Karchy (hitting) and Sinjin know what I'm talking about. (Photo Courtesy of Art Couvillon)

Where was I?

Oh yes, changing the beach volleyball apparel world one pair of shorts at a time. What will they look like? How about six distinct prints, one unique design: part high-grade Coolmax polyester, part soybean protein polyester bamboo, part spandex. No ridiculous Velcro fly, instead a bomb-proof invisible waistband with a drawstring—adding comfort and customizable fit. With multiple outseams; from old school 17-inch high-waters to modern-day 23-inch “capris.”

And they will go by only one name: “Volleys.” Since, more or less, Dunlop’s trademark sneaker died alongside Patrick Rafter’s career.

If you’re thinking to yourself, Body Glove already produces a performance short with an invisible waistband called the Vapor and Hurley produces a short with enough performance an astronaut could circumnavigate the moon in them, you’d be correct. But both are still boardshorts, built specifically for surfing, and carry characteristics specific to water, not sand. And yet, a significant amount of research went into their development. So, by no means am I assuming this will be an easy undertaking.

To make things even more difficult on the production side, special edition “signature” shorts will need to accompany the six original AVP designed “volleyshorts,” instantly bringing an air of notoriety and legitimacy to the careers of those who wear them. Right? I mean, that’s the intention.

But seriously, can you imagine being 11 years old, riding your cruiser down to the beach at dawn, setting up your backpack chair within inches of court one, closing your eyes for a quick nap, toes twitching, knuckles cracking, as visions of your hero Phil Dalhausser smashing his patented cross-court angle serve from the baseline race through your head? And at 9:26 a.m., after Phil’s 13th stuff block goes down, holding his opponent to seven points again, you sprint to the merchandise tent to pick up your very own pair of Dalhaussers! Decorated by Phil himself with a large paw print down the right leg and some Roman cursive lettering you rejoicefully make out as “The Beast.”

Even volleyball fans and part-time players from outside California get it. “During the Olympic year, I had no less than 24 people ask me where they could buy some [Jake] Gibb shorts,” stated Utah native Casey Adams, who played in the 2009 Barefoot Wine AVPNext Championship Cup. “I told them I had no idea. I thought they couldn’t buy them anywhere. Mine were from Gibb, personally.”

Adams believes it all starts on-site: “Why are no AVP players wearing the gear found in the merchandise tent? I know the design has to be palatable to the players, but it also needs to be high quality and palatable to our specific market. Players need to be wearing the gear if the AVP wants it to sell and vice versa. Right now, I see a lot of players wearing gear for free that even I wouldn’t wear. Why not cut a few unique designs a year that are sport-specific and award players with them for making the main draw?”

What he’s talking about isn’t a new concept, but I’ll be damned if it’s not a brilliant one. Wilson made patches for players to sew on to their shorts in ’90s if they were lucky enough to earn a berth in the main draw. Those venerated patches dictated who was truly a professional beach volleyball player and established a line between the real pros and the wannabe amateurs. There’s no reason this project cannot take that concept to the next level.

Of course, in order for players to fully understand the benefits of this idea, it’s going to take time and most likely some hefty incentives.

As an example, let’s get back to our Olympic gold medalist Dalhausser. What would his current apparel sponsor think if he just started repping the AVP’s new line of beach threads and his own signature volleyshort? It’s not like Speedo is going to just let him wear whatever he wants in 2011 so that beach volleyball can reestablish itself in the consumer marketplace. They’re not stupid. Although if they were paying attention, they would have created their very own Dalhausser signature shorts immediately following his famous sprint into Todd’s nervous outstretched arms in Beijing. And they would have actually marketed it as such. But then again, there would have been nothing volleyball-specific about those shorts, so really, they would have had nowhere to appropriately advertise them anyway. Regardless, it’s a moot point. Speedo has officially pulled out, leaving the sport wide open and ready for the merchandise-taking, relatively speaking.

Note: What ever happened to Stein Metzger, Dax Holdren, Eric Fonoimoana, Dain Blanton, Jose Loiola, Mike Lambert and Canyon Ceman? Injuries, check. Age, check. Loss of significant apparel sponsorship dollars, check. Sure, these guys tried to battle head on with father time, but you’re only kidding yourself if you think any of them would have hung it up as early as they did had their apparel sponsors not hung it up for them first. Dax, Lambo and Fonoi with Nautica. Stein with Speedo (in addition to Gibb and Dalhausser—we’ll see how long they last without any base support structure). Blanton with Oakley. And Loiola and Ceman with Nike. Guaranteed dollars up-front gone, careers over.

Think about it. Players at all levels, not just the top, need endorsement dollars if they want any shot at staving off retirement. That’s the reality.

If I want to achieve my goal of having every men’s player ranked in the top 32 competing in the AVP’s new line of beach volleyshorts in 2011, I need to find a way to outsource production and start building a significant incentive partnership plan with a brand that is savvy enough to understand it will one day have the capacity to own the merchandising rights for the entire sport of beach volleyball.

So what will it take for the top professional players to appreciate my vision? For the middle-of-the-road beach guys to realize they also need to get on board instead of running to the local surf shop for a fresh pair of boardies? For the average fans to understand that in order for the sport to be successful, they need to also support the apparel that supports our sport?

