A three-time, gold medal-winning Olympian — on the hard courts in Los Angeles and Seoul and the sands of Atlanta — Karch Kiraly logged enough time at the net to serve as a volleyball expert in any conversation.
But as beach volleyball grew after debuting as an Olympic sport in 1996, Kiraly lost some love for the game.
“I was frustrated,” Kiraly said.
The rules changed. Beach courts got smaller. The tallest players dominated, at the expense of skill. Volleyball morphed into a video game.
“In a perfect world, if I were dictator, I would’ve stuck with the real rules,” Kiraly said. “It’s not really a player-friendly style. But now I do get to have a say.”
With the AVP Tour dominating the beach volleyball scene, Kiraly last year broke off a competing circuit — the Wide Open tour. He restored traditional rules, including side-out scoring, and pushed the court back to its original, larger size.
Now in its second year, the Wide Open tour is gaining steam. Prize money is rising and fans are flocking. Players, too, are converting.
The circuit stops at Breckenridge this weekend with one of its largest fields yet. With the AVP on break, some veterans of the rival tour will enter the Wide Open brackets.
“We wanted to be more true to the vibe and the spirit where that sport came from,” Kiraly said this week from Bangkok, Thailand, where he’s traveling with the U.S. national women’s team for the World Grand Prix tournament.
“Part of that is, it’s always more impressive for two players to cover a real court. And you have to hold serve to score a point.
“One of the things I thought was lost in the move to a smaller court was there were fewer smaller players. Like, you have to have a huge blocker to be able to excel, but that wasn’t always the case.”
Among the field of more than 400 teams — 11 divisions, men and women — there will be two former winners of the U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball. And the tag team of Ty Loomis and Casey Patterson has won the last two Wide Open events, in Chicago and Santa Cruz, Calif.
“They have been playing very well,” Kiraly said. “They get to use their jump serves, use the court more.”
Unlike the AVP, the Wide Open is exactly that, an open call for players of all stripes. Play well enough to win, and any player, pro or amateur, could earn a berth in the U.S. Open.
“The regular pro tour focuses on just the very few top players. But it doesn’t focus on the other thousands of passionate volleyball players out there,” Kiraly said. “We wanted to be a force not just at the top, but in the grassroots. And we have a great following in Breckenridge, which trumps everything.”
Beach volleyball . . . in the mountains
Wide Open tour
Traditional beach volleyball, with side-out scoring and no let serves.
* Where: At Carter Park in Breckenridge
* When: Saturday and Sunday, starting at 9 a.m.
Top teams:
* Men — Aaron Wachtfogel (2008 U.S. Open winner) and Bill Strickland; Ty Loomis and Casey Patterson (winners of the last two stops); Ty Tramblie (’07 U.S. Open winner) and Fred Souza; Kevin McColloch and Matt Motter.
* Women — Heather Lowe and Tealle Hunkus; Erin Gray and Kathryn Babcock (winners last week in Chicago).
Top Colorado players:
* Men — Mike Doucette, Jamey Martin, Jenee Gilliam.
* Women — Pam Sorenson, Meghan Barkman, Jeanette Kelder, Debbie Ponis.
AROUND TOWN
Melo’s camp at ThunderRidge.
Originally, Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony’s annual youth basketball camp was planned for Aug. 8. But a detour to the White House postponed the clinic. Instead, the Carmelo Anthony Basketball Camp will bounce around Saturday at ThunderRidge High School. Kids will get instruction from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Camp directors said that although camp is only one day this year, hoopsters will receive the same six hours of instruction they would have under the previous two-day format. The camp will feature basketball games, as well as contests to win prizes.
For info, check .
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
STAY ON THE COUCH
Rapids to face Union.
It’s been a tough go this year for MLS expansion side Philadelphia Union. But don’t tell that to their fans.
With just four wins and 16 points in 18 games, the Union has the second-worst record in the league. Yet, with an average home attendance of 20,670, Philadelphia has the second- highest turnout.
The Rapids on Saturday travel to Pennsylvania to face the Union for the first time. The game airs at 2 p.m. on KWGN-2 and TeleFutura.
Philadelphia is not without threats. Coach Peter Nowak is a MLS veteran. And striker Sebastien Le Toux’s nine goals are third-best in the league. Keep an eye, too, on Danny Mwanga, the top pick in the MLS SuperDraft.
For the Rapids, Conor Casey returns after missing last week with a head injury.
GET OFF THE COUCH
A wild, muddy ride and run.
Like a leapfrogging, tag-team, off-road, obstacle-course adventure race, the Muddy Buddy ride and run series — a national string of races that stops in Boulder on Sunday — should be a wild time.
Tag teams of two navigate an off-road running and cycling course that goes about 6 miles. Broken into legs, one member runs, the other rides, swapping spots along the way while negotiating various obstacles, the last of which is a muddy pit.
Come clean and leave a mess. The Muddy Buddy is an oddball competition. Check for info.
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
Bike racing: Leadville Trail 100.
A 10,152-foot starting line. A 104-mile course. A roster of racers among the biggest names in the sport. A scrappy cast of ultra-marathoners and fat-tire enthusiasts itching to beat the best.
It all comes together in the wee hours Saturday morning for the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race.
As both a welcome and a threat, the race bears an apt nickname — “The Race Across the Sky.” Forget about Lance Armstrong pulling out of the field this week because of a hip injury. The defending champion isn’t the toughest competition. The toughest test is the race itself.
