USAV Nationals | Phoenix, AZ

Another year, another USAV National volleyball tournament under my belt! It was my sixth National tournament; I'm a seasoned veteran!

2004 -- Atlanta
2005 -- Denver
2006 -- New Orleans
2007 -- Austin
2008 -- did not attend
2009 -- Minneapolis
2010 -- Phoenix

As with every other year, it was 100% of a great time with friends old & new, adult beverages galore, and tons of volleyball. I played with a new team -- TOXIC -- this year and was excited to be part of both a solid team and a group of great guys.

Much to the tune of our regular season with dominant & down play -- so too, was our tournament. We didn't fare well in our generally weak pool and ended up 4th heading into tourney play where we met one of our local Seattle teams (out of 72 teams -- are you kidding me?!). While a tight match, It's Business Time emerged victorious in three games and sent us to the 5th best (out of 6 -- boo!) tournament pools.

With a strong showing against our local guys however, we finally found our groove and whooped up on the teams in our tournament to win our bracket. This only meant a 49th place finish, but only 6 teams ended the tourney with a win! We are WINNERS! :)

In addition to getting some serious sun and friend time, the other thing I was most pleased about this year was that I (self-appointedly) made First Team All Heckle! Yep, Avid Reader, I was *that* guy. The drunken yeller from the crowd. Even the starting setters from the Open Championship match heard me from the stands! WOOT!

So, another year, another indoor season, another crack at Nationals. In three short years, I'll be eligible to play in the Master's divisions. While I'd like to keep playing competitively (not that Master's isn't!), it's always a treat to hit the national stage with a strong team and play in front of a host of friends for four straight days. The parties and bonding and time in the sun don't hurt either! Here's to 2011!