Understanding. Understanding and money.

I’ve spent hours upon hours mulling over dollars and cents, creating spreadsheet upon spreadsheet, with only one sole purpose: Build a proposal that is logical and feasible for both sides. Is it possible? I don’t know. I’d like to believe there is a way out there to help everybody. The players with a new line of shorts that will put boardies to shame while adding a little scrill to their pocket books; the fans and weekend warriors with a new line of apparel that speaks directly to their beach-loving hearts and souls; the apparel brand with expansion worldwide in both presence and profits; and the sport itself with a brand new commercial identity.

I understand there will be backlash from the players if they think I’m working on this project for my own personal agenda, or the AVP’s. I understand that players will always want the rights to negotiate their own apparel sponsorship deals. I understand that the top players have agents who work hard on their behalf and deserve to get paid.

But I also understand today’s market. I understand how many players actually have an apparel deal heading into 2010: zero. I understand that we need to start building something from the ground up if we want any hope of ever having a market value of our own. And I understand that players deeply appreciate every extra dollar that allows them to continue playing the game they love. The concept is cyclical. But it needs everybody from all angles to believe in it in order to get the ball rolling.

Our success at the Olympic Games stems from having the best players in the world competing right here, week-in and week-out on the AVP. How many players will our sport continue to lose if the athletes themselves cannot afford to travel to tournaments, let alone eat outside the players’ tent and its heavily underrated gourmet organic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?

Jason Ring had a spectacular idea a few years ago that I believe needs to be followed through on before it’s too late: “The Official Player’s Guide to Surviving on 20 Grand.” From cheap flights, to cheap places to stay, to cheap diners for dinner, to maximizing deductions for all three in April with H&R Block. It could be the most useful tool ever created for future beach athletes, but one that would be completely irrelevant if the sport’s stars actually earned the marketing dollars they deserve.

My player apparel incentive package for both genders (like I said in Part 1, women’s bathing suits are tricky and deserve their own column, but would definitely be part of the program) would ideally look like this: Finish 2010 ranked in the top 32, become an official pro, earn the right to wear the new beach volleyball apparel line and the right to deposit a base sponsorship check relative to your end-of-season ranking into your bank account. Play 2011 with considerably less financial strain, enjoy competing relatively stress-free, finish 2011 back in the top 32 and earn an incentive bonus relative to your end-of-season ranking. And the numbers would be substantial.

After the newly distinguished “pros” start wearing the beach volleyball apparel, fans will see their favorite athletes competing in something completely original and elect to invest in them and their future instead of Kelly Slater’s. An industry will be born and a cultural presence will be established. All while joining together to do whatever it takes to keep our sport alive.

If none of this flies, if no one thinks a line specific to our sport has merit, if not even one single brand sees value in partnering up with the AVP to create something special, then whaddya know? I’ll be forced to do it myself.

In case that happens, I’m tracking every move since the moment of its inception right here, so the history of this project will never be lost. Like I said, volleyshorts or die….

Elastic-waisted shorts used to fit in on the beach. (Photo Courtesy of Art Couvillon)

Let’s be clear from the start: I’ve spent more time debating this subject than anyone else on the planet. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and take a look. Sadly, this type of steadfast dedication might soon crown me time-wasted-debating-irrelevant-hypothetical-volley-ideas king. And yet, here I am again.

That being said, why is a legitimate line of beach volleyball apparel so important to me? Simple: it represents the best way of establishing our very own consumer merchandise industry. And that, my friends, is exactly what we’re missing: a clothing line synonymous with and unique to the sport of beach volleyball.

Today I’m only going to focus on one particular article of clothing: men’s shorts. Sorry ladies, I mean no disrespect. Your time will come. I’ll happily discuss miniature bathing suits and Brazilian-cut bikinis down the road, but frankly, right now, I don’t know a thing about them, and all of my research has been sucked up by the vacuum that is the current men’s “boardshort” dilemma.

During the first week of December I began a widespread pitch for the return of the elastic waistband. It involved enthusiastically asking every player I ran into what he thought of finally competing on the sand in something other than the traditional binding boardshort. I even inquired with the last living soul to have proudly worn elastic-waisted shorts on the AVP Tour, Todd Rogers. Okay, not true. Plenty of former beach stars still have a pulse and at one time or another donned neon nylon with waist lines proudly tagged, “One Size Fits All.” But Todd is the last one on the “still active” list, and his retort clearly demonstrates knowledge of the fact.

“I’m in [on the elastic waist] for sure, being the ancient dinosaur that I am,” Rogers sarcastically responded before officially calling me out. “Because let’s be frank, that is why you’re asking me. I am the highest-ranked old fogey you could find who, as pictures will attest, wore ‘volleyshorts’ way back in the day.” He’s more right than he knows.

By “volleyshorts,” Todd’s referring to swimming trunks sported frequently at rec center community lap pools prior to 1997: elastic waistband, baggy nylon material, fluorescent print. Yep, he wore ’em. In fact, his favorite pair was made by Mossimo, but was the less-noticeable color of white. He wasn’t the only one. Anybody who loved Miller Lite and a little volley on the sand (accompanied by “Queen of the Beach” bikini contests, of course) also appreciated shorts fueled by comfort vs. aesthetics.

