The first documented beach volleyball game was played in 1915 in Waikiki fronting the old Outrigger Canoe Club, when the club’s head coach, Dad Center, strung up a net between the surfboard lockers and canoe shed and members passed the time while waiting for decent surf conditions.
One hundred and five years later, the sport rooted in Hawaii could have 75 percent of the U.S. Olympic team comprised of players from the islands competing on the sands of Tokyo’s Shiokaze Park. Based on rankings as of July 15 — and tossing out the minimum qualifying tournaments required (12) — Tri Bourne (Academy of the Pacific) and Trevor Crabb (Punahou) would be the top American team (No. 12 FIVB ranking, 4,320 points, 10 events).
Battling for that potential second U.S. berth are three-time Olympian Phil Dahlhauser and Nick Lucerna (No. 19 FIVB, 7 events, 3,920 points), second among Americans, with Taylor Crabb (Punahou) and Jake Gibb (21 FIVB, 7 events, 3,760 points) third.
But a lot could happen between now and when the final rankings are determined next June 15. The parity on the international beaches has four or five American men’s teams that could earn enough points to qualify for one of 23 Olympic berths (Host Japan has one automatic).
Only two can go.
The 15 highest-ranked teams on June 15 are Olympic qualified, but countries are allowed only two spots each. Three years ago, for the Rio Olympics, Bourne and partner John Hyden were ranked in the top 15 but were third among U.S. pairs — they didn’t make the trip to Brazil.
‘It’s a two-year process (to qualify) and it’s a total grind,” said Tyler Hildebrand, director of coaching for USA Beach Volleyball. “There is so much parity (on the men’s U.S. side).
“Objectively speaking, it may end up being a three-horse race and with a good chance of two of those three in the Olympic Games.”
Teams earn points based on finishes at the World Championships, on the FIVB World Tour and in the Continental World Tour Finals. Teams must have participated in a minimum of 12 tournaments through June 14. However, for these professional athletes, there are bills to be paid and the choice sometimes comes down to playing on the domestic AVP Tour, going to an Olympic qualifier or taking a week off to rest up for the next event.
“That’s the hard decision,” said Hildebrand, a former All-America setter at Long Beach State. “You never know if you should stay home and rest. It’s a lot like (PGA Tour) golf, where you pick and choose.
“Before Tri and Trevor got together (in 2018), it seemed that the other two teams (Dalhausser-Lucerna and Gibb-Taylor Crabb) were the top ones. Then Tri and Trevor started winning and we started thinking, ‘OK, maybe there’s another team in the mix.’ I’m more happy that Tri is healthy and back able to compete.”
In their first FIVB competition last October, Bourne and Crabb won the three-star event in Qinzhou, China. It was quite the comeback for Bourne, who missed all of 2017 with a chronic inflammatory muscle disease called dermatomyositis.
Bourne and Crabb also played in three AVP events in 2018, their best finish coming at the Hawaii Invitational last September in Waikiki. They lost to eventual winner Dalhausser-Lucerna in the semifinals.
Taylor Crabb and Gibb, the reigning AVP men’s team of the year, have already qualified for this September’s Hawaii Open, winning two of the qualifying events. Crabb hit the AVP trifecta last season, being named the most valuable player as well as best defender on the men’s side.
Hawaii hasn’t had a beach volleyball Olympian since Stein Metzger (Punahou) paired with Dax Holdren at the 2004 Athens Games, losing in the semifinals. Former University of Hawaii player Sean Scott (Punahou) was the U.S. team leader at the 2016 Rio Games; he missed out on the 2004 Olympics as part of the third-ranked American team.
Hildebrand said it would not be a surprise that a player from Hawaii would be in Tokyo.
“There is such wonderful volleyball culture there,” he said. “The ‘Baby Court’ (at Outrigger Canoe Club) is an unbelievable hotbed for young beach players. Players grow up learning the game the right way, with great skill sets, passion and being a great teammate.
“It’s cool how the players from Hawaii represent the sport.”