GODS to GHOSTS Volleyball

Leeka discusses: -  His UCLA football career playing for legendary Coach Red Sanders, pledging as a freshman there ( alongside beach volleyball legend  Ron Von Hagen) in the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and the HAZING they went through, some of his most memorable experiences as a two-way player on the team, including the "forearm" shiver he delivered to Oregon State's star tail back/saf...

Nancy Cohen Part 2. Nancy discusses: - The amazing men's players she saw at State Beach when she was playing ( including Dane Selznick, Andy Fishburn, Randy Stoklos, Sinjin Smith, Dane Hotzman, and a teenage Kent Steffes), the legendary players and characters of State Beach ( Bernie Holtzman, Gene Selznick, Ron Von Hagen, Ron Lang, Jean and Steno Brunicardi, and Butch May practicing with his...

Nancy Discusses:    - How she got her start in the sport growing up at State Beach in Santa Monica, learning the sport from her father, Altie Cohen, witnessing the legendary volleyball players/characters, surfers, and movie stars who were all a part of the State Beach scene, winning the '74 State Beach Open at the age of 15 with her partner, Jean Brunicardi, her time as a highly successful hi...

Larry Discusses: - Playing with Bob Clem ( his partner in the '71 Manhattan Beach Open that they WON), how he views himself as MORE of an INDOOR player, than a beach guy, the best players he competed against, the best diggers, the best hitters, playing and WINNING the GOLD medal in the '67 Pan Am Games in Canada on the US Olympic Men's Indoor team to qualify for the '68 Olympic...

Interview with Larry Rundle - Part 1: Larry discusses:   His start in the sport at John Adams Junior high school during the summer when he would hang out there from 9 am until 5 pm playing basketball, volleybal, (and PING PONG, if he lost)l, the influence Coaches Don Steere and Dave Heiser had on him at such a young age, that he held the John Adams JR High School consecutive free throw record ( 17...

George Discusses: - What he is most proud of over his career as a husband to Arlene, DAD, player, friend, tournament director, and CBVA HOF contributor, HOW he would like to be remembered, what he is up to now days, what he misses about those golden days, and several EPIC party  stories in the San Diego area among the players that  he witnessed firsthand from that are PRICELESS and few people know...

George discusses: - The hardest hitters he ever saw ( Suwara, Bergmann, Tom Chamales, Powers), the best diggers he saw, the best teams he witnessed as tournament director on both the men's and women's side, his thoughts on the "new rules with short court", some of his most memorable moments as a tournament director ( including the players who terrorized him as a tournament dire...

George Discusses:    -His first time playing beach volleyball in 1955 at Mission Beach, the best players in the San Diego area at that time ( Nate Parrish, Chester Goss, Jack Henn), witnessing Gene Selznick and Bernie Holtzman, and Mike O'Hara & Mike Bright play and what made them so special on the court, the lifestyle and camaraderie among the players at that time, the 1970 San Diego Ope...

Al Discusses: - A recruiting battle he had for a Brazilian player against USC coach Ernie Hix for a Brazilian player ( not Celson Kalache) ,  how amazing Celso Kalache was at USC, the multiple volleyball "how to" books he made over his career, WHAT made him THE MOST SUCCESSFUL ( by far) men's volleyball coach at UCLA ( if you are a coach, you need to listen to this as it is AMAZING...

Al Discusses: -  His 2 biggest coaching disappointments,  his amazing coaching tree of former players that played for him at UCLA and went on to be great coaches, including current USA Men's Olympic Men's Team, and UCLA Bruin Men's Volleyball coach - John Speraw, the BEST coaches he coached against over his 50 year career, and his acting debut in his former player Paul Nihilipali&ap...

Al Discusses: 5 of his most memorable coaching experiences ( including some in OTHER sports before UCLA).......  Good stuff!  It explains a lot about why he is the BEST ever..... Support the show

Spike Discusses:     - Playing in a mixed open on the beach with Kathy Gregory, his South Bay buddies he grew up with, handi -cap tournaments he played in and won with Bill Leeka one year, and Dennis "the Condor" Duggan the next year, his time playing indoors for the the Hollywood Y Comets,  playing for the Olympic Club indoor 6 man USVBA team and winning the Far Westerns tournament, how...