Until three weeks ago, I was still embracing the delusional mind set that elastic was the only direction official beach volleyball shorts could go. I researched every brand that ever produced a line featuring an elastomer as its primary waistband support agent: Spot Sport, Club, Sideout, Redsand, VB Rags, Primitive Prints, Ocean Pacific, Jams, Fila, Speedo, Quiksilver…the list, and investigation time required to uncover why each of them disappeared off the radar, was endless. But I was still adamant about bringing them back.

Thankfully, my stretchy sales pitch ran out of gas on the sidewalk in front of “Memphis,” a restaurant in downtown Manhattan Beach, as doubts flooded my mind like the tsunami in “2012”: Will Rosie wear elastic? Am I setting the volleyball apparel industry back another decade with my outlandish idea to reignite fashions that had their time and experienced a brutal, destructive death back in 1997? Will my peers ever speak to me again if I force them to buy in on shorts with a “coolness” factor equivalent to a sleeve-less jean vest?

No, yes, and no. Result: puffy, elastic, beach volleyshorts cannot, at all cost, escape from the endangered fashions list. I refuse to go down in history as the man who perpetuated beach volleyball’s consumer merchandise downfall.

So where does that leave me? Back on the street corner in Manhattan, speaking to former Peanut Butter & Jelly Time teammate Aaron Wachtfogel on the phone, brainstorming. Followed by lunch the ensuing day with Kinda Good’s front man, Dan Madden, brainstorming. And just moments ago, polishing off a phone conversation with Superman himself, Sean Rosenthal, brainstorming.

Consensus: a “cool,” moisture-wicking, breathable, performance-based short built specifically for beach volleyball players, by beach volleyball players, is essential if we want any shot at creating a dent in the billion-dollar surf industry.

Wachtfogel even took it to the next level and signed on to become my official short reporter. After testing three unique styles of shorts, he essentially produced the specs for our final prototype.

Listen, here’s the skinny. Kids lucky enough to witness Rosie bounce a ball out of the troposphere off the deep sands of Manhattan Beach want to look like Rosie. Beach volleyball is no different than any other sport. Aspiration is fueled by inspiration; what inspires youths these days? Feats of athleticism seemingly impossible by mere mortal man.

Rightfully so, every child who has ever seen Sean Rosenthal play wants to be him. They want to jump 40 inches, dive over a banner, dig a ball with one hand and pike on the transition set with their left just as hard as their right. They want to represent the United States in the Olympics and, most importantly, they want to wear what he’s wearing.

Wachtfogel said it best during a conversation with David Swatik: “I never wanted to be a pro beach volleyball player because Brent Frohoff was; I wanted to be Brent Frohoff.”

And that is why Aaron saved his monthly allowance as a kid to purchase Frohoff’s signature Spot Sport volleyshorts. There’s no reason children growing up today shouldn’t have the same opportunity. Only now, Aaron Wachtfogel’s signature shorts should be available for purchase—which, if he had his way, would resemble a pair of jorts.

Lost? Not sure what a jort is and don’t have the patience to launch a new window asking Jeeves? Or the patience to reroute through Bing once you realize Jeeves died in 2006? Well, jorts are a pair of shorts made of denim. Yes, denim. Jean shorts, my friends. Usually cut-offs. And more often than not, an authentic pair of men’s jorts in the closet means the owner has yet to speak with a girl. Or likes Nascar. Only Aaron’s particular pair would be light, water-repellent and somehow miraculously “cool,” most likely because his would be worn with never-ending satirical allegiance, and the hope of an appearance on “Colbert” following his first victory at Manhattan Beach.

Breathable, moisture-wicking, 85 percent polyester jorts, that is.

And thus begins the most aggressive legislative apparel campaign in our sport’s history. Yes, I’ve finally reached the point of this whole argument. I would like to formally announce the unveiling of a new AVP, volleyball-specific, high-performance short to be worn by all 32 main draw players on the AVP Tour in 2011.

Check back Tuesday to find out what it’s going to take to get it done.

The Short Report

A detailed account of every thought, idea, conversation, meeting and word sent to print regarding the creation of a brand new line of beach volleyball apparel for the AVP in 2011. From its inception to its production.

Like most ideas, it all started with a conversation on the road at a tournament. This particular scintillating exchange of dialog took place in the city. New York City. The only city with enough influence to be christened with a title as enigmatic as the city.

Chuck Bass lives here. As do the Van Der Woodsen's...

When words first began appearing on paper, it became what can only be described as a free-flowing stream of thought; ‘liberated writing,’ if you will. The first blog on the topic took less than an hour to produce.

If you’re saying, “Well, obviously Hans, it’s not Pulitzer; it’s not even grammatically correct,” you’d be right. Back then I didn’t have an editor cleaning things up, making me sound all professional and stuff. And technically, over here, I still don’t, so bear with me.

I wrote the original, Apparel for the New AVP, like I said, in an hour. Maybe less. It was just something I needed to say right then that was on my mind and I couldn’t afford to let it slip away like most of my other “brilliant” ideas. So, I excused myself from the dinner table, walked across most of Manhattan, right by Chuck Bass’ home, grabbed a pen and notepad from the hotel front desk, sat down in one of the cushy living room chairs and got to work. Granted I didn’t type it out and post it for weeks, but that’s neither here nor there.

