Linda Byington reports from The Motherlode

Brenda Whicker and I traveled to Aspen to play in The Motherlode on Labor Day weekend. We were seeded 26th out of 34 teams in Women's Open, even with our AVP Next points earned this year at Wasatch Beach. As a result, our first match was with the 7th seed. It was a close match but we lost 22-20 in the second game. That put us in the contender's bracket where we won several matches to earn 9th place and $300.

This was the strongest pool of teams I've seen at The Motherlode. One of the girls who won it last year (and who trains full time with her partner) placed 13th. Before the AVP cancelled the remainder of the season, The Motherlode was positioned as an AVP Qualifier, and the guaranteed prize money was much better than in previous years. After the AVP's decision, additional teams registered because this became one of the premier events remaining this year. The result of all this was a huge draw for all divisions. Credit to Paul Mitchell for stepping up to underwrite the prize money that had previously been promised by the AVP.

The weekened in Aspen at The Motherlode was really fun in part because of all the other players who were there from Wasatch Beach. Jenny and Andrea played A - they came out of their pool and placed well. Brad Collins and Matt Gordon played Open. Diane Gordon played with a girl from Chicago who was in the Barefoot Wine National Championships at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee. Speaking of the Barefoot tourney, there were a ton of teams in The Motherlode who had also played Barefoot. Shane and another Men's B player played. Casey Patterson played Open with Ty Loomis and Joe Hillman came down just for the party. We all supported each other and cheered each other on whenever we weren't playing.

The Motherlode drew a lot of fans as well as teams. In fact, we played in front of several hundred fans for most of our matches. All in all, The Motherlode was a great Labor Day Weekend event and trip.

Great day at Bradford Beach for the Barefoot finals

It was a picture-perfect day at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee for the 2010 Barefoot Wine National Championships. This tourney brought together women's and men's teams from 24 local Barefoot leagues and tourneys. Teams traveled from as far as Hawaii to compete.

Check the gallery on wasatchbeachvolleyball.com for some pics from the event that will give you a sense of the environment at this great tourney. As you will see, it was very much a family affair for the Utah teams.

WBV was well-represented by Brenda and Nina and Jared and Matt. Brenda and Nina improved on their 2009 Barefoot Finals by winning their first match before falling to the number one seed from San Diego, the eventual winners on the women's side. Jared and Matt lost their first round match in two long games. While Jared and Matt didn't win the event (I know, I promised I would tell everyone that you did), Jared's hilarious trash talk established them as fan favorites.

All of the players were left wanting to play more. It would be great to see Barefoot modify the format to create a Contender's bracket so that teams would be guaranteed at least two matches.

WBV alum Mike Nelson, and his partner Lucas Black, went into the tourney seeded 4th. They advanced to the semis where they lost to the top seeds, again from San Diego, who went on to lose to the team from Austin, Texas.

Oh yeah, then there was the opportunity to watch the teams of Kerri Walsh and Rachel Wacholder and Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers. This was Kerri's first tourney appearance since the birth of their second child. Phil and Todd basically put on an exhibition in their match with the men's winners.

All the players were impressed with the sand, the setting, facilities and operations at Bradford Beach. Kudos to Todd and Joel at Bradford who stepped up in a big way to host this event after the cancellation of the Chicago AVP Tour Stop.

Meet the WBV Teams headed to the Barefoot Finals

The teams from Wasatch Beach are traveling to Chicago today (Thursday, August 26) to compete in the Barefoot Wine National Championships on Saturday at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee. The teams will be competing for prize money and the right to play against AVP Pros at the end of the day on Saturday. If you haven't heard, the winning women's team will play Kerri Walsh and Rachel Wacholder and the winning men's team will play Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser. This should be fun!

We wish our teams great success in representing WBV - have a great time on the Midwest Coast!

Our women's team - Brenda Whicker and Nina Mortensen

Our men's team - Jared Starling and Matt Gordon

I will be on the beach in Milwaukee on Saturday to support our teams, snap some pics and report the results.

Looking forward to the Barefoot Wine National Championships

On Thursday, August 26, teams from more than 20 sites around the country will converge on Chicago for a weekend of celebrating, sightseeing and volleyball competition ... in Milwaukee.

The Barefoot Wine AVPNext National Championships were originally scheduled for Friday in Chicago prior to the start of the Chicago AVP Tour Stop. However, with the cancellation of the remainder of the AVP Tour, the good folks at Barefoot had to scramble to find a new venue for the tourney itself. Bradford Beach to the rescue!

I've played at Bradford a few times this year. With 24 courts, a classic beach pavillion, tiki hut on the sand, and other amenities, Bradford Beach has become, once again, a great place to play and spend time. Check it out at BradfordBeachJam.com.

I look forward to cheering for the Wasatch Beach teams as they compete in Milwaukee and will report from the scene. In the next post we'll feature the WBV teams. By the way, if you haven't heard, Mike Nelson and his partner, Lucas Black, won the Manhattan Beach Barefoot League and Tourney and will be in the mix, as well.

For more on the AVP's cancellation of the league, check out the two postings on avp.com and stay tuned!

You may be aware of the awesome season that Mike Nelson had last year at Wasatch Beach, winning every open division tourney he entered, the Steamboat Doubles and both summer leagues. You may or may not know what has happened since. Mike's words follow.

Let me start off by saying thank you to everyone who made the 2009 season possible at Wasatch Beach. From the new courts at The Sports Mall, to the many tournaments, leagues and camps, it was great to see so many people come out and enjoy the sport of sand volleyball.

As some of you know, last November I was diagnosed with stage 1 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, centered on the left side of my neck. Just weeks after our sand season ended here in Utah I was going through aggressive treatment in the form of three rounds of chemotherapy and 18 radiation sessions.

The diagnosis was very unexpected and the treatment was difficult. However, it proved to be a very positive experience for those close to me because it put everything into perspective.

During my cancer treatment I received a lot of support from the volleyball community. I continued to play volleyball throughout my treatments, which I think helped me maintain a positive attitude. A number of you let me know of your concern, and a few of you even shaved your head in my honor. (Thanks to Casey Adams for organizing Team Mikey on facebook.) I even had messages from Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, who let me know that they were pulling for me. My brother Dan had contacted them without my knowledge, and they sent me handwritten letters.

It was awesome to feel all the support. Thank you!

During my treatments I wondered if I would ever get back into top volleyball form. My family and I had made the decision to move to California in November to pursue volleyball on the professional level. The news that I had cancer came the day before we were to sign a lease in Huntington Beach.

Feeling alright through the course of my treatments, and strengthened by a positive prognosis, we decided we would still give it a shot for the 2010 season. I gained additional momentum when Maui Jim accepted my sponsorship request. Within a few weeks of my last radiation session and chemotherapy I was playing in the Fort Lauderdale AVP Qualifier with Casey Adams. Two weeks ago I competed in the AVP Qualifier in Santa Barbara and am looking ahead to the next Qualifier in our new hometown of Huntington Beach during the first week of June.

I look forward to what this season will bring. It has been a crazy couple of months for me, but I am happy to still be around, with the people I love, playing the sport that I love.

See you at the beach!

Mike hitting around a block during the Santa Barbara AVP Qualifier.