Spike Boarts Stories Part 1.   Spike Discusses:   The 1962 USVBA Nationals in Philadelphia where his team finished 5th, watching the Hollywood YMCA led team there that year coached by Harry Wilson compete against Gene Selznick's Westside Jewish Community Center team in the finals, and not getting to see Dick Clark's American Bandstand :) ,  the 1963 USVBA Nationals when he played for the...

Al discusses:   The 1965 UCLA team he had, featuring Ernie Suwara, Larry Rundle, and Keith Erickson, how those 3 legends of the sport ended up at UCLA playing for him ( including what made each one of them SPECIAL as a player and some great stories about each), more information about his DAD, a trip to Mexico City in 1965 with the USA team, and how it led to some amazing ideas Al  brought back to...

Al Scates Part 2. Al discusses:   What it was like coaching volleyball at UCLA during the early years in the late 60's on a "shoe-string" budget, including using hand me down uniforms from the UCLA basketball team courtesy of Coach Wooden, his time competing on the USA men's indoor National team and Hollywood Y in the early 60's leading up to the '64 Olympics, includi...

Al Scates Part 1 Interview:   The  Beginning.    Coach Scates discusses: - His Early years growing up in his family with a truck driver dad  who was an alcoholic and how it impacted him as a child and for the rest of his life,    his start in the sport of  volleyball, seeing Gene Selznick for the first time at State Beach,  how amazing Gene was as a player and one-of-a kind personality and the ent...

Interview with Greg Lee - Part 3 Greg discusses:     Winning the first Beach World Championship at State Beach alongside partner Jim Menges in 1976 over the team of Ron Von Hagen & Tom Chamales, (including a monumental rally in which the ball crossed the net 16 times until Menges collapsed in the sand of exhaustion, the lightning and thunder exploding intermittently in the background while Cha...

Greg Lee Interview - Part 2 Greg discusses:  His first trip in 1970 to Sorrento Beach in the spring as a young kid at UCLA  during a "June Gloom" day and meeting Ron Von Hagen, Tom Chamales, and Jim Menges by the Sorrento wall when the beach was empty except for them on that day, and how those 3 players (aside from his brother Jon)  shaped his volleyball career....,  His classic memories...

Interview with Greg Lee - Part 1 Greg discusses:  His youth growing up as the youngest of 3 brothers in Reseda, California and the pummeling he took from his BIG brothers Chris, and Jon, playing high school basketball for his dad and Coach Lonnie Lee where he became the 2 x LA City high school basketball player of the year, being recruited by legendary UCLA Bruin coach John Wooden, , his recollect...

Interview with Jim Menges - Part 2 ( This Interview took place on August 28th, 2018) Jim discusses:    The invaluable  lessons he learned from the legendary Ron Von Hagen, his 3 most memorable wins, an EPIC rally he and Greg Lee had against Ron Von Hagen and Tom Chamales at the '76 World Championships at State Beach when the ball crossed the net 13 TIMES, a match against Kirk Kilgour and Doug...

Interview with Jim Menges - Part 1 (This interview was conducted on Aug 28th, 2018) Jim Discusses:  Playing high school football for legendary coach Don Steere at Santa Monica high, his start in the sport alongside his SAMO friends Randy Niles, and Tom Chamales in the summer of '69 at Sorrento Beach, how amazing the beach scene was at Sorrento, with legends Ron Von Hagen and Ron Lang holding...

Interview with Bill Imwalle - Part 2.  Bill discusses:   His most memorable wins on the beach,  the partners he played with on the beach ( Matt Gage, Bobby Jackson, and Phil Anderson, to name a few), his recollection of the other significant competitors he played against or with  in the 70's:   Ron Lang, Rose Duncan, Fred Zuelich, Gary Hooper, Captain Buzzard Swarts, Skip Allen, and Mike Care...

Interview with Bill Imwalle - Part 1. Bill discusses:   How he got his start in the sport on the beach in Santa Cruz, his time competing collegiality indoors for the Long Beach State 49ers, his college teammates, some of the BEST players he competed against at the collegiate level, playing in beach opens for the first time with good friend, Matt Gage, and what it was like playing against some of t...