The second blog, AVP Apparel - Take 2, came only a few short months later. I felt compelled to elaborate on my earlier vision. It received a solid response from readers and began generating the type of buzz among volley nerds, my friends, that was necessary to warrant my most recent column, Elastic Waist or Die! on avp.com. I began writing that overly-passionate, two-part, piece of prose months ago. It didn’t post right away because certain AVP office dignitaries felt the idea, in its most natural state, had merit. Perhaps we could develop our own line of beach volleyball apparel? Research this Hans, research it!

A sign stating HOLD THE PRINT and a meeting with a high-profile athletic apparel brand came next. The digital proposal was masterfully put together by Brandon Thomsen and incorporated many of the ideas listed in the Benefits of Outsourcing Volleyshorts.

Next came some light communication with players regarding incentives and ideal financial compensation for wearing the new apparel. Basically, I asked a few top pros what it was going to take, dollar-wise, to get everybody on tour to buy in on the idea and understand its importance for the longevity of the sport.

A spreadsheet was built. Another spreadsheet was built. Those two spreadsheets were burned over my stove, for practice. And finally, a third spreadsheet was built that laid it all out there. It established a realistic number for use when approaching potential partners that would, in the end, benefit everybody financially. Everybody.

[Enter road block]

Naturally, players want to either negotiate their sponsorship deals by themselves or have their agents do it for them. And agents think ideas like mine are nothing but the poison of the earth. Honestly, I can’t necessarily blame them. They stand to risk considerable amounts of cash in commissions if they’re no longer able to high-ball some unknowing company that doesn’t understand the market. Then again, this type of movement could actually establish a legitimate market for agents and their athletes to one day capitalize on. But let’s be honest, who’s thinking even a single day past tomorrow?

Note: I’ve spoken to one agent that I highly respect. His name is Ryan Morgan, and he gets it.

And so, I’m right back where I started: talking ideas on paper that will most likely never be anything more than ideas. But this time, I’m documenting the whole journey. The entire trip. Every single flight into unchartered territory. And placing every syllable right here, with photos, on the Short Report. If you come back, it’ll be here. Updated.

Funny, I don't remember seeing her at the 6-Man...

Here’s an article from both Volleyball and DiG Magazine back in 2006. I thought I would share it because it’s pertinent to my current project, The Short Report.

Plastic has been making beach volleyball apparel for as long as I’ve been involved in the game and was my initial boardshort sponsor back in 2004-05 when I played with Matt Olson. We actually won our first Australian tournament together in a pair of royal blue Plastic’s that had an American flag on the right leg. I still have those shorts in my closet and don’t foresee myself getting rid of them anytime soon.

The reason I never mentioned Plastic in my two-part AVP column is because I have never considered Plastic’s shorts to be “volleyshorts.” They’ve always appeared to be exactly like every other pair of boardshorts to me, only they fit a little better and generally hang in all the right spots; which can be two very underrated characteristics when it comes to competition apparel.

Now, I’ve recently spoken to Plastic CEO Dave Kamena about producing a short that has a look and feel synonymous with only beach volleyball. He’s open to the idea. Not sold, but open. I was planning on having a pair of his shorts tested out in my second performance short review, this time by Matt Prosser, but unfortunately he’s sold out of size 38’s in his competition line. When 2010’s summer edition is released in April, I’ll be sure to get a pair so we can all find out exactly how volley they really are, regardless if they look like a boardshort or not.

In the meantime, I wanted to say thanks to Dave for dedicating his commercial focus to a sporting line that hasn’t always reaped the most lucrative returns. Even if his shorts resemble boardshorts, I’m fully aware he didn’t build them solely for the water.

Key point here: The more we, as fans and part-time players, support beach volleyball brands like Plastic, the more chance we have to see our sport grow. It’s that simple.    

AVP
PLASTIC CLOTHING, INC. TAILORS TO FIT
THE BEACH VOLLEYBALL ATHLETE
Body Types Demand Different Materials and Fit

ENCINITAS, CA – May 24, 2006 – Beach Volleyball is back in the spotlight! The fan base continues to thrive and network TV/cable channels have taken notice which is increasing the popularity of the sport. Beach volleyball owes a lot to the sport of surfing. The lifestyles of these two sports are attractive.

“Being near the ocean and in the sun is the goal, no matter what the sport, but different sports have different equipment needs regardless of their similarities” said Dave Kamena, CEO for PLASTIC.

The clothing worn by volleyball athletes and surfers seems to be the same, but it shouldn’t be. The average beach volleyball player has more height, weight and age, than the typical surfer who is shorter, younger and has less body mass.

PLASTIC uses volleyball athletes as fit models. Meaning, the athletes are a little taller and have more leg muscle, resulting in a fit with more room in the seat, longer leg to waist ratio and a more adjustable waistband. Due to the movement needs of the beach volleyball player, the trunks need to end at the knee so the seam doesn’t catch on a jump. Stretch panels and thicker side seams work together with a quick dry fabric to eliminate chafing and give the product longevity.

