USA Today – Posted onsite Tuesday, September 16, 2008



US Open of Beach Volleyball moves to Santa Barbara




By Bernie Wilson, AP Sports Writer

SAN DIEGO — If Karch Kiraly were still playing competitive beach
volleyball, he'd have a home-sand advantage in the U.S. Open of Beach
Volleyball.

Kiraly, the world's most-decorated volleyball player, announced
Tuesday that the second U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball will be played
at East Beach in his hometown of Santa Barbara from Sept. 26-28.

Kiraly will serve as host of what is billed as one of the nation's
largest grass roots beach volleyball tournaments. It's expected to
attract more than 500 players from across the country.

The inaugural tournament was held last year in Huntington Beach,
which is known more for surfing.

"If Huntington Beach is Surf City USA, I'd call Santa Barbara
Volleyball City USA," Kiraly said during a conference call. "At least
one of two or three."

Kiraly grew up "a quick bike ride" from East Beach.

"It's a phenomenal place to hold an event and I was lucky enough to
be able to ride my bike there, because I started playing there
several years before I ever had a driver's license," he said. "I
wanted to be the first one down there in the morning and the last one
to leave."

It certainly paid off. He won Olympic gold medals with the U.S.
indoor teams in 1984 and 1988, and he and Kent Steffes won the first
Olympic beach volleyball gold medal at Atlanta in 1996. During his
pro career he won a record 148 tournaments, with 13 different
partners, and $3.1 million.

The U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball will feature competition in 16
divisions for men, women and coed teams. It is sanctioned by USA
Volleyball.

Kiraly will be at the tournament for the opening day, head to Arizona
for the TV broadcast of an AVP tournament on Saturday, then return
Sunday to hand out awards.

"This is some of the world's best sand and it's one of the most
beautiful places to play," Kiraly said. "I would love it if it kind
of becomes an annual pilgrimage that everybody makes to one of
volleyball's meccas."

Kiraly wrapped up his long pro career in 2007. He doesn't miss the
competition but stays plenty busy as an ambassador and TV
commentator, including calling beach volleyball doing the Beijing
Olympics. He still plays, whether it's with his sons, his wife and
her friends, or, as he plans to do on Wednesday, as a sparring
partner for two-time Olympic beach gold medalists Misty May-Treanor
and Kerri Walsh.

"I still love to get out there," he said. "I just needed to really
give my knees a break. It was brutal to keep up with those young guys
and try to hit the ball past Phil Dalhausser and have to jump 310,
320 times a weekend, max jumps, and really tough on the knees and the
shoulders."

Dalhausser and Todd Rogers won the men's beach volleyball gold medal
in Beijing.

Kiraly turns 48 in November.

"My body's feeling great," he said. "I hope to, once things calm down
a little, actually participate in the U.S. Open for many years, and
I'd love to be out there when we have the 70-and-over and 75-and-over
edition. It's awesome to watch those guys go at it, and I'd like to
be one of those guys, too. But I figure the more I burned it on the
front end here on the AVP, the less chance I'd ever have to do that,
instead of being in a wheelchair watching."

The U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball is presented by Corona Extra.

The Associated Press