Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, the wait is over.  The greatest beach volleyball tour is opening up its gates for the first event of the season, and you are all invited.  New Orleans here we come.  Are you ready to be entertained?

The first event of the season is often my favorite. It’s the first chance to get a good look at the new partnerships that were formed over the off-season as well as a fresh opportunity to watch your favorite players go to battle once again.  There is nothing like the morning of the first event.  The music is loud, the fans are fired up, and the athletes couldn’t be more anxious to compete.  For me the start of the AVP tour is the official start of summer.

This year however, it’s not all about the pro’s.  This year the AVP has launched AVP FIRST, a new nonprofit organization whose aim is to positively impact the next generation through participation in the sport of volleyball.  AVP FIRST will provide access to high level education, first class programs, competitive experiences and community based grassroots opportunities to children as well as their families.  This year it’s the pro’s who will get a chance to root for the younger AVP fans.  Not only will AVP FIRST provide an environment for kids to learn the sport from the best players on tour, but it will also provide a safe place for kids to get excited about life and to dream.

Kids need something positive to get excited about.  They need to have heroes who inspire them and encourage them to be their best.  We all have heroes, many of them athletes, who have made us better people because we wanted to be like them. Children need to know that they are seen and that they matter.  They need a space to grow.  They need a space where they can learn through success and failure.  AVP FIRST offers this space.  There’s no telling what an experience like this can do for a child.

AVP FIRST aims to grow the sport on all levels, through clinics, camps, as well as offering top level training to coaches.  The first event, the Community Corner, kicks off on Friday night in New Orleans.  This inaugural event will be the first opportunity for the athletes to connect with coaches and pro’s.  On top of the elite training offered, these athletes will also have an opportunity to get a few autographs and high five’s from the pro’s themselves.  AVP FIRST has also partnered with Coconut Beach to host a two day training sand camp which will take place on Saturday from 12-4pm and Sunday from 8-12pm.  If that’s not enough there is also an event for local club and high school coaches on Saturday night from 6:30-9pm.

If I have learned anything as an athlete I have learned that sport parallels real life.  Through learning the game of sport I have come to better understand the game of life.  Through the sport of volleyball I have learned how to handle both failure and success with grace and humility.  Tough lessons taught through discipline, self-control, and perseverance have sharpened me, making me a stronger human being.  I am confident they have done the same for you.

I am more than excited for the start of the AVP and AVP FIRST.  As an athlete I am looking forward to the competition this year and testing my best against another’s.  Like every year, I hope to reach the goals I set in the off-season, but this year I hope to reach something more, something greater than myself.  I hope to reach out and inspire the young men and women who come out to support their favorite AVP athletes.  I hope to reach those who dream of playing on their local high school teams.  I hope to reach those who don’t think they are very good at sports and even inspire those who may have never even tried.

In my opinion this game isn’t about the top pro teams or even about the top athletes that compete on tour.  In my opinion this game is about the feeling that is created in the hearts and minds of every person watching.  It’s the ripple effect of love and inspiration that transcend the borders of any court boundary to inspire both children and adults alike to achieve more, but even beyond achievement I think AVP FIRST will provide a community in which children can grow and develop in a safe, healthy environment.  We are responsible for the growth of the next generation.  It’s time we start to give back.

See you on the sand!

-Traci Weamer