Welcome to the 38th Annual

- The Largest Doubles Volleyball Event in America -

Labor Day Weekend - September 2 through September 6, 2010

Aspen, Colorado

Copyright 1972 -present, MotherLode Volleyball Productions and Coloradovolleyball.com, All Rights Reserved

 

    

 
Tournament Info Lodging & Transportation Sponsors & Parties FAQ & Contacts
Welcome  Results  Registration  Divisions  Entry Forms  Timeline  Town Map  Lodging  Transportation  Sponsors  Media Releases  Parties  Links  History  FAQ  Contact  Confirm Entries

ALERTS

 

ALERTS

Men's and Women's Open; and Co-ed Open, BB and B are closed.

 

Men's and Women's Open

Presented by:

All Divisions will play by the FIVB, rally point scoring rules.

MotherLode Player Discounts
Password: MOTHERLODE

However, on the grass courts, the court size is 30' X 30'.
Men's & Women's Open divisions will play match play in winners bracket.*
Men's and Women's Open entries are $80.
*Weather and time permitting.

"All Photos Taken By:  Jordan Curet and Jon Maletz, Aspen Times Photographers;

Robert Fullerton, Common Eye Photography, Aspen, Colorado; and  Bill Bonney,  BillBonneyPhotography.com."

   
Introducing DiG DiGital

Excellent books on the history of
Check it out: beach volleyball are available

 Demo One

Demo Two

from Information Guides.

A Qualifier For The US Open of Beach Volleyball

 
 
Tournament Information
Registration
Welcome  Results  Registration  Divisions  Entry Forms  Timeline  Town Map  Lodging  Transportation  Sponsors  Media Releases  Parties  Links  History  FAQ  Contact  Confirm Entries
Mailed in pre-registration Deadline is Monday, August 23, at 5 p.m. (MT). Online credit card registration is available through Friday, August 27, at 5 p.m. (MT). On-site registration is available at the event (space permitting). An additional $30 late fee applies. Teams can register for Thursday, Friday or Saturday divisions beginning at 7:30 a.m. on the day of that division. You can also register on-site or check in early from 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Thursday or Friday at Koch park.
 
Pre-registered entry fee: $60; ($80 for Open).
 
On-site registration: $90; ($110 for Open).
 
All pre-registered teams must check-in in person.
 
Pre-registered entries, received by the deadline can confirm their entry here.
 
Divisions
Welcome  Results  Registration  Divisions  Entry Forms  Timeline  Town Map  Lodging  Transportation  Sponsors  Media Releases  Parties  Links  History  FAQ  Contact  Confirm Entries

Labor Day Weekend - Thursday, September 2 through Monday, September 6, 2010

Mens' Seniors 45's & over (sand): Thursday at Koch Lumber Park. Check-in at 8:00 a.m. Late registration begins at 7:30 a.m.
Mens' Seniors 50's & over (sand): Thursday at Koch Lumber Park. Check-in at 8:00 a.m. Late registration begins at 7:30 a.m.
Womens' Masters 35-over (sand): Thursday at Koch Lumber Park. Check-in at 8:00 a.m. Late registration begins at 7:30 a.m.
Mens' Masters 37-over (sand): (limited to first 32 teams): Friday at Koch Lumber Park. Check-in from 2:00-6:00 p.m. Thursday or Friday at 8:00 a.m. at Koch Lumber Park. Late registration begins Friday at 7:30 a.m.
Co-ed Open (sand), A, BB and B: (grass limited to first 50 teams per division; sand limited eight teams): Friday at Koch Lumber Park. Check-in from 2:00-6:00 p.m. Thursday; or Friday at 8:00 a.m. at Koch Lumber Park. {This is regular co-ed, not reverse} Late registration begins Friday at 7:30 a.m.
Mens' and Womens' Open (sand): Saturday at Koch Lumber and Willoughby parks. Check-in from 2:00-6:00 p.m. Thursday or Friday at Koch Lumber Park. Late registration begins Saturday at 7:30 a.m. Men's open limited to first 64 entries. Women's limited to first 32 entries.

