A net gain

Mike Sciacca

When you pair a city that is knowledgeable about a sport such as beach

volleyball, with a company that works hard at promoting and preserving

the legacy of the sport, the match can translate to a strong and lasting

marriage.

The union between the city of Huntington Beach and the Assn. of

Volleyball Professionals has been just that. The two celebrate their

fourth anniversary this Memorial Day weekend with the staging of the

Huntington Beach Open.

The three-day event, which opens on Friday with qualifying round play

at the pier, will feature 48 teams featuring the world’s top volleyball

athletes. They will compete for their share of more than $1 million in

AVP tour prize money.

Some of the top players competing in men’s and women’s tournaments

include 2000 Olympic gold medalists Eric Fonoimoana and Dain Blanton,

three-time Olympic gold medalist and volleyball legend Karch Kiraly, 2000

Olympian and top men’s newcomer George Roumain, 2001 “King of the Beach”

Kevin Wong, top-ranked and all-time women’s money winner Holly McPeak,

and top-ranked women’s player, Elaine Youngs.

Katie and Tracy Lindquist, both Ocean View High School graduates, will

be competing in the women’s event.

The Huntington Beach Open is the first of seven stops on the 2002 AVP

tour that will touch down in such places as Hermosa Beach, Santa Barbara,

Belmar, N.J., Manhattan Beach, Chicago, and Las Vegas.

“Huntington Beach is a great location to kickoff the 2002 AVP season,”

said Leonard Armato, who co-founded the AVP tour in 1983 with the

winningest player in beach volleyball history, Sinjin Smith.

“There will be a terrific built-in crowd over the Memorial Day weekend

and the fans in Huntington Beach are very knowledgeable about the sport,”

Armato said.

Huntington Beach previously held a professional men’s tournament in

1975 and professional women’s tournaments in 1989 as well as on seven

other occasions in the 1990s.

The AVP, which only offered a men’s tour beginning in 1983, added the

city to its tour schedule in 1999 and has been stopping in Surf City ever

since.

This year will mark the second season that the AVP tour will

incorporate both a men’s and women’s tournament. Previously, the women

played on the Women’s Professional Tour.

The city also will be put in the spotlight through the AVP’s

television partnership with Fox Sports Net and Oxygen Television.

Six years ago the city was reluctant to have the AVP come to town,

said Steve Seim, marine safety specialist for the city. One of the tour’s

main sponsors, he said, was with a beer company.

“The city held back at first because of the connection between an

alcohol sponsor and the tour,” said Seim, who is a member of the city’s

special events committee. “But once it was brought to the city’s

attention that we were missing out on some opportunities by not having

the AVP make a stop in Huntington Beach, we thought about it again.”

In February of 1995 the City Council voted in favor of the AVP coming

to town, but it was delayed from doing so because of major construction

taking place around the pier.

Once the Pier Plaza project was completed and Duke’s and Chimayo’s

restaurants were in place, the deal was done.

“The AVP is committed to Huntington Beach and running a safe,

family-oriented event,” Seim said. “The pier is a great venue for this

event. You can watch the competition from above, on the pier, or at

ground level. This is such a huge volleyball city, and the great thing

about this event is that it’s free.”

This year beer will be sold at the event for the first time, Seim

said, but in a controlled environment that he termed a “VIP area.”

“If it works out fine, then beer could be sold at future tour stops

here,” he said.

The AVP had gone into bankruptcy in 1998 but last year, after more

than 10 years away from managing the AVP tour, Armato regained control of

the AVP and assembled a new management team.

There was a redirection of the tour’s vision.

Armato -- a West Coast sports agent who has worked with the likes of

the Lakers’ Shaquille O’Neal -- and his crew have been working hard to

bring the AVP visibility and popularity.

“This is an amazing opportunity for beach volleyball fans to see their

favorite teams -- both men and women, competing at the same venue,” he

said of the Huntington Beach Open.

“We are optimistic that we will have a great crowd on hand this

weekend and our future with this city looks bright.”

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at (714)

965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.