Eat, Drink and Gawk at Amazon Women in Two Pieces at AVP Huntington Beach Open


This year's AVP Nivea Tour Huntington Beach Open kicks off Friday, and since there's no better way to start the summer than enjoying the sun and sand of Surf City while watching mostly 6-foot-tall women slam leather-bound balls at each
other at high velocities, the $20
cover charge is well worth the price.
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But if intense competition between some of the world's best
athletes doesn't get you going, there will be plenty of booze and food vendors
surrounding the main arena to keep even the saltiest of beach bums happy. While you have to have a ticket to watch the matches (details below), none are required at the booths. Just walk up and start partying with the thousands of
other volleyball hangers-on.

Orange County is a powerhouse for beach volleyball, and many
of the greatest in the game hail from either la naranja itself or the surrounding area. Almost 30 OC, Long Beach
and LA natives compete in this year's Open.

One of those greats is Misty May-Treanor, an LA native who starred in strong volleyball programs at both Newport Harbor High School and Long Beach State.

May-Treanor and teammate Kerri Walsh won gold in Sydney in
2004 and Beijing in 2008, the first pair to ever win back-to-back medals in the
sport. Their 112-match win streak between 2007 and 2008 was nothing to sniff at
either.

While Walsh hasn't competed on the Tour this year because
she just gave birth to her second son, Sundace Thomas, last month, May-Treanor
has been tearing it up with new teammate Nicole Branagh, winning the first Tour
event of the season at Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Expect the pair to dominate this
event.

The two-pieces might be distracting, but don't forget about
the men's side. 2008 Olympic gold medal champions Todd Rogers (dubbed “The
Professor” for his cerebral approach to the game) and Phil “Beijing Beast”
Dalhausser (the nickname should be obvious, he's 6'9'' if that helps) are the
favorites and probably won't disappoint. The pair won in Santa Barbara in May
and tied for second in Fort Lauderdale.

The main draw competition starts at 8 a.m. Friday and
continues through Saturday, starting at 9 a.m. The final is on Sunday, with the
women's final slated for 11 a.m. and the men's at 1 p.m.

The event shouldn't be hard to find, just look for the huge
cluster of tents on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier. Tickets start
at $20, but are just 15 bucks online. Parking might be sketchy. It's Huntington
Beach, after all.

Check out www.avp.com for more information and updates of
the event.

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