The NawthEast

After a less than stellar AVP performance in Cincinnati, we were ready to kick some East Coast butt. The host city for our next event was the slowly rebuilding city of Asbury Park, NJ. Since Susie Turner was with us we found her a partner to play the women’s event. Long story short: she and her partner (Meri-de) won, we lost. Since we were free on Sunday, we entered a co-ed Open run by Great American Volleyball about 10 miles down the coast. With the momentum exuding from our female partners, Jack and I managed to both advance to face each other in the final, but that wasn’t, by a long stretch, the story of the day at Bradley Beach, NJ.

Volleyball attracts all kinds of people. Early in morning pool play, one fellow competitor caught all our attentions. This gentleman’s game was unorthodox, from his I’m-an-ancient-Egyptian serve receive stance to his totally 80’s garb: wrap-around glasses and fluorescent short shorts. Being different is fine, but he also constantly berated his partner, a Polish girl who legitimately was the stronger player, which is not fine.

In their first encounter in pool play, Meri-de (Jack’s partner) made a bet, or a wish: that Jack would hit the ball into the guy’s face. In return, she would buy Jack a beer. Obviously, she didn’t know Jack that well, because a) he doesn’t drink, and b) he would make every effort to accomplish the challenge regardless.

In pool play, Susie and I scored the most and allowed the fewest points, earning us a bye into the final. To meet us there, Jack and Meri-de would have to beat the above-mentioned team in the semi. Ahead 20-14 in the second uneventful game, and siding out for the match, Jack said to Meri-de: “If you set it high, I’ll do it.” She had forgotten what "it" was, but after she passed the ball high on top of the net and saw the 80’s guy up to block, head tilted back, arms wide, she remembered….

The ball bounced off his face so high that, as I recall, the jerk had time to scream at his Polish partner one last time before it landed, two courts away from ours, sideways. The destroyed wrap-around glasses were left beside the court. Perhaps in his dazed state he failed to realize his glasses had flown off. Maybe he just couldn't find them. But we sure did. As sunglasses they were now useless, but as a 2nd place trophy (Susie and I won the final) they were...priceless.