 Transplanted
from Newport Beach, California, all Howard Ross and Gordon Whitmer - the
co-owners of The MotherLode Restaurant, in Aspen - were trying to do was
to have a little fun and provide themselves and their friends with a beach
volleyball "fix" on a quiet Labor Day Weekend. They set-up
courts in Wagner Park, provided food for a barbecue, brought in a keg of
beer, and played volleyball. The winners of that first
"informal" tourney were none other than beach legends Chester
and Steve Goss, from San Diego living in Aspen. It was fun! So…they
decided to do it again the next year. And, a few more teams showed-up. The
next thing they knew, they had - without the benefit, or effort, of
advertising and promotion - a full-blown tourney on their hands. In those
early years, registrations were taken by the restaurant's bar tenders; was
produced by one of their waiters (Andy Hanson, originally from San Diego);
and, t-shirts were produced and sold by another waiter. The tournament had
grown from 14 teams to over 160 teams and had supplanted the Colorado
Open, held in Boulder, as the toughest tourney in Colorado. As well, they
were starting to draw teams from outside the State - especially from the
beaches of California. And…it was getting too big for the restaurant to
handle.
In 1981, Ross and Whitmer brought in local
volleyball player, coach, and event promoter - Leon Fell - to produce and
coordinate the schedule of events surrounding the tournament. Fell, who
was, at that time, producing the series of events pertaining to the
Subaru/Aspen Winternational World Cup Skiing (America's Downhill) week, in
Aspen, asked them if they were interested in doing what it took to make
the 'MotherLode' (as it was becoming called) into a National tourney. They
laughed and said "sure" - thinking that that was something that
could never be. The next year, Fell hired regional tournament organizer
Tim Weiand as Tournament Director and set-up a new infrastructure for
marketing and promotion - MotherLode Volleyball Productions. He utilized
his gregarious nature and his growing contacts within the volleyball world
and proceeded with his dream to make the landlocked beach tournament one
of the most renowned Events in beach volleyball -- all the while trying to
maintain the original flavor of that first tourney.
Over the years, the Event has grown to
become the most comprehensive beach doubles volleyball tournament in North
America; including upwards of 700 teams coming from all over the United
States to participate in, and celebrate, what Volleyball Magazine has
termed "the social event of the outdoor volleyball season". It
has expanded from a one-day tourney to a five-day Event. And, from one
division to 17 divisions of play ranging from Men's and Women's Open to
Women's B - with Men's and Women's Senior's and Master's divisions in
between. It has drawn players such as the 2000 Sydney, Australia Olympic
Beach Volleyball Champion Dain Blanton to the likes of other current AVP
players such as Mike Whitmarsh, Canyon Ceman, Adam Jewell, Dax Holdren,
Albert Hanneman, Linda Hanley, Leanne Schuster, Nancy Mason, Danalee
Bragado, Liz Pagano, and Rachel Wacholder. Ex-AVP and USA National team
players such as Pat Powers, Jon Stanley, Dane Hansen, Byron Shewman, Danny Patterson,
Shawn Fallowfield, Jon Stevenson, Steve Timmons, Roger Clark, Craig
Moothart, Tom Duke, Mark Tanner, Rudy Dvorak, Leif Hansen, Rob Heidger,
Curtis Griffin, Erik, Moore, Ryan Post, Andrew Cavanaugh, Larry Benecke,
Larry Mear, Eric Wurts, Pono Ma'a, Janice Opalinsky, Elaine Rogue, Hillary
Johnson, Kim Harsch-Bird, Christine Schaefer, Gayle Stammer, Laurel
Brassey, Valinda Hilleary, Pat Keller, and Canadian star Garth Pischke
have graced the 'Lode's main championship courts. As well, beach legends
Jon Lee, George Zebot, Dan Salyer, Chester and Steve Goss, David King,
Scott Steele, Bob Pape, and Monty McBride have continued their storied
careers here. The Crocs MotherLode has been the proving ground for many rookie
AVP players and the feeling of satisfaction for many other amateur players
from around the Country. More than quite a few volleyball relationships
have been made at "the 'Lode" as well as many marriages and
anniversaries.
Since 1972, The Crocs MotherLode
is, still, that fun little tournament held every Labor Day Weekend in the
mountain hamlet of Aspen, Colorado. |
