Open season

Mike Sciacca

A lone Wilson volleyball lay on the sand near the Huntington Beach

Pier Tuesday, a short distance from the action taking place on four

north-side courts nearby.

Three bold, black letters on the face of the ball spelled out the

nickname, “Rat.”

The ball belonged to Ed Ratledge, who was locked in a two-on-two

battle.

This weekend, Ratledge, an outstanding player who prepped at

Fountain Valley High, hopes to make a name for himself at the Bud

Light Huntington Beach Open.

The 27-year-old partners with Chad Mowrey as the two vie for the

men’s title.

Currently at No. 11 in the 2004 Assn. of Volleyball Professionals

men’s rankings with 432 points, the twosome play their first-round

match Saturday.

The two are coming off their best-ever AVP tournament showing, a

fifth-place finish two weeks ago in Tempe, Ariz.

“I feel like we’re playing really well right now,” said the

6-foot-8, 225-pound Ratledge. “We’ve been putting in a lot of

training hours and our confidence level is really high. I’m looking

forward to playing on a site I’m quite familiar with.”

The Huntington Beach Open, part of the Assn. of Volleyball

Professionals Nissan Series, begins Friday with a local qualifier,

continues Saturday with main draw competition and wraps up Sunday

with women’s and men’s semifinal and championship action.

The tournament purse is $125,000.

Construction of the venue for the competition began on Tuesday at

the south side of the pier.

The weekend’s event marks the third year the tournament has been

held in Surf City and it kicks off the tour’s California swing, said

Leonard Armato, commissioner of the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.

The 2004 tour debuted on April 2 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“It could be a record-setting weekend in Huntington Beach,” Armato

said. “We’re looking for the Huntington Beach event to set the tone

for the rest of our California tour.

“Last year, we had such great support and fan response to the

tournament held here. Beach volleyball is a reflection of the

Southern California lifestyle, and I think that Huntington Beach is

the quintessential Southern California beach town. We’re very excited

to be back offering some incredible beach volleyball.”

The defending men’s team champion is Karch Kiraly and Brent Doble,

although the two are not teammates this year, Armato said.

Back to defend the women’s crown is the unbeaten team of Misty May

and Kerri Walsh, which, Armato said, can make a “little history” this

weekend.

The duo, he said, is shooting for an unprecedented 16th straight

tour victory.

“Not only can history be made in this tournament, but those who

come out to watch will be seeing the top men’s and women’s players on

this tour,” Armato said.

The top 150 competitors in the sport of beach volleyball are

scheduled to compete, among them 16 Olympians. On the men’s side are

2000 Olympic gold medalists Eric Fonoimoana and Dain Blanton.

The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour was organized in 1983. This

year, the AVP will send two men’s and two women’s teams to represent

the U.S. at the Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Beach volleyball continues to be on the rise, Armato said, noting

that on-site attendance during the 2003 AVP Tour drew an increase of

60% in spectators from the previous year, and that television viewing

of AVP events was up 214% in 2003.

“Beach volleyball continues to enjoy tremendous growth, and it’s

great to have these young players like Ed Ratledge burst onto the

scene and help the development of the sport at the grass-roots

level,” Armato said. “Ed’s definitely an up-and-comer in the sport

and a great guy.”

Ratledge is part of a strong Huntington Beach “enclave,” as he

calls it, that plays regularly at the pier. Several members of that

group, he said, will either play in the main draw competition

Saturday, or in Friday’s qualifier.

“It’s a great group of local guys who come out here and play on a

regular basis, and who are dedicated to the sport of beach

volleyball,” he said.

Ratledge, all-Sunset League and all-CIF while at Fountain Valley,

went on to become an Academic All-American at UCLA and was a member

of the Bruins’ 2000 national championship team.

He is in his fourth year in the professional ranks and third

playing pro beach volleyball.

Ironically, he almost quit playing four years ago.

“I was done, finished,” he said. “I was sick of trying to find a

partner and struggling in tournaments that I thought I should have

performed much better in.

“I was heading down to surf out here when Chris Kosty, a teammate

of mine at Fountain Valley High, flagged me down and asked if I

wanted to play in this qualifier tournament. It was the Huntington

Beach Open. I said, ‘Sure, what the heck.’ That tournament turned my

attitude around.”

Ratledge, who estimates he has five or six years left on the AVP

tour, is training to become an airline pilot.

For now, though, he hopes to catch flight on the AVP Tour. A few

solid wins, he said, is all it takes.

Armato says Ratledge can indeed become a top contender, and that

Surf City is a desired stop for the AVP tour.

“We want Huntington Beach to be our flagship event,” Armato added.

“We had terrific crowds and terrific energy here last year, and we

expect the same this weekend. This town really gets into and

understands beach volleyball.”