When in the course of beach volleyball events it becomes necessary for one team to dissolve the sandy bands that have connected them to each other and to assume the power of the sun with a different partner, then all things are open to new beginnings.
For former University of Colorado standout Rachel Wacholder and Durango resident Elaine Youngs – the two will be the featured attraction at this weekend’s AVP Boulder Open at the Boulder Reservoir – the 18-month span of their partnership was just long enough. Despite never finishing lower than third place in 22 tournaments, the two struggled some internationally and, in order to better their chances to medal in the next Olympics, they took on new teammates, beginning at the Manhattan Open on Aug. 10.
At the risk of killing any suspense, the Boulder Open, the only Rocky Mountain regional stop on the pro beach volleyball tour, can be whittled down to three potential endings.
In the stateside women’s beach volleyball circuit, there are the usual winners – top-seeded Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. And there are the occasional upset-makers – Wacholder and Youngs.
In the past two seasons, May-Treanor and Walsh have won every AVP tour event – except for the five tournaments won by Wacholder and Youngs, including the 2005 Boulder Open. So if history is any indication, this weekend’s winner should be either May-Treanor and Walsh or the new teams formed after the fallout of the Wacholder-Youngs split.
Youngs takes the No. 2 seed with new partner Nicole Branagh, and Wacholder is No. 3 with Jennifer Boss.
“We both want to win,” Wacholder said of herself and Youngs.
“But I would love to win. I’d love for Jen (Boss) to get her first win. It would mean a lot for both of us.”
And if the causes that impelled Wacholder and Youngs to separate are any indication, it’s nearly inevitable the two will meet in Boulder. If they do, it would be in the quarterfinals.
The tournament runs today through Sunday. Check www.avp.com for more information.
The couch
On: Hard to believe the Denver Outlaws are an expansion team, considering their veteran lineup of Colorado Mammoth and collegiate stars. But the Outlaws, who will take on the San Francisco Dragons in a Major League Lacrosse semifinal game today at 6 p.m. at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, never really fit the new-team mold. Check out the semifinal – as the top-seeded Outlaws (10-2) take on the only team to beat them this season, the 7-5 Dragons – on TV at Lodo’s Bar and Grill at 1946 Market St. Then, if things go as the team hopes, watch the Outlaws in the MLL championship game Sunday at 3 p.m. on ESPN2.
Off: The 14th Moonlight Classic, a 7- or 15-mile, late-night casual bike tour through downtown Denver, happens just once a year – one reason the ride is so much fun. How many chances do you get to ride through downtown, LoDo and Cherry Creek in a safe, family ride at night? The Classic begins and ends at the state Capitol building and kicks off at 10:30 p.m. Check moonlight-classic.com for details.
What we’d like to see …
Here’s hoping the Nuggets are paying close attention to the U.S. basketball team’s impressive showing at the FIBA World Championships in Japan. Carmelo Anthony has carried the team so far, making news in each game. Not LeBron James, not Dwyane Wade. Melo. So what then is holding the Nuggets back from an NBA championship? Perhaps everything except Anthony?
Weak in review
It was an avalanche of a bad week for teams scrambling to get to baseball’s postseason. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny had a meltdown in a loss Wednesday, and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ted Lilly nearly brawled with his manager after being pulled from the mound Monday. The Boston Red Sox might have ruined their season with a significant slide. But perhaps the worst tank of all: The Rockies, who are 8-14 in August after the Brewers won 12-6 on Thursday to complete a three-game series sweep, have all but removed themselves from the National League wild-card race.
Around town
One of the more surprising stories to come out of X Games 12 this month was Jeff Ward’s victory in the supermoto event. At 45, Ward became the oldest man to win gold at the X Games – a significant feat in the youth-dominated games, especially considering 11-year-old Nyjah Huston qualified for the skateboard street competition. Check out Ward up close today and Saturday at the Fay Myers Suzuki Supermoto Classic at Invesco Field at Mile High. The sixth and seventh rounds of the AMA Supermoto Championship will take place there and should end just in time for the grounds crew to prepare for the Broncos-Texans game Sunday night. Check www.amasupermoto.com for more information.
