a part of the team with idols of mine like Holly McPeak and Karch Kiraly, and off course Kerri, Jen Kessy-Boss, Jake Gibb and Stein Metzger. 

I’m also enjoying wearing Speedo on the court this season.  I’ve been really impressed with the fabric they use.  The fabric and the fit both make me feel really comfortable and because of that I feel even more confident on the court! 

Well I’m off to go train.  I hope everyone has a great summer and be sure to tune in to the 2006 AVP Tour – it is going to be a big season.  Maybe I’ll see you on the beach! 

Hi everyone.  Thanks for checking out my blog on www.SpeedoUSA.com! 

As you all know, the 2006 AVP Tour season is underway.  I’m playing with Mike Lambert this year and though we go way back, it’s the first time we’re playing together on Tour.  We’ve actually known each other since we were kids at Punahou High School in Hawaii.  In 1991 when I was a senior and Mike was a junior, we won both the Hawaii State Championship – the 11th consecutive title for our school – and the volleyball title at the Junior Olympics.   My fellow AVP-ers Sean Scott and Kevin Wong were on that team too.  It was a good year! 

I’m excited about playing with Mike this season and getting back to our roots.  We reached the finals in Ft. Lauderdale last month and we were happy about that.  It was an interesting tournament.  There are so many new teams on Tour this year and it was really interesting to see how everyone played and how the teams matched up.  Mike and I met Sean Scott and Dax Holdren in the semis in Ft. Lauderdale and they are definitely going to be a top team on Tour this season.  We met Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal in the finals and there is no question they are a top contender this season as well.  Jake played a flawless match. 

Our goal for the 2006 AVP season, first and foremost, is to win the AVP and be the No. 1 team at the end of the year.  But also on our radar are the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.  Olympic qualifying is just around the corner and it is our goal to have a very successful summer playing internationally which will put us in a good position to make the 2008 Olympic Team. 

Off court the court I have been busy training and working with coach Jeff Alzina.  He has us on the sand and playing four to five times a week for three hours at a time.  I’m also working with a trainer out of Santa Barbara – Marcus Elliot – who also works with Jake Gibb.  I’ve been really focused on getting strong and explosive for the season. 

The off-season was pretty short this year but I was sure to make good use of it.  Every year I pick something that I want to learn in the off-season and this time it was sailing.  I sailed in small boats when I was younger and I always wanted to get back in to it so I took a class and I’m now certified to sail mid-size 30-40 ft. sailboats.  We took a bunch of trips to Catalina Island which was great.   

As you can tell by what I wear on the court, I’m a big fan of Speedo’s line of boardshorts.  But I’m also really into their accessories right now like their mesh bags, goggles, and swim gear.  I’ve become much more active in swimming over the past few years and I’ve been working with former Olympic swimmer Matt Biondi – who also happens to be my brother-in-law – in the water a bit.  Swimming is a great way to cross train and for me in particular, it helps my shoulders stay stable and strong which is very important in the sport of beach volleyball. 

Well that’s all for now… I hope to see you on the beach this summer! 

Hi everybody.  Thanks for checking out my blog entry on www.speedousa.com.  I’m glad to have the opportunity to catch up with everyone and let you know what I’ve been up to lately…

As you know, the 2006 AVP Tour season is underway and I’m playing with Misty May-Treanor again this year – it’s our sixth season together, can you believe it!  She’s such an amazing partner and I know we’ll be together on court for a long time.  

This is a huge year for us.  Of course 2005 was great but that was last year – there is still so much we want to accomplish and we continue to work really hard.  We both love winning and we love competition.  The competition this year on Tour is especially strong but we will rise to meet the challenge.  We’re going to keep improving, keep having fun, and ultimately keep winning It will definitely be an exciting season to watch! 

The off-season was pretty short but I made sure to take some time away from beach volleyball.  I think it’s really important step away from the sport a bit so that you can get that hunger back. 

