Seabrook will host its second annual Beach Volleyball Tournament from Friday through Sunday.
Encompassing 20 courts and more than 100 teams, the competition draws top players from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California and Canada. The event also will include opportunities to learn skills from an Olympian and take part in recreational beach activities.
The event is hosted and organized by the Alki Volleyball Association, a Seattle-area promoter of beach volleyball events showcasing Northwest talent. It is open to beginner, junior, amateur and semi-professional players.
“As one of the most popular Olympic sports and recently added, rapidly growing NCAA collegiate sport, there’s an electricity around beach volleyball now,” said Phillip van Rooyen, AVA co-owner. “Since its inception, the Alki Volleyball Association has attracted elite talent from around the Northwest, and we are excited to see these regional competitors go head to head at Seabrook.”
The tournament will kick off Friday with a free clinic from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. led by Stein Metzger, head beach volleyball coach at the University of California-Los Angeles. Metzger is a three-time NCAA champion and UCLA Athletics Hall of Famer who competed in the 2004 Olympics.
Top university coaches also will join Metzger at the clinic, which is open to all ages and talent levels. Steve Whitaker, an experienced coach who helped take the University of Washington volleyball team to national championships and the Final Four, will be there to help players elevate their game.
The adult and junior double divisions will compete on Friday and Saturday, and the adult and junior four-player divisions will play on Sunday. Coed groups of four non-professional players will compete Saturday in the beginner four-player tournament. Parent-child teams will compete on Sunday.
On Saturday evening, players will enjoy an after-party with a DJ, food, drinks and beach bonfires. On Sunday, players can relax on the beach with four-player games, music and activities including skimboarding, beach bikes and kites.
An allotment of $2,000 will be rewarded to first-place winners of Men’s Open and Women’s Open tournaments, with a total of $10,000 in prize money awarded across all divisions.
All money raised from beginner four-player registration fees will support Washington CoastSavers. To register, visit www.alkibeachvolleyball.com/portfolio_page/ava-seabrook-beach-volleyball.
