Ever since August 13, when the Association of Volleyball Professionals shut down its tour for the rest of the season, the beach volleyball community has been worried.
What would become of the professional beach volleyball tour? Would we ever see the top pro players compete again?
Fortunately, Reach Event Marketing has stepped-up big time to fill this chasm and host a pro beach volleyball tournament, this time without the support of the AVP tour. Result: The "2010 Pro Beach Volleyball - Players Championship Cincinnati" will be held from Thursday through Sunday at the newly constructed Hahana Beach entertainment and beach volleyball facility in Cincinnati, OH.
Once learning about the AVP's demise, REM Director, Mario Cicchinelli, and his team scrambled to orchestrate this tournament on their own. For without the AVP's involvement, REM was forced to attract elite players, sign-up additional sponsors, and finalize the facility's construction.
Calls to AVP players were soon made, inviting them to compete at this tournament. "We started at the top by contacting players we had great relationships with: Todd Rogers, Phil Dalhausser, Misty May-Treanor, and Kerri Walsh," said Cicchinelli about these Olympics gold medalists. Then, he sought out other elite-level AVP players.
Fortunately, not much convincing was required. Dozens of these world class athletes, who have enjoyed competing in these REM-hosted competitions for the last five years, quickly accepted this offer - as spiced by free food and lodging, as well as $80,000 in prize money. Most will be competing with their typical partners; however, due to scheduling conflicts there will be some interesting first-time pairings - including Jake Gibb and Casey Jennings, who just won an international event last weekend.
Walsh, who has not competed with May-Treanor since last year, will instead be playing with a new partner, Brooke Hanson. "REM has always put on fantastic events. I'm so happy that they're keeping the integrity of our sport," said Walsh.
While the tournament rosters were being finalized, REM hurriedly contacted local companies to support and sponsor this event. According to Cicchinelli, it was an easy sell. "They knew of the crowds, and knew of our reputation as a first class event."
Next up, the brand new entertainment oasis required some finishing touches. Just east of Cincinnati, this six acre complex features a 300-seat bar/restaurant that overlooks six beach volleyball courts set up for recreational, league, and tournament play. For this unique event, a 1300-seat stadium has been erected next to this facility where fans can catch all the action in this double elimination competition showcasing 16 teams.
Cicchinelli is expecting a big turnout that will be in a "much more intimate setting" than in the past where these tournaments were held in the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, OH. And he certainly has the players to thank for growing ticket sales.
Rogers said, "These guys are under the gun. They are getting stung by the AVP going under. So, it's worth supporting them for all their work in hosting past events in the last few years."
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