2008 Olympic Gold Medalists

2008 Olympic Gold Medalists
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Sunday, November 29, 2009

Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I had a very enjoyable one. Deep Fried a couple of turkeys which is a complete mess but lots of fun and delicious. Enjoyed good wine with family and it just doesn't get much better than that. Christmas just around the corner. Should be another fun one.

31 comments:

Drew said...

Happy Tgiving to you and your family, Todd. My girlfriend and I thought of you as we passed by Solvang on the drive between Santa Cruz and her parents' place in LA. I hope the Winter training is going well, and I'm sure itching already for the start of the next season.

All the best,
Drew

TJ Marsh said...

Todd,

I was wondering if you have heard any news on the first stop next year? I played in the Quali in Panama City Beach and was wondering if the tour will be returning again in 2010. Thanks for the help. Hope to see you at a stop next year.

T.J.

KL said...

Todd,

What do you think about not having a HWN tour this off-season?

I am really bummed! I enjoyed the Omaha event alot!

Anonymous said...

Happy Holiday's to you and your family. My thanksgiving was very easy going. Just hung with the family. Todd enjoy the rest of the holidays, and I looking forward to seeing you next year.

Arsenal 12

Unknown said...

Happy Holidays to you, Phil and everyone on the blog!!

Garret

UmassJSP said...

Happy Holidays to Todd and all the posters here on the blog. I just finished shoveling my driveway after snow storm last night. Was 70 degrees earlier this week but it changed fast. I have been battling the flu or SARS for the last 2 weeks but feeling good now. I hope everyone gets great gifts this year and looking forward to the AVP Summer beginning. A good present would be a tournament on Cape Cod this year. Scott from Cape Cod

Metius said...

Todd, what about a new vls300 mikasa ball?

Anonymous said...

peace, read, live, laugh, believe

UmassJSP said...

Merry Christmas to Todd and all the blog followers. I think 2010 will be a great year for all of us...Scott from Cape Cod

UmassJSP said...

Where is Todd? Did he go underground or is he building something at his palatial estate in Cali? Happy New Year to everyone! I saw St Patricks Day items on shelves at store today which is a harbinger of Spring!

Anonymous said...

I think Todd did go underground. Where did he disappear to after Thanksgiving?
Truth is -- He is probably working hard to figure out how to stay number 1 next year because there are teams ready and waiting to beat them now. Everyone is figuring out just how to play Phil and Todd so my guess is Todd is trying to figure this out.

Anonymous said...

He's spending time with his family and I am sure enjoying it quite a lot, and as he should.

I am sure if there were any meaningful questions he would happily be answering them in good time. Just post something worth a response..

Anonymous said...

Okay...I will post something worth a response.
Todd, what did you get for Christmas this year?
How are the Holidays going?
Are you starting to train for the upcoming season?
Tell us a little something about the new partnerships since they have now been announced (somewhat)?
Lets see how long it takes to break Todd from the silence now.
PS. These are worthy questions.

Anonymous said...

Still waiting for that response.
What happened to...
"I am sure if there were any meaningful questions he would happily be answering them in good time. Just post something worth a response.."
Still waiting.
Still silence.

Anonymous said...

Underground Todd is.

Margo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Awesome update MARGO!

Anonymous said...

At least someone (MARGO) is updating us on Todd's BLOG. Keep up the good work MARGO...but lets keep this about Todd, give us news on Todd please since he won't.

Anonymous said...

MARGO has hijacked Todd's BLOG.

Anonymous said...

Still waiting for Todd to answer my valid questions here...

UmassJSP said...

I found an article about Todd from last month where he helped an aspiring Olympian from his town of Solvang: http://www.syvnews.com/articles/2009/12/17/sports/sport95.txt

And also an article on Phil here: http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=96223&cat=2

Maybe Todd's computer is broken...he really should be on Twitter where you can put pics with your posts.

