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Success in Muskegon August 30, 1998 - Muskegon, Michigan By Tom Kendra Assistant Sports Editor of The Chron
This article provided by The Muskegon Chronicle
The bottom line is that if an American team wants to play in the 2000 Olympics, it must play FIVB events around the world.
"My goal is to play in the Olympics," said Dain Blanton, who played this weekend with Karch Kiraly because of injuries to their regular partners. "The way it is now, I have to play in Turkey and Austria (on the FIVB) to do that.
"I care about our tour and I'd rather play in the U.S. and Southern California, but it's kind of out of my hands."
The three American beach volleyball spots in the 2000 Olympics will go to the teams with the best eight finishes on the FIVB tour in 1999 and 2000.
That fact - coupled with the small purses and financial instability of the AVP - has Blanton and partner Eric Fonoimoana planning to play the FIVB full-time next year and squeeze in AVP events whenever possible.
Other top AVP teams with an eye on the Olympics are considering the same schedule - teams like Kiraly and Adam Johnson, Kent Steffes and Mike Whitmarsh, Ian Clark and Bill Boullianne and Jose Loiola and Emanuel Rego.
Take away those teams and the AVP is in real trouble
This email was sent to me at Beachmania, it has to do with the Steffes @ Lewis incident. The writer wished to remain anonymous. Lewy was talking to Ian Clark in the players' tent by the food table & Steffes went between them to grab some food & bumped Lewy pretty hard while reaching for something. Then Lewy squared off on Steffes with his hands up in a palms up position above his waist (like a what the hell position) & said something like: "Let's settle this right now." Well they had words & then I guess it was over. Lewy turned back to talk to Ian Clark & dropped his hands down by his sides & then Steffes cold cock sucker punched him right to the temple/eye. Well Lewy was wearing sunglasses which Steffes broke with the punch & which cut Lewy's face so he had to get 31 stitches. Then Lewy's legs got wobbly & he went down. Then I heard he started smiling & was just looking at Steffes then got up & rushed him & tackled him into the food table...sending food flying all over. Then I heard Lewy had Steffes with his knee in Steffes' back & his arm around his neck & was ready to either snap his neck or beat him senseless. Then Matt Gage jumped on Lewy & pulled him off saying: "It's not worth it Lewy." Well I guess Steffes walked off. Then later Lewy was getting medical attention on his face/eye & he spotted Steffes again & locked his gaze on him. Then I guess he got up & started after Steffes...picked up a chair & threw it at him (didn't hit him). Then he picked up a water bottle & threw it at Steffes. Steffes ducked behind a girl & the bottle hit her in the chest/stomach. Then Lewy ripped something off the wall & then just threw it into the ground. Then the security guards took Steffes off. Then I heard Steffes went behind one of the trailer trucks & threw up. I also heard that Lewy just kept repeating to the cops & people: "Look what he did to my face!!" I heard that he was just insanely pissed & raging. DISCLOSURE: Beachmania, or its agents, cannot be held accountable for misinformation. I was there and most of what you state did not happen, or is out of sequence. The most accurate description of events was provided by Todd Rogers to the police. Todd saw all of it. For example the nearest trailer truck was no where near the tents and played NO role in the events. Whoever you are, I thank you for your comments, but in the absence of facts, people grasp on to whatever stories they are told. We are all curious as to what exactly happened, so if you are informed we would be most happy for you to tell us in your own words what exactly happened between Steffes and Lewy. If you want, you can remain anonymous. But, either way, I am very interested in your story...so if you could please tell us your side of the story we would be most appreicative. Thanks! Looking forward to it!This subject is getting rather dull. If you are so concerned about the story being misconstrued, as we all probably should be, why don't you set the record straight? Apparently you are in a position to do so. We, on the other hand, are not.
New AVP Suspends Steffes !! November 27, 1998 Marina Del Rey,CA By AVP Office
AVP suspends 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist Kent Steffes for 3 years
November 27, 1998, Marina Del Rey, CA., AVP acting CEO Bill Berger issued the maximum three year suspension of AVP member Kent Steffes for his continual disparaging public remarks about the AVP, various members, and AVP business affiliates.