“PLASTIC is the first boardshort I grab before a tourney. They seem to last the longest, dry the quickest, and fit better than anything else I have tried,” said Dan Neiman, Estero committee member and money winning CBVA pro.

PLASTIC Inc. has been designing and manufacturing clothing and accessories for the Southern California beach culture since 1998. Check out www.plasticclothing.com to see more!

Performance short array - Oddly enough, they're all blue...

Review #1 – Quiksilver Performance Czech Mate Shorts

Ok, first off, I was extremely disappointed as soon as I put them on. If I was in the store I would probably have taken them off immediately and put them back on the rack, unless I really loved the design, but I didn’t. I’ll spend very little time on the looks because that’s probably the least important at this stage. Basically, I dislike the theory of a thick stripe down the side whether or not its a separate panel, and aside from that, I think the overall look is boring.

My big problem was the ‘cut.’ I think the crotch, and I use that word for lack of a better one because I’m not knowledgeable in clothing jargon, was too low. The effect of this is that the fulcrum is nowhere close to the origin of movement and causes the shorts to catch in weird spots.

On me, they would catch on my hips and quads, causing an uncomfortable pulling on my whole front side. I also suspect the leg opening might be a little too small. The shorts are only OK in regards to how they sit on the waist. I personally like when the top of a short catches and the rest hangs, and these almost come close to doing that. Instead, they catch in the middle of the waistband, which creates a little unnecessary space at the top of the waistband.

The button closure is okay, semi-uncomfortable when sitting for long periods of time, but more importantly, the button closure is not adjustable. I think an adjustable closure is very important for optimum fit.

The only thing that makes up for the lack of precision fit is the material, which was nice and flexible. Also, the material slides against the skin well during movement which is important. I do, however, think the material is a tad thick. I was looking at a pair of Hurley shorts I have that are similar blend (84%/16% poly to spandex vs 85%/15%), but they’re thinner, and I think a tad better. Still this material doesn’t breath well and I think if it was really hot out the shorts would be hard to wear.

So overall, after working out, I didn’t hate these shorts, but wouldn’t likely wear them again, and they would never be my favorite. They could definitely be heavily improved upon.

Quiksilver Performance Shorts

Review #2 – Lululemon Court Short II

I wore the Lululemon shorts today and I have to say they are pretty comfortable. However, it goes without saying, there should be no side pockets.

It wasn’t a particularly hot day so I couldn’t tell how well they breathe but I would assume fine. I’m not sold on the nylon though because I got them wet and they were super sticky.

Also, this may not be an issue for everyone but I would feel uncomfortable wearing them without undergarments and I tend to like to wear boardies commando because they not only dry better when there’s only one layer, but it’s also more comfortable for me and frankly, it’s one of the advantages of being at the beach and cruising.

My other dislike with these shorts is the waistband. I like the cut of the short and they look pretty good with a shirt on, but I think if someone is going shirtless, the waist band looks completely unfinished and unflattering in the front. Also, the drawstring is far too stretchy to be useful.

I think that’s all I got on those. I like the look, they were comfy and allowed easy movement, but the material is thin and sticky when hot, and the waistband seems unfinished.

Lululemon Court Short II

Review #3 – Brothers Neilsen

The big plus with these shorts is the material. The tag says they are 100% polyester but they seem different than other polyester boardshorts I’ve worn. The inside almost feels like satin, which is nice because they don’t stick anywhere during movement. And although they don’t stretch, they do seem to consist of a good thickness and have excellent flexibility with no stiffness.

I’m not exactly jazzed on the styling, and they were both too long for me and tight around the waist. And again, as with the others, I don’t love the button closure or the velcro fly. A competition short cannot have a velcro fly.

Overall, the material of these shorts is great but the cut and styling weren’t really to my liking. I don’t think these shorts would be excessively hot in high temps but I think a little venting or air flow could serve them well.

Brothers Neilsen Shorts

Conclusion

As far as developing the perfect shorts for volleyball I’d want to combine aspects from all three shorts to create one super perfect variant. I love the stretch the Ouiksilver shorts provide, I like the style of the Lululemon’s and I enjoy the smooth movement of the great polyester fabric of Brothers Neilsen’s.

Lululemon had a couple different materials in their shorts allowing different panels to have independent functions. If the polyester fabric and the polyester/spandex blend could be combined with a breathable material to allow airflow through the shorts I think we’d have a great beach volleyball clothing item. I’m not opposed to a flexible waistband but I’d look for a more finished look for the enclosure as well as the ability to adjust the waist to be just the right size, similar to a tie-front short.

Beach volleyball specific gear should serve the needs of the beach volleyball athlete and an outdoor athlete needs a breathable, flexible, quick drying short that can be worn all day with style.

Aaron P. Wachtfogel, Esquire

On Tuesday, I got pushed back in the rotation behind a giant Rockstar, destroying my numbers, so there’s a distinct possibility you may have missed Part 2: Volleyshorts or Die? This one’s definitely built more for the early spring.

Wait, did Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? That’s right, he did. Then the second column is built for a long winter. Sorry.