Wicked cold here in Massachusetts but not much snow lately...easy driving...Patriots lost so it was a funeral atmosphere all day at work.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Todd's computer is broken and he can't afford to go get it fixed.
Hey how about we all take up a donation and get Todd's computer fixed so he can be a part of his blog again??
Maybe we will need to wait until Todd wins some moeney again and gets his own computer fixed??

UmassJSP said...

I was thinking about when the AVP used to have the season kickoff tournament the same week as the NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu. It would be in late January or early February. For us in the snow belt that was always a great harbinger of Summer. It looks like the last one was in 1993. Now that the Pro Bowl is being played back on the Mainland the AVP should do a tourney in the same location as the Pro Bowl.

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Anonymous said...

NCAA Override Defeated, Sand Volleyball Moves Forward
Dear AVP Family, Friends and Partners:

Great news! Sand volleyball has secured its spot on the NCAA's list of emerging sports for women after today's vote by Division I colleges. Thank you to everybody who responded to yesterday's call to action and who has supported this legislation over the past year. Everyone who helped spread the word in support of sand volleyball contributed to our team effort. This is a big step forward for the sport of volleyball.

-Sincerely,
Jason Hodell, AVP CEO


NCAA Division I schools voted down a sand volleyball override today at the NCAA Convention in Atlanta, meaning the sport may be played at the nation's biggest colleges as soon as next spring.

Following a U.S. gold medal sweep in beach volleyball at the Beijing Olympics, the NCAA last April added "sand volleyball" to its list of emerging sports for women. The emerging sports designation is intended to encourage the development of opportunities for women by awarding NCAA subsidies to colleges that create programs.

This decision, however, sparked a battle between the two-on-two beach game and the six-on-six indoor discipline. Sixty-three schools-including former NCAA indoor champions Nebraska, Stanford and Washington in addition to 2009 champion Penn State and the rest of the Big Ten-requested an override vote to take sand volleyball off the emerging sports list. At least five-eighths of schools at today's convention would have had to vote for the override to eliminate sand volleyball.

The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, the country's only professional volleyball tour, was elated to hear the news.

"The AVP is thrilled with the result of today's vote," said Jason Hodell, AVP CEO. "NCAA sand volleyball will grow our beautiful sport tremendously and provide wonderful opportunities for women to participate in collegiate athletics."

"Al Lau and his team have worked tirelessly to advance the cause of sand volleyball and should be thanked by all," added Hodell.

Today's vote allows schools to continue building varsity programs for the 2010-2011 school year and gives the sport 10 years to develop a following to bump it up to an NCAA championship sport. Emerging sports are given full championship status if 40 or more schools start programs within 10 years.

Opponents of sand volleyball often cited financial constraints heading into today's vote. No school will be forced to compete if it cannot afford to or otherwise chooses not to.
Sand volleyball is expected to be played in the spring, as indoor volleyball takes place in the fall, allowing athletes to play for both teams.

Sand volleyball's status as an emerging sport in Division II has not been challenged. Division III administrators chose not to grant the sport emerging status

Anonymous said...

San Marcos gym and court to honor Lee, Halleck

Posted by Presidio Sports on January 13, 2010 · 0 Comments and 0 Reactions
On Tuesday night, the Santa Barbara School Board approved naming the San Marcos High School Gymnasium and Court as Maury Halleck Gymnasium and Jon Lee Court.
Principal Norm Clevenger, Athletic Director Abe Jahadhmy, former Royals Sal Rodriguez (community Leader and Hall-of-Famer), Todd Rogers (NCAA All American, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist) and Santa Barbara Teachers Association President Layne Wheeler spoke on behalf of the two legendary men.
San Marcos High School is planning a festive weekend on Friday and Saturday January 22 and 23 in honor of Halleck and Lee. The festivities will be highlighted by a dinner party celebration on Saturday night January 23 from 6-10 p.m. at The Carriage Museum.
The Event is sponsored by The San Marcos Athletic Booster Club, and there will also be a special presentation by Tim Vom Steeg and Rich Ridgway on the joint Fundraising effort by San Marcos and Santa Barbara Soccer Club for a synthetic Turf Field at Valley Stadium — dubbed “The Field Of of Champions.”
Over 250 people from all over the country are expected to attend the event.
For more information, contact Jahadhmy at 967-4581 ext. 228.