Mens' and Womens' A, BB, B: Saturday at various parks around Aspen. Check-in from 2:00-6:00 p.m. Thursday or Friday at Koch Lumber Park. Late registration begins Saturday at 7:30 a.m.
Pool-play info: All grass divisions are pool play. Co-ed division break top team into a single-elimination bracket on Friday. All Co-ed divisions will finish on Friday. All other grass divisions are pool play on Saturday. The last place team in pool will be eliminated* with remaining teams moving into a single-elimination bracket on Sunday.
*Sunday play is limited to a 64-team bracket in any one division. Larger divisions may need to eliminate more teams. Contact the director for more information.
 

Director may adjust the tournament format at anytime - grass start times contingent on player check-in and park conditions.

Timeline
Welcome  Results  Registration  Divisions  Entry Forms  Timeline  Town Map  Lodging  Transportation  Sponsors  Media Releases  Parties  Links  History  FAQ  Contact  Confirm Entries
Schedule of Play: Times for finals are estimated and may occur before or after the times listed.
Thursday:
Men's Seniors and Women's Masters play with the finals at 6:00 p.m. at Koch Lumber park.
Friday:
Men's Masters play at Koch Lumber park. Co-ed divisions play with the finals at 6:00 p.m. at Wagner park.
Saturday:
Men's and Women's Open begin play at 8:00 a.m. Men's A, BB and B, and Women's A, BB, B begin play at various locations in Aspen at 9 a.m. (arrive at 8:30)*. Men's Masters final rounds begin with finals scheduled for noon at Koch Lumber park.
Sunday:
Men's Open, A, BB and B, and Women's Open, A, BB, B continue play at various locations in Aspen.
 

Director may adjust the tournament format at anytime.

*Grass start times contingent on player check-in and park conditions.

Monday:
Amateur finals at Koch Lumber Park grass court; Men's and Women's Sand Open finals at Koch Lumber Park Sand Courts
Amateur Championships - Koch Lumber Park Grass Court
  • 9:00 a.m. - Women's B.
  • 10:00 a.m. - Men's B.
  • 11:00 a.m. - Women's BB.
  • 12:00 p.m. - Men's BB.
  • 1:00 p.m. - Women's A.
  • 2:00 p.m. - Men's A.
Beach Championships - Koch Lumber Park Sand Courts
  • 3:00 p.m. - Women's Open Sand.
  • 4:00 p.m. - Men's Open Sand.
  •  
    Entry Forms
    Welcome  Results  Registration  Divisions  Entry Forms  Timeline  Town Map  Lodging  Transportation  Sponsors  Media Releases  Parties  Links  History  FAQ  Contact  Confirm Entries
    The MotherLode Volleyball Classic is offering two ways to pre-register for the event. Teams can download a .pdf entry form and mail in with a check or money order, or teams can enter on-line using a credit card.
     

    Credit card entry processing is handled by a third party administrator, Coloradovolleyball.com. An additional fee of five dollars will be charged for this service. There are many other advantages to using your credit card: 

    • less chance of your entry getting lost or delayed in the mail;
    • credit card entries are processed first so there's a better chance of getting into a limited division;
    • online entries provide immediate confirmation of entry;
    • it saves many players from using an overnight service at an average cost of $12 per entry.
     
    Open Teams: Teams are seeded by MotherLode points and the top 100 ranked players in the AVP. If you have reason to be seeded and do not have MotherLode or AVP points please submit your information so the director can better seed your team. Please submit links to an association's ranking page or area only; finishes or rankings from individual events are not acceptable. Email the director
     
    Pool Play Teams: If you're coming from out of state and have teams from your home area that you do not want to play against in pool please send your request and all team information to the director after confirming your entry. Confirm your Entry - Email the director
     
    Entry Forms Page
     
    Are you registered? Check entries here.
     
    MotherLode History
    Welcome  Results  Registration  Divisions  Entry Forms  Timeline  Town Map  Lodging  Transportation  Sponsors  Media Releases  Parties  Links  History  FAQ  Contact  Confirm Entries
    In 1972, a couple of Aspen, Colorado restaurateurs decided to spice up what was, at that time, a lackluster Labor Day Weekend by hosting a small, invitation only, volleyball tournament. Little did they know that their one day, 14 team tourney was going to become one of the biggest, and most popular, pro-am beach doubles volleyball Events in North America - the MotherLode Volleyball Classic, held every Labor Day Weekend in Aspen, Colorado.
    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 like Vince Robbins, 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 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 MotherLode is, still, that fun little tournament held every Labor Day Weekend in the mountain hamlet of Aspen, Colorado.