Either way, this blog is all about paying homage to what used to be…

Tommy Bahama

 Vineyard Vines
 

Polo

 Nautica

Jams

 

Mossimo 1

 

Mossimo 2

 

Mossimo 3

 

 Speedo

Nike 1

 

 

Nike 2 

Le Coq Sportif 

 Vilebrequin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Brands like Nike, Under Armour, Adidas and Asics have the market share and reputation as leaders in performance-based athletic apparel to capitalize on exactly this type of opportunity. Whether they share my somewhat altruistic vision is an entirely different story. For the rare chance they stumble across this glorious project, I’ll break it all down for them.

Why it’s important to create a legitimate line of beach volleyball apparel…

- Reestablish our very own consumer merchandise industry.
- Stop contributing to the billion dollar surf industry.
- Branding. Brands make superstars, not sports. 
(E.g. Nike made Michael Jordan, not the NBA; Quiksilver made Kelly Slater, not the ASP World Tour; Lacoste made Andy Roddick, not the ATP Tour–the guy has won only one  major in his career.)
                   
Why an established brand in the marketplace is the perfect fit…

- Leaders in the sports performance industry.
- Notorious for performance-based clothing and a working knowledge base regarding breathable, moisture wicking materials comprised of high-grade polyesters, nylons, cottons and elastomers.
- Established market share would allow readily available distribution and mass marketing.

Why the AVP is appealing…

- Established audience/fan-base waiting for something to set them apart and “define” them.
- Ability to create a line of performance-based clothing specific to and synonymous with beach volleyball.
- A line of apparel that will also attract and embrace up and comers from club beach teams as they aspire to become professionals like their idols.  

Why indoor club is also appealing…

- AVP is creating and establishing its own line of club-based indoor volleyball apparel.
- The 2010 AVP club uniform pilot program already includes 1,200 girls across the country and is ready to establish itself as the premier indoor volleyball apparel line.
- There are over 400,000 junior club volleyball players currently in the United States.
- Each player spends an average of $200 per year on clothing and equipment.
- Line currently includes a performance long sleeve black jersey, a performance short sleeve jersey, performance spandex, black warm-up jacket, black warm-up pants and a custom AVP backpack.

The Benefits…

- The timing has never been more ideal to corner the market and own the merchandising rights to the entire sport of volleyball.
- Sand Volleyball is set to become a NCAA Division 1 sport in 2011 and will need sponsored uniform production.
- Increased global brand awareness, market share and overall profits.
- The chance to become a part of volleyball history. 
    

- Collaboration of two styles: water shorts and gym shorts.
- Breathable, moisture wicking, comfortable, durable and lightweight but not light enough to no longer hold their shape.
- Comprised of exactly the right blend of high-grade polyester, soybean polyester bamboo, nylon, spandex and/or lycra.
- Waistband with internal drawstring - allowing for fewer sizes while cutting production costs, but will not include any visible elastic. Anywhere.
- Singular pocket on back leg with streamlined rubberized zipper enclosure, and I think this goes without saying but they will not have side hip pockets.
- Multiple lengths ranging from 17” to 23” outseams to accommodate different heights of players.

Digital mock-up coming soon…

In order to acquire this necessary R&D feedback, I convinced Aaron Wachtfogel to test three different pairs of high-performance shorts and tell me what he thought. Click here to view his invaluable response.

Whoever created this shirt should be prosecuted for the death of our apparel industry. 20 to life...

Have I already written about this topic? Yes. Was it quite recently? Yes. Am I willing to overstate the already overstated? Yes, yes I am.

I returned to Dick’s Sporting Goods a little over a week ago at Fashion Island and bought two things: an Under Armor calf sleeve and an Under Armor ankle brace. Why? Because it’s the end of the season and I am beat up to all hell.

Case in point: The muscle in my left calf feels like it’s separating from the bone and I’m not afraid to kick the end of my couch with my right foot, possibly fracturing the lateral cuneiform, after my computer crashed and deleted all of the files on my desktop, including the only thing of significance that I’ve written in the last six months. No, not my book, again, just a column I was about to submit to Outside Magazine regarding Beach Volleyball and its future and why we’re never mentioned in a magazine that only covers sports and athletic activities that take place OUTSIDE?

Regardless, that’s not what this column is about. It’s about the fact that I seem to love walking around Dick’s Sporting Goods reminding myself of the fact that we, the sport of beach volleyball, have no stake in the consumer marketplace. Not even a pirate’s wooden peg leg to stand on. Only the same cheap net set-up and this time, a plastic Mikasa ball with Misty’s signature.

Bottom line: Big name apparel brands build sports and their stars, and beach volleyball does not currently have one single big name brand to call its own.