On April 13th 1998, former AVP CEO Harry Usher wanted Steffes to cease and desist from uttering disparaging remarks about the AVP to various press entities and individual. Steffes failed to heed the warning and continued to make disparaging remarks to the public. Steffes maintains that the remarks were consistent with his first Amendment right to free speech. However, Steffes had contracted not to make disparaging remarks about the AVP and its affiliates. Other professional sports such as the NBA or MLB have proven to ensure the integrity of the sport as well as fan, city and sponsor commitment through enforcement of such contractual provisions.
Steffes, who has millions of dollars playing on the AVP Tour, continues to discredit the Association. Steffes is pursuing a derivative lawsuit against several past and present members of the AVP Board of Directors (including his former partner and three (3) time Olympic Gold Medal, KARCH KIRALY) and maintains that he has a right to speak freely about the AVP as part of that lawsuit.
Steffes' comments come at a sensitive and pivotal juncture in the AVP's evolution. BERGER indicated that, given the current position of the AVP and the positive changes that already have been realized, Steffes' suspension was another example of the new AVP's commitment to the future and to regaining it preeminence in the sports world.
*This article provided by Beachmania
Kent Steffes, the fourth-ranked beach volleyball player in the world, was reinstated Tuesday by the Association of Volleyball Professionals.
Steffes, a gold medalist in the 1996 Olympics, was suspended a little over two months ago by the AVP for conduct perceived to be not in the best interests of the organization.
"The new management and new ownership of the AVP wants to give everyone involved a clean slate, and believes that a unified organization is the strongest way to succeed,'' said Bill Berger, the group's chief executive officer. "There's been more than enough infighting over the last several years and it's important that we get back to having fun and running a business which is the sport of professional beach volleyball.''
The AVP recently announced a complete reorganization.
"I'm very happy to see the path the AVP is taking,'' Steffes said in a news release. "For the first time in a long time, I feel really positive about the AVP's future. The new AVP management is committed to putting on a successful 1999 tour and the new ownership gives us the security to get back to the business of playing professional volleyball.''
Psyched for Seal Beach!!!
The boys are back in town! Yay! It feels like it's been forever since the last SoCal AVP stop and now that it's here it's quite an exciting homecoming. In honor of the return of the boys of summer to 'native' soil I planned a bike ride along the South Bay strand this morning. (For those of you unfamiliar with the strand - it's SoCal's answer to a boardwalk; a cement pathway that runs along the beach from Santa Monica south to Redondo Beach.) So it was back on the bike with a quick peddle down to the HB pier. Bill Boullianne passed me, on his bike riding north, but other than that there wasn't any action just yet. So I stopped and had a coffee on Pier Ave and jotted down a few notes. Back on the strand, about 45 minutes later, I see that Bill Boullianne has hit the sand with Ian Clark and they share a net with Unger. No real drills yet - just a bit of peppering going on. Back at HB Pier I notice that Ian & Bill are done with their drills so I thought it might be a good time to try to chat with them. Bill asks if I have a minute cause they'd like to take a quick swim first - and of course I agree. It never ceases to amaze how amiable the players are - and I know it's been said before - but what other pro sport has athletes who are so approachable and available to the fans? It's pretty great. Ian and Bill return and while the three of us are talking a man comes up with his two young daughters and a camera and asks if he could get a photo of them with the girls. Both guys happily pose with the girls and afterwards, Bill says to them "Bring that back when it's developed and we'll sign it for you." How great are these guys? Well, the three of us talked for almost a half hour and I've got a lot of stuff to report on from that
Chatting with Boullianne & Clark!!!-by Patti Cerami . It's midday Wednesday,July 8th- the day before the big weekend at Seal Beach and here I am sitting on the sand in Hermosa Beach chatting with Bill "Beef" Boullianne and his partner,Ian Clark.(This is one of those moments where you stop and say- "Life is Good!")
Of course,I ask the million dollar question of the summer. What about the future of the AVP? You know a lot of fans I talk with are stressed out about the possibility of the AVP disappearing. Bill & Ian are both confident about the tour's future and they agree that it's usually when people don't have enough information that stress levels rise.
Having said that ,Beef discusses a reorganization tactic that he,as a player and an AVP board member,thinks would work best in getting the tour back on its feet. The idea is that the AVP should become a sanctioning body with different promoters picking up the various stops on the tour each year.Promoters can then have access to sell in all sorts of sponsorship categories including lodging. In addition to this, each promoter would receive a seat on the AVP board of directors. In return,the AVP would receive a certain percentage of the revenue. Beef cited NASCAR as a good blueprint to this franchising approach. Additionally,this will allow the AVP to continue to oversee and maintain the aspects of the sport that require player's attentions,such as regulations in play.
