Lewis holding back sands of time

Brian Lewis has made a career out of doing what he loves most.

Now, he is nearing the end of it.

Lewis, a former Corona del Mar High and Orange Coast College

standout, is currently in his 16th year on the Association of

Volleyball Professionals tour, and, at 37, is one of the circuit’s

older players.

But as the beach volleyball scene has evolved, catering to a

different style of play, Lewis has found a way to change along with

it.

“As long as I’m still competitive, I’ll continue to play,” said

Lewis, who has accumulated more than $1 million in winnings during

his AVP run. “I don’t like mediocrity.”

Partnered with Sean Rooney, the 6-foot-1 Lewis concluded

competition Friday in the Huntington Beach Open -- the first

tournament the two have played together -- on the south side of the

Huntington Beach Pier.

Lewis is counting on the 6-9 former Pepperdine star to aid in the

size department, which became substantially more of a factor when the

AVP decreased the standard size of the sand court in 2001.

Switched from 30x30-foot dimensions to 26 feet, 3 inches on each

side in 2001 to parallel the Olympic standard, the court size has

played a determining factor in Lewis’ search for a new partner.

“There used to be like only one guy [in the AVP] who was 6-9, but

now there are about 12,” Lewis said. “It takes a different type of

athlete now.”

Teamed with Rooney, the duo won their first match in the men’s

main draw Friday morning, defeating Brazilians Jose Loiola and Fred

Souza, 21-19, 19-21, 15-13.

Lewis and Rooney ran into trouble in their second-round match,

falling to the top-seeded team of Dax Holdren of Goleta, Calif. and

Jeff Nygard of Long Beach, 21-14, 21-19, and were bumped to the

contender’s (second chance) bracket.

Lewis and Rooney lasted two matches in the contender’s bracket

before being eliminated in their third match.

But the Huntington Beach Open was merely serving as a warmup for

the newly-paired duo, Rooney said.

“We’ve been training together and we’ve been working hard

together,” Rooney said. “So, hopefully we can try to put something

even better together for [the Manhattan Beach Open, beginning

Thursday]. I think we can do some damage.

“The thing that helps the most playing with [Lewis] is his

knowledge.”

The degree of success the two have the rest of this season will

determine if Lewis returns for one last run next year, the former Sea

King said.

“I would like to play one more year after this,” Lewis said. “It

also depends on if I can get [Rooney] to hang out with me for a

while.”

Lewis’ career includes eight tournament titles with five different

partners in six different seasons.

Lewis wasn’t always a volleyball player, but a highly-successful

junior season at CdM -- his first outing in the sport -- transformed

the prior football, basketball and tennis star into mainly a

volleyball player.

The sport incorporated all of the motions of the three other

sports, helping him succeed, he said.

“My first year [as a junior at CdM] we won the CIF championship,”

he said.

Lewis went on to help lead OCC to a state championship. It was at

OCC where he got hooked on beach volleyball.

“I’ve always been a beach person,” he said.

Almost every day after practice he and some of the other OCC

players would go out to Newport Beach and play ball, he said.

His first year on the AVP tour in 1989, he totaled just $4,500 in

winnings. But two years later, he multiplied it to nearly $40,000,

and by 1992, he was over the $100,000 mark.

Combined with his allotment from Quiksilver -- his sponsor, which

takes care of all of his equipment and travel expenses -- Lewis said

he has lived a comfortable life.

But the competitive nature of the now-San Clemente resident, who

is married and has two children, has always been the driving factor.

And the sport of beach volleyball quenches his competitive thirst

perfectly.

“Any time you can say you ‘play’ for a living, you know it’s a

pretty good life,” he said.