The other day, I linked through to Oakley’s website from a Twitter feed and landed on this mysterious girl’s product line called the “Gretchen Bleiler Collection.” And we all know how difficult that was for me considering my utter disdain for Oakley and its employees (although I met a girl named Justina from Oakley this past weekend in Vegas and quite liked her, so maybe my final opinion is still up in the air), but either way I made my way over there to check it out because I wanted to see just how much time and energy Oakley was dedicating to an athlete I’ve never heard of, and I’m guessing, 98% of the population has never heard of either. You know, similar to beach volleyball stars. So, why does this “Gretchen Bleiler” have her very own product line? Is it because she snowboards? Really well, from what I gather. Or, is it because she’s blond, looks halfway decent in an open oversized coat and bikini top, and can rock a half pipe well enough for teenage boys to put her poster on the wall? OR, is it because she competes in a “sport” that actually generates consumer merchandise that sells? Think about that for another second. I would still not know who she was, nor would she have any sponsors, if snow boarding did not have its own alternative/punk/retro, or, quote, un-quote, cool (rabbit fingers flying in the air), niche in the consumer apparel marketplace. Now I want you to think about it for another second. Why? Because I’m thinking of my next point…

Why don’t we have any brands to call our own? I mean, Oakley gives sunglasses and turquoise colored board shorts to innumerable players on tour, delicately matching the personalities of those who embrace them, but they certainly don’t produce anything that is specific to the sport of beach volleyball. And as much as we think “Polarized Flak Jackets” are sport specific, they’re not. Although they do carry that essential sporty/nerdy appeal to them that is required for any true volley shade.

Now, what prompted a 2nd blog (Missed the 1st? Click here) regarding our absence in the apparel industry? An email from the Kinda Good team. Or, the only guys out there doing anything to make our sport grow. And when I say “guys,” I’m referring to Billy Allen, Dan Madden, and AJ Mihalic. Although, AJ has gone missing of late, so perhaps it’s now a two-man show. Either way, KG asked me and every other player on tour this question: “What three things do you dislike or would like to see change in the volleyball world?”

Don’t worry, I’m guessing I’m the only one who responded with an answer.

Here’s what I had to say:

1. There is currently zero advertising being done by, or for, the AVP. Nobody outside those who log onto avp.com is aware a professional beach volleyball tour even exists. Advertising has to be done nationwide, at a far greater scale, for people to finally become aware that there are tournaments in their area coming soon. We can no longer rely on our miniscule outreach to those who simply play the game and already know how to log onto avp.com. Information regarding the sport has to be quadrupled daily and spread to the unreachable reaches of the galaxy.
 
2. Beach Volleyball has zero presence in the consumer marketplace. Zero. I got a link the other day regarding some obscure snowboarder that just joined the Oakley team and now has her own line and ad campaign. A snowboarder. Why? Because she’s wearing stuff that sells. We don’t wear anything that is our own, that people want to buy. We don’t have our own industry. And that’s why we’re unable to grow. Or advertise at the level we need to.
 
3. There is a serious disconnect between the beach game and the indoor game and I’m not sure where it stems from or how to fix it? At all levels, especially at USA Volleyball and the FIVB. Beach is the only game people care to watch, yet it receives zero respect and, therefore, limited funding. Not to mention, pointless bickering exists on 50 different levels between all governing bodies.

Obviously point number two is what we’re focusing on here today, but that doesn’t mean I won’t comment further on points one and three at a later date.

As of 2010, Speedo will no longer be involved with player sponsorship, except for Kerri Walsh, who signed a 2-year deal following Beijing. Which means, we will no longer have any athletes on the men’s side of the draw with a financial apparel deal. Even the bald wonder himself will be out on the streets looking for boardshorts to purchase at retail. Well, I wouldn’t go that far. Phil will no doubt land somebody to accompany his cool Red Bull arm band. So, Nautica and Speedo both depart, and now we’re left with no one.

I stated in my earlier apparel proposal that if a brand like Vilebrequin didn’t emerge and take over as the new volleyball-style apparel, then I thought an established brand like Quiksilver should develop their own volleyball-based line to piggy back their colossal surf presence, especially now that the market is completely open for the taking, but after hearing that Bob McKnight got drunk recently and blamed me personally for the poor performance of Quiksilver’s 6-man team, I’m pretty sure I could care less if Quik ever decides to get re-involved. I mean, why wouldn’t it be one man’s fault that our team couldn’t pass or set the rock? And isn’t the 6-Man supposed to be played for fun? Well done. You just lost another customer. And to think, every year when I visited Australia, I would always make the trek down to Torquay to see famous Bell’s Beach; you know, the one from “Point Break,” and stop by the Quiksilver mega-store to purchase one pair of shorts that were not yet available stateside. But, all things must come to an end. I really don’t think companies realize how loyal a customer can be, and how easily they can disappear if they’re not respected.

This brings me to my last point of the afternoon; the very limited relationship between athletes and their rarely acquired sponsors. For example, my association with the clothing brand, Patagonia. Not that anyone watching me play this season would have any idea that I repped Patagonia because the logos on the shorts were so small they were almost invisible, and the sleeveless Capilene t-shirts they provided me had a branding on the back of the neck that was even smaller. But that’s their loss, right? I mean, if they don’t care, why should I? It’s not like I received anything from them for free anyway. I was merely placed on their “Pro” Team and rewarded with apparel at a discounted price; sometimes at cost, sometimes 50% off, sometimes even less. But it’s all I had this year, so I wore the gear with pride. What’s weird is how little they cared about me or what I could have done for them? The advertising world today is made up of social marketers generating electronic word of mouth. I happen to have a blog that way more people read than I ever believed to be possible – the Google Analytics actually frightened me – and despite the fact that I promised both myself and my readers that I would never advertise here, because it would then no longer be a “blog,” I do have a lovely 250 x 250 banner ad spot available right above that drop down column titled, “recent posts.” Have I offered said space multiple times to my contact at Patagonia to be used for an affiliate tag similar to those in my musical playlists that zoom you straight through to iTunes? Yes, yes I have. Has my contact even cared to view my blog to see what it is that I’m offering for free? No, she hasn’t. Remarkable, no? I mean, seriously remarkable. Granted, this takes us right back to the top of the blog; Patagonia does not have a beach volleyball based product line to sell, and therefore, they could care less as a brand what kind of sales might be produced from a guy wearing their gear on the sand; or, advertising on his tiny beach volleyball based blog.    

