Good morning, beach volleyball fans,
And greetings from Tallahassee, where I recorded an early early early morning pod breaking down all things Veracruz Challenge -- which lived up to my billing as the most intriguing stop of the season -- and the FINAL STANDINGS for the World Championships. Four Mol brothers and a Mol cousin, all in one event for the men? Six of the top seven teams hailing from either the USA or Brazil for the women?
Excellent.
The standings have all of the continental spots, wild cards -- some good, some eh -- and the episode I just recorded, which also includes a mini preview of the Newport Elite, will be used as our Wednesday pod, but if you're a member, you can already watch on YouTube.
Onto things you CAN watch and listen to.
The week in SANDCAST Studios
This past week Charlie Brande, a legend in the sport, who sits down with Tri Bourne to talk four-plus decades in volleyball. What an absolute gold mine this is:
Beyond the Sand, Hamburg edition
Episode four of our new series, Beyond The Sand, takes you to Hamburg, where we bring on Stefan Boermans, Valentina Gottardi, Anastasija Samoiliova, Tina Graudina, Kyle Friend and myself to chat about the messy middle of the Beach Pro Tour that is this in-between period of Olympic cycles.
It's a wonderful episode, and Frito continues to outdo himself.
News Around the Beach
- Alexis Durish: Remember the name. One of the best defenders in the NCAA finally gave herself a shot at playing professionally this summer -- and won four medals. Now she's got an entirely different future in mind after her senior season in Tallahassee.
- George and Saymon left no doubt. The clutchest performance of the BPT season goes to them, as they closed the qualifying period with an emphatic gold medal.
- Katja Stam and Raisa Schoon are reunited and it feels so good. Awesome to see Stam back on the BPT, and she delivered with their first gold medal since Doha of 2023. All is right again.
- Beach Pro Tour hits NEWPORT BEACH! The first major international event on U.S. soil since the Fort Lauderdale Major of 2018 is here. Show up, support, spend a few bucks, cheer on everyone, make it a scene, people. Here are the entry lists.
- We now have an ad free tier for audio. Tired of listening to ads? I saw a bunch of comments on the ad frequency in Rogan podcasts, and figured I'd give our listeners an ad-free option. For 5 bucks a month, you no longer have to listen to ads, and you support the show. Win win. Here's the link where you can become a patron.
- Watch SANDCAST Episodes Early! Become a member of our YouTube Channel and you'll get every piece of content days or weeks or, now, months, even, before anybody else.
- Coming up on Wednesday we have me, breaking down all things World Champs and a preview of the Newport Elite. you can already watch on YouTube if you're a member!
Much Love to the sponsors
We've been with Wilson Volleyball since day one, and we love the products they make -- the best ball on the market, hands down, no questions asked. Use our discount code: SANDCAST-20 for 20 PERCENT OFF.
Watch VBTV for 10 percent off using our discount code, SANDCAST10.
We've got SANDCAST merch! Get yourself some swag.
SANDCAST adds another year with AG1. One of our longest-running sponsors, AG1, is back on the pod for another year. We've re-signed with the brand, and have changed our model with them, to a fully affiliate-model. So if you want to stay healthy AND help the show, please order with this link, which comes with a full year of Vitamin D for FREE, as well as five totally FREE travel packs!
We're officially partnered with Better at Beach! If you want to get Better at Beach, use our code SANDCAST for 10 percent off all of their products, from online classes to in-person camps and more.
SHIELD is the new presenting sponsor of our Beach Access episodes following Elite tournaments. Get yourself some athletic tape that actually works, and use the code SANDCAST to get a little discount.
Appreciate y'all for listening, reading, and loving the beach like we do.
Have a great week!
SHOOTS!
SANDCAST Team
