Back where it all started

Rachel Wacholder and Dain Blanton both grew up in Laguna Beach. Both starred at Laguna Beach High. And, both are happy to be back close to their hometown, competing in the Huntington Beach Open.

But there’s one aspect of their lives that they don’t have in common.

Blanton’s been to the Olympics twice, winning gold in 2000. The 36-year-old’s career is winding down.

Walcholder, 32, on the other hand, is in heavy pursuit of making the Olympics.

The seven-time tournament winner, who is competing for one of three available spots in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, will play alongside Tyra Turner in the Huntington Beach Open today and Saturday. The event completes the three-part Cuervo Gold Crown Series event of the AVP Crocs Tour.

The series winners on the men’s and women’s sides will take home a $25,000 bonus.

Walcholder and Turner hope to win that purse. They’ve already earned a third- and a fifth-place finish this season.

“It’s been great so far,” Wacholder said. “This tournament is good preparation against some really competitive teams.”

They took third in the Miami Open, scoring 216 points and earning $6,000. They went on to grab fifth place and $9,500 in bonuses at the Dallas Open, with 270 points scored.

The money and success has been great, but possibly a return to Orange County might just energize Wacholder to finish higher. She said she is excited to play close to Laguna Beach.

“I’ll be traveling for a while, so this is my last weekend home,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to being close to friends and family, and having them come watch me play.”

Those close to Wacholder have followed her during the tour. They’ve seen Wacholder play in 21 championship matches since 2005, making her one of the top AVP women on tour.

She teamed up with Turner in 2007, following a split from Elaine Youngs, with whom she won five tournament titles, including a memorable win over Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. Wacholder and Youngs ended the 50-match winning streak that May-Treanor and Walsh had going at the 2005 Cincinnati Open.

That same year, Wacholder was named Best Defensive Player and Most Improved Player of the AVP women.

In 2004, she filled in for May-Treanor, and won two Fédération Internationale de Volleyball Grand Slam events alongside Walsh.

These achievements are a continuation of a successful path Wacholder set in her high school days at Laguna Beach High. There she was named California State Player of the Year. She went on to play volleyball at the University of Colorado, where she earned All-Big 12 Conference honors twice.

She now resides in Redondo Beach with her husband, Scott, also an AVP player.

While Olympic dreams occupy Wacholder’s life, Blanton’s thoughts are on TV, as he is working toward a career in sports broadcasting.

He nearly had a dose of TV exposure earlier, though it had little to do with volleyball. He was runner-up to Andrew Firestone in the third season of ABC’s “The Bachelor.”

But in 2000, in Sydney, there was no such runner-up status. He won gold with Eric Fonoimoana. The two have reunited in recent years and will come together again for the Huntington Beach Open.

“Eric and I have good chemistry, and a history of winning,” he said. “I’m excited to get back on the court with him this weekend and recreate the magic.”

Blanton said he also looks forward to playing in Huntington Beach.

“Southern California is the heart of beach volleyball, which makes this tournament extra special,” he said.

Blanton didn’t compete in the first part of the tour, The Miami Open, which took place April 11-13 in South Beach, Fla.

He said this is the first time in his 13 years with the AVP that he hasn’t played in every tournament.

He last competed in the Dallas Open from April 18-20, where he placed 17th with partner, Canyon Ceman, scoring 270 points and winning $800.00.

Four years after his gold medal win, Blanton played alongside Jeff Nygaard in the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece, making him the first two-time United States male beach volleyball Olympian.

While the pair didn’t medal, they did return to the U.S. shortly after to win the AVP Nissan Series Chicago open for the second consecutive year. Blanton and Nygaard were named AVP Team of Year in 2003, after winning three AVP titles in Chicago, Las Vegas and San Diego.

Blanton was also named Best AVP Offensive Player in 2003, and received the Special Achievement award in 1997.

Blanton grew up in Laguna Beach, where he took up volleyball from older brother, Kurt, at age 11. He was all-state in volleyball and basketball at Laguna Beach High, and went on to play volleyball at Pepperdine after declining numerous basketball scholarships from other colleges. At Pepperdine, he helped the Waves earn a national championship in 1992.

Blanton now works for Fox. He hopes it will be the “next chapter” once his days on the court come to an end.

Meanwhile, Wacholder continues to work toward her goal. She will soon tour for six weeks in Asia and Europe, where she will compete for a spot in the Olympics in Bejing.