Men's beach volleyball team not giving up

By David Leon Moore

USA TODAY

ATHENS, Greece - One U.S. Olympic men's beach volleyball team, defending gold medalist Dain Blanton and Jeff Nygaard, already has been sent packing, losing its third consecutive match Wednesday.

Another, Dax Holdren and Stein Metzger, is 1-1 and not looking like a medal contender.

Considering the sport was born on the beaches of California and the first four gold medalists were all Californians, what's wrong?

Maybe nothing.

There is a strong, deep field playing regularly on the AVP pro beach tour this summer. Seven different teams, though not Blanton/Nygaard or Holdren/Metzger, have won the eight AVP tournaments this year.

Some of those winners might have been stronger representatives in Athens but had little chance to get here because of a qualification process in which teams earned points on the international FIVB tour during the previous 18 months.

Partnerships change frequently on the AVP tour, and new stars emerge - such as this year: Mike Lambert, who has won twice with ageless Karch Kiraly, and the dynamic new team of George Roumain and Jason Ring.

Plus, some players, such as Kiraly, just aren't interested in traveling all over Europe and Asia for 18 months in search of Olympic points.

If the USA had been allowed to hold Olympic trials, many believe the teams coming to Athens would have been different - and, maybe, better.

``Without question, our top teams were not considered for the Olympics because of the qualification system,'' AVP Commissioner Leonard Armato said. ``Certainly, it would have been interesting to see a healthy Karch Kiraly (who's had a recent shoulder injury) and Mike Lambert here. I'm confident they would have won the gold medal.''

Sinjin Smith, the former AVP star who left that tour in the early 1990s to pioneer the FIVB tour, says the old days of U.S. dominance are over.

``Traditionally, American players have had very little regard for players outside the U.S.,'' says Smith, who is retired as a player and is the president of the FIVB's beach volleyball world council. ``They have to get rid of that thought.

``In this sport, the Americans are just another country now, not {m4the{m0 country.''

Don't expect major changes to the process, said Angelo Squeo, FIVB beach volleyball coordinator. He said the FIVB is adamant about requiring players to qualify for the Olympics based on their results.

The AVP has sought in recent years to work amicably with the FIVB but is expected to lobby the U.S. Olympic Committee to fight the current system.The U.S. women, meanwhile, have no complaints in Athens, as Misty May/Kerri Walsh (2-0) and Holly McPeak/Elaine Youngs (3-0 after Wednesday night's win) continue to look like medal winners.