I started training again in January and worked to put on some extra muscle mass.  We started lifting heavy weights and working to get our sand legs back with five days of training on the beach.  I’ve also been doing a lot of sprint work. 

Off the court, things have been going really well for me.  I got married in December which you may have heard.  It was a beautiful wedding on the beach!   

In February I flew to Torino were I was a special correspondent for NBCOlympics.com at the 2006 Winter Games.  It was a lot of fun and a great experience to be on the other side of things at the Olympics.  I even did an interview with Michael Phelps for the Today Show. 

I also shot a commercial for Gatorade which you may have already seen on TV.  They did an unbelievable job with that production.  It is so great for the sport to be featured in something as mainstream as a Gatorade commercial and I’m really proud to have been a part of it.  

This is my fourth year with Speedo and I have to say that every year, the suits get cuter and cuter.  We worked together to design the suit I’m wearing this season in a black-and-white floral pattern that I really love.  Misty and I got in the habit three years ago of wearing black suits in the finals – it makes us feel powerful and now it has become a sort of tradition with us.    I also really like Speedo’s line of Axcelerate activewear.  It’s great for working out in the gym.   

Well that’s all for now.  Hope everyone has a great summer and keep an eye out for me this AVP season! 

I’ve seen a lot in my 23 seasons on the AVP Tour but I can say already say that this season is shaping up to be one of the best in a long time…

There were a lot of new teams and partnerships formed in the off season and the competition keeps getting tougher.  Going into the season, I figured Stein Metzger and Mike Lambert would be one of the strongest teams on Tour and they have already proven that.  I also expected Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal to be really good and they proved that with their win in Ft. Lauderdale.  Jake was last year’s MVP and Sean is one of the best, if not the best, athletes on Tour.  I also figured that Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers would be tough to beat and they just picked up their first title of the season in Tempe. 

I’m playing with a new partner myself this season in Larry Witt.  Our training has been going really well so far and we had a good first effort in Ft. Lauderdale.  A knee injury kept me out of competition in Tempe as I continued to rehab after arthroscopic knee surgery.  But I worked hard at rehab and made it back in time for the Santa Barbara Open this past weekend. 

I’ve been training hard and I can say that my body is feeling better than it has in years.  I follow a special conditioning program put together by my conditioning coach, Mike Rangel of PlyoCity, who’s been working with me for about 3.5 years now.  I love the workout he has me doing.  I feel like it really keeps me in great shape and feeling young.  After being on Tour so long, my body now craves a good workout.  I only take a few days off at the end of each season before I start training for the next. 

The off season was great.  I did some TV work calling indoor volleyball matches and followed the University of Washington’s women’s indoor team win their first NCAA title this past December.  The Huskies' coach is a friend and a great coach so I was happy for him and his team.

I also did some volunteer work with a charity that I’m close to called the Starlings.  It’s an indoor club volleyball program for inner-city girls who couldn’t otherwise afford to play the sport.  The organization was started in San Diego in 1996 and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year; today there are 38 clubs across the country.  I’m proud that I can be a part of the program and help provide these young women with the chance to be part of a team.  It has also helped over 150 girls earn scholarships through volleyball and college degrees.  If you’d like some additional information on the Starlings, you can visit www.starlings.org.  Another organization I support is called Youth without Borders.  We’re working to provide school supplies and gear to schools in the poorest areas of Tijuana and I took a trip down there in the off-season. 

I’ve been a member of Team Speedo since ‘92 years and I have to say the brand is putting out some of its best product in years right now.  I’m always in Speedo board shorts on court – I love all the bright colors.  I also wear Speedo swim briefs – I’m a big fan of the Endurance line – when I jump in the water to cool off after a long match.

Well that’s all for now.  I hope you all tune in to the 2006 AVP Tour this season.  We have one of the biggest Tour stops this season, the Huntington Beach Open, coming up the weekend of May 26th.  Maybe I’ll see you on the beach…