To conclude: I always loved pulling together a college term paper with ‘to conclude.’ Our sport will always remain exactly where it is, unless a few brands take an Indiana Jones type leap into the unknown and start building a new beach volleyball based foundation atop the deep sand on which they land.

French styling for the sand...

I’ve been meaning to write something for quite a while regarding the apparel worn by athletes on tour and how it’s not helping build a volleyball-based style or brand for the sport to market and sell. Instead, we keep contributing our hard-earned dollars to the surf industry instead of creating our own consumer base.

For example, last week I walked into Dick’s Sporting Goods and noticed floor to ceiling marketing displays of people enjoying the summer, wearing summer clothing, which just so happened to coincide directly with either a guy or girl holding a volleyball. I’m not kidding; every single advertisement lining the walls and stanchions had someone playing volleyball.

How to solve this conundrum? Well, I think the AVP and its stellar new management group should partner with a brand like Vilebrequin for player apparel and require all athletes not already locked into an apparel sponsorship arrangement to wear them. Tough sell, yes. However, if Vilebrequin outfitted every athlete on tour and started developing shorts, tops and bathing suits that are sport specific and we started selling consumer goods that no longer contributed to another sport’s bottom dollar; slowly but surely, I think everyone playing the game might come around.

It doesn’t even necessarily have to be Vilebrequin. In fact, they might be a little expensive for the price point of a typical AVP fan, but I think you get my point. It needs to be a “volleyball-based style” brand that isn’t already contributing additional dollars to the pockets of “Surfing Magazine” through free advertisement of the same gear that is running their billion dollar industry.

The AVP Tour currently has two athletes on the men’s side that have an apparel deal (Phil Dalhausser and Jake Gibb with Speedo). Everyone else is wearing boardshorts for free and has helped turn a company like Quiksilver into an untouchable super giant.

It’s just my opinion but I really think what we’re missing, and have been missing for some time, is consumers. A fan should be like, “What’s Rosie wearing? I’m getting those shorts for sure.” It’ll help drive the marketplace. And Rockstar unfortunately sells toxic energy poison, not apparel.
 
Note: Rosie, Casey and Aaron are true Rockstars. I love Fuerby and his game to death, but he’s no Rockstar. He’s about the furthest thing you can get from a Rockstar. Fortunately for him, his partner is carrying the slack for both of them. Casey reminds me almost of the old school; showing up to his match for the cross-over with a VIP stamp on his wrist and a look in his eye that screams, “I absolutely killed it last night.” And then he wins…

Okay, back to business, and apparel that we can all wear to help transcend the sport of beach volleyball.

Now, if you have any knowledge of the game in the ’80s and ’90s, your first reaction to this request is of course, we’ve already tried this, and every brand our sport seemed to churn out crashed and burned. And if that is, in fact, what you just said to yourself out-loud, you’d be completely right.

Sideout, Club, Redsand, VB Rags, Mossimo, OP, Jams, Spot Sport, Primitive Prints… they’ve all gone the way of a nice pair of Z. Cavaricci’s. Well, that’s not completely true. Somehow, someway, it looks as though a few of the brands listed above managed to survive the test of time. Click on each hyperlink to check out what they’ve become. Either way, once again, you get my point. We’ve tried it, experienced the trend setting success any true wonder fad can, and watched it all collapse before our eyes. Kind of like the whole tour in the late 90’s; which might have had more to do with the loss of an apparel industry than anyone has ever been willing to admit.

Bottom line: With a little mix of the old, we now have a golden opportunity to start fresh and create something new. A brand like Vilebrequin would actually be very similar to the old style: pastels, florals and optional, smooth elastic waistbands. But it would also include something the beach volleyball world has yet to experience: a distinguished air of class.

The key would obviously be getting every player on tour to understand the greater purpose of this mission in order to prevent a revolution. Most athletes on tour are individualistic well beyond the point of actually being an ‘individual,’ so conformity within one structure of style would be a tough stretch, but if our sport started creating its own market for consumer merchandise, advertising dollars for magazines, television and on-site activation would automatically sky rocket, instantly translating into dollars in our own pockets. We could finally stand alone, on our own two feet, with apparel that speaks solely to our beloved cult-like beach loving community.

The next time I hear a kid say they want to play beach volleyball and look as cool as Sean Rosenthal, I want that kid to follow up with, “No Mom, I don’t want those ridiculous boardshorts, I’m not going surfing. I want a pair of those shorts Rosie has on, a pair of shorts that only volleyball players wear.”

Not done yet? Looking for part 2? Click here.