| Wow! What a weekend! Thousands of spectators and hundreds of competitors. 553 teams, from all over the United States and Canada, converged upon the mountain hamlet of Aspen, Colorado to celebrate the sport of beach volleyball; creating an excitement and overall "vibe" that continues to remind us all of why we love this sport so much.
 The first, ever, NVL at The MotherLode provided spectators with everything that they could want from a professional beach volleyball series Event:
great competition (if you weren't there, you should have been -- unranked players taking down top teams in thrilling 3 game matches; a men's open finals that rivaled anything seen in the modern era; and passionate, intense play all through both the men's and women's brackets); long, lean, and tanned athleticism; and an appreciative and knowledgeable crowd of spectators -- all in the intimate setting of Aspen's Main Championship Courts at Koch Lumber Park.
Combined with the beauty of the Roaring Fork Valley and so many other things to do (such as the Jazz Aspen/Snowmass Music Festival), it's no wonder that so many volleyball aficionados and fans come back to The 'Lode year-after-year.
Next year is the 40th anniversary of this "volleyfest" -- one of the longest, consecutive running beach volleyball tournaments in the Country.
As such, the organizers are, already, working on ways to make this Event even more meaningful to its participants and to honor those who helped create this unlikely "beach" tourney in the mountains so many years ago.
See you next year! |