Ian also suggets that having a standard tour schedule each year would help. For example, every year on the 4th of July weekend the tour stops in the same town- say Chicago? This would allow for a solid schedule that everyone, including the players,could rely upon.
When I mention fan involvement in the sport,Beef tells me that the AVP's contract with its long-time sponsor Miller Lite is due to come up for renewal on August 15th, 1998, and suggests that now might be a great time for fans to remind Miller Lite how much we love our sport. (I've already spoken with AVP Lifeguard, Michael Cole, about this and we're currently brainstorming on ideas for this. Stay tuned to www.beachmania.com for more details.) Ian and Bill also mentioned that they are both currently looking for sponsors: clothing,sunglasses etc... So if you always wanted to see your brand name on a top v-ball player's head or chest - now's the time!!! Having exhausted the (draining) topics of politics & sponsors, Beef & Ian go on to tell me that they are headed to Europe next week for three weeks of international play. (Prepping for 2000 maybe? Hmmm...) Good luck guys! Knock 'em dead! And thanks for taking the time out to chat with me today! Patti Cerami has her own website people so be sure and check it out at the following link!!!
Nicknames: Beef Height: 6'3 Hometown: Palos Verdes, California Weight: 200 lbs. Education: San Diego State University Years w/ AVP: 7 Birthdate (Age): December 24, 1965 (32) AVP Rank: 17 Training Schedule: Hermosa Beach, California Sponsors: Swatch, Wilson
Pronounced BULL-YAWN..Born in Santa Monica, CA.. Resides in Hermosa Beach, CA...Began playing beach volleyball in 1981...Won the 1995 Nestea Open at Belmar with Lewis (first career victory)..Voted the 1994 AVP Most Improved Player... Earned a bachelors degree in business marketing...Enjoys outside business venture's, traveling to remote surfing areas, golfing and snow skiing... Helps in the community by supporting local charity, Athletes and Entertainers for kids.. He and Anne Koppe welcomed the birth of their son, Bowen William Boullianne, on December 20, 1996 .
The Official YAHOO " HERE'S DABEEF Boullianne FAN CLUB"is now ready & open for Bill Boullianne's many fans,so please hurry and join us today!!!
This club is listed,please click on this link to join: HERE'S DABEEF Boullianne FANCLUB
Here's a sneak peek at this wonderful way to talk about the AVP & Beach Volleyball!!!
Copyright © 1998-1999-2000-2001-2002-2003-2004-2005-2006 Unca Nick Productions All Rights Reserved. Unca Nick and his agents are not responsible for any misinformation pertaining to this website.This website was born on 10/05/98. Click here for more... or follow these links below......................... ***Disclaimer Thanks to everyone who let me use their photos of Ian Clark and others for this site. Ian Clark's photos and articles all remain property of the people who have been credited for their work - if you wish any of these to be removed from the site please contact me and I will take them off immediately. The images and articles used on this site cannot be published on other web sites without expressed consent by the artist or photographer. ***Credits 3 photos by Matthew Barber 2 photos by Tim Andexler 2 photos by Tammy Riusech special thanks to Lynn, Lara,Patti and Michael Cole of Beachmania!!! Get in touch with me by email. mailto:spiro@monmouth.com Sign My Guestbook: Copyright © 1999-2000-2001-2002-2003-2004-2005-2006-2007 Unca Nick Productions,Inc. All Rights Reserved. Unca Nick and his agents are not responsible for any misinformation pertaining to this website. The IAN CLARK VOLLEYBALL SiteRing This site owned by NICHOLAS J NOVAK SiteRing by Bravenet.com Search This Site or The Internet Right Here!!! This SiteThe Web Get your own Search Engine Volleyball Site About.com Use Quick Nav To Quickly Navigate This Site At The Top And Bottom Of The Page !!! 2000 & 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Seaside Heights,NJ 2006 PART I (1st 10 AVP 2007 events) PART II (2nd half 8 AVP 2007 events) PART III (last 4 AVP 2007 events) Click here for more... or follow these links below......................... Site created with Netscape Communicator 6.0 & Netscape Composer Best viewed at 800 x 600 resolution with Internet Explorer 6.0
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2000 & 2001
PART I (1st 10 AVP 2007 events)
