News
Athletes Ready for Virginia Beach & Seaside Heights (NJ)
Whereas in South Florida for the outside observer it is difficult to see the change in seasons, up in the Northeast summertime is a near cause for celebration. The next two stops are Virginia Beach, VA and Seaside Heights, NJ where tourism is huge during the summer months.
This excitement is shared by athletes on the Pro Footvolley Tour including former US Youth National Team [soccer] player Martin Burwell of Virginia Beach, VA ‘we have both incredible soccer and volleyball here in the Hampton Roads area. Summertime the beach is packed and party-central. Bud Light Lime and Pro Footvolley Tour? I need to not think of all the fun at the beach – and practice!’
Pro Footvolley Referee and one-time Seton Hall goal-keeper Eric Montoya: ‘I grew up in Patterson [NJ] and summertime meant two things: soccer all day and the shore. Northern New Jersey is 70% latin: Colombians, Brazilians, Argentine, Peruvians, Chileans, etc. These are competitive guys and I can I can tell you that this tour with get huge. It’s all fun on the beach until anything soccer comes up. These guys get serious quick so yes I predict we will have a NJ tour winner!’
The top Pro Footvolley Tour ranked athletes are given travel privileges which means ‘Mr. Excitement’ Igor Martins and his flying matrix-kicks, the Paraguayan Assassin Nelson ‘Canela’ Santa Cruz and his rocket headers, and the furious never-say-die defending by Adrian ‘the Monster’ Boente are expected to continue competing. Semi-finalists in Hollywood Rego/Souza are also expected to continue on as well.
Local athletes are encouraged to sign-up and compete with the nation’s top athletes.
International Challenge
An added feature to the upcoming Pro Footvolley Tour events, presented by Bud Light Lime, will be the ‘International Challenge’. On July 16th, Saturday evening, there will be four team mini-tournament with the format based on national representations. There will be Brazil, Paraguay, Portugal, and USA.
‘There are just a lot of different backgrounds, and nationalities, on the Pro Footvolley Tour presented by Bud Light Lime. Most of the athletes grew up here; but remain proud of their roots. We decided to add this mini-competition as a Saturday evening bonus because both athletes and fans love it. It’s going to be a real nice addition to the event’ – Bruno Senna, Director of Operations, Pro Footvolley Tour
Matches will be one set with the two winners of the first match squaring off for the highest honors. The Captains of the teams are as such: Nelson ‘Canela’ Santa Cruz for Paraguay, Igor Martins for Brazil, Daniel Rego for Portugal, and Sergio Menezes for the United States. Their teammates will be announced at the event.
2-Pointer Continues
For the Hollywood Beach Open, Pro Footvolley Tour implemented the 2-point rule for matrix kicks with a maximum of three successes per set. Management has decided to keep this rule change. ‘We felt that this simple rule change added another level of excitement to the game. The crowd reactions made it a no-brainer to stick with it. Watching Plentz, Martins, Paulo, etc. nearly spiking the ball with their feet and flying through the air is unmatched in any sport! It’s our Alley-Op Slam Dunk’ – Marcelo Ramos Head of Competition
Extra Training, Focus, and Unions
For Fernando Plentz (shown above attempting a 2-pointer) the time-off meant hitting the gym and additional fundamental training. ‘Footvolley is a balance between strength and repetition [in training]. It takes a lot of dedication getting up early to hone your skills with drills that seem overly redundant. My trainer
[and Pro Footvolley Tour athlete] Guga follows what the beach volleyball guys do: repetition after repetition to eliminate the smallest of errors in my game. I am more than ready for VB and NJ!’
Adriano Boente – his partner – had a different set of plans. He got married. ‘I found the woman that I want to spend my life with. We planned long in advance including me having won the first two events. That didn’t work out; but we did! She loves footvolley too so all is good!’ The ceremony was held in Deerfield Beach, FL on Saturday June 11th.
