World class beach volleyball returns to Grand Cayman this weekend when the NORCECA series commences again at Public Beach on West Bay Road.
The extra attraction from Friday is that American superstar Todd Rogers is appearing for the first time here. He is a legend in the sport and to appear locally endorses every aspect of how well the Cayman Islands stages the event.
As usual it will burst to capacity both in terms of number of teams – 40 – and total spectators – more than 5,000 for the entire weekend. The North Central American and Caribbean Confederation region runs for the fifth consecutive year at Public Beach from 22 to 24 March.
Rogers, who teamed up with Phil Dalhausser to claim the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games and the 2007 FIVB World Championship in Gstaad, Switzerland, will partner this time with Ryan Doherty.
Rogers, aka “The Professor”, was awarded the world volleyball association’s best defensive player three years in a row from 2006 and was also the best setter in 2005 and most inspirational in 2008.
Local volleyball president Noel Williams is bursting with pride that Rogers is here.
“It is an honour to be hosting the NORCECA tournament for a fifth time and again the first leg,” Williams said. “This year is the biggest ever with over 40 teams. It has given us a nice problem to have in that we don’t have enough hotel rooms to accommodate all the players and officials.
“Thankfully, there are families and players who can host them. This is sports tourism at its best.
“We’ve been working towards this for years and when we first hosted it people laughed at the suggestion that it would get this big,” Williams added. “No other Caribbean or Central American country has managed to attract a gold medal winner. Rogers is excited too about coming here because he’s heard so many good things.
“Him coming here is spectacular news which is going around the world. This is just a start. Look out for many more top people to follow.
“The maximum teams allowed at a tournament is supposed to be 32 but because we are so popular we are sorting out 40.
“They are even making teams from the big countries like the US qualify to play here.”
The most accomplished women’s team is the US pairing of Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik. They train in Manhattan Beach, California, the Mecca of beach volleyball.
Tournament director Fareed Hosein said: “Todd Rogers competing in our tournament is a significant achievement and highlights the success and importance of Cayman Islands volleyball on the NORCECA tour. Due to the buzz about our tournament, players from NORCECA countries are very interested in coming here. Expect new things, more top players and more fun things for the fans.”
Doherty is relatively new to the sport after pursuing a career as a professional baseball pitcher until 2007, when he was released from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The region’s strongest teams, like the US, Canada and Mexico, have made the event the top priority.
Puerto Rico’s Roberto Rodriguez and Erick Haddock won the men’s competition last year, along with Mexican women Bibiana Candelas and Mayra Garcia. Both teams went undefeated in the tournament.
The men’s runners up were Canada’s Samuel Schachter and Maverick Hatch, and the Mexican women Marta Revueltas and Vanessa Virgen.
London Olympians Joshua Binstock and Martin Reader were third here last year and Puerto Rico’s Yarleen Santiago and Yamileska Yantin took the women’s bronze.
Cayman had a good showing last time. Shervin Rankin and Richard Campbell reached the quarter-finals. The other Cayman men’s teams of Philippe Deslandes and Duncan Hamann along with Andrew Gordon and Olney Thompson were eliminated in group matches. Top local women’s team Jennifer Bily and Cristin Alexander were knocked out in the preliminary stages.
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