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Storms to taper off by weekend


This week’s storm wasn’t enough to keep everyone indoors all the time. During a patch of sunshine Monday afternoon, Stephanie Holthaus of Ballard took a walk with sons Lowen, 4, left, and Jude, 6, and the boys found that a ditch in front of Ballard School provided all the adventure they needed.

A tree, weakened by woodpeckers and toppled by harsh wind and rain, tore a hole Monday in Rhonda Romero’s house in Santa Ynez.

“There’s tiles that need to be fixed now, but sandbags and tarps will have to do until the storms have passed,” Romero said as she was filling up sandbags that were provided free by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

About 30 people came Monday to fill up the sandbags at the Santa Ynez fire station — some to stop imminent flooding at their homes and others to take precautionary measures.

Susan Granger of Los Olivos said she needed sandbags to prevent erosion on the road near her driveway.

Storm totals as of Tuesday morning were 2.27 inches of rainfall in Buellton; 2.63, Cachuma; 1.45, Figueroa Mountain; 3.44, Gibraltar Dam; 1.42, Los Alamos; 3.48, San Marcos Pass; and 2.68 inches in Santa Ynez, according to the Santa Barbara County Flood Control District.

By the end of the week, residents could see four to eight inches of rain in the coastal and valley areas, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Those rainfall totals could double in the foothills and mountains, where as much as eight to 16 inches of rain is expected to fall.

The National Weather service is predicting showers and possibly a thunderstorm today and tonight, but warning that some of the rain could be heavy.

The forecast says that the rain will taper off Friday and Saturday, with some showers in two mostly cloudy days, and that the sun will return on Sunday.

However, showers may return Sunday night and become more likely Monday and Tuesday, according to the weather service.

Firefighters at the Santa Ynez station said they had prepared, mentally and physically, for any rainy situation thrown their way by the week’s onslaught of storms.

By Monday afternoon, half of their sand pile already had disappeared.

“We upstaffed by adding another engine, which is roaming all the Valley stations. We have also been going over our rope systems to make sure we are prepared if a car goes over the side of Highway 154, and we always have two rescue swimmers on the helicopter ready,” said firefighter Jason Haley.

Between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Monday, Santa Barbara County Fire Department crews responded to 20 calls, mainly related to the wind and vehicle accidents, according to Capt. Dave Sadecki.

Two rollover accidents occurred near the Valley Monday morning, both noninjury, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Web site. One occurred in the northbound lanes on Highway 101 near Highway 1 to Lompoc, and the other just west of Buellton on Highway 246 near Drum Canyon Road.

Power outages were reported throughout Los Alamos and much of the Santa Maria Valley, includ-ing at the Santa Maria Pub-lic Airport. More than 26,000 Pacific Gas and Electric customers between Pismo Beach and Lompoc were without power Monday afternoon as a powerful Pacific storm blew through the area, according to PG&E spokesperson Brandi Ehlers.

Visitors to Los Padres

National Forest are warned to watch out for ice, mud, rock slides, flash flooding, slippery road surfaces,

deep snow and heavy rainfall.

The public is also discouraged from hiking in or around creek areas due to the potential for high water, rock slides and debris flow.

Those not dissuaded by warnings are urged to contact the nearest Forest Service office prior to leaving to get current road and forest conditions. The Santa Barbara Ranger District number is 967-3481.

For more information on sandbags, call 686-5058 or go to the Santa Ynez fire station at 906 Airport Road.

Staff writer Samantha Yale Scroggin contributed to this story.

UmassJSP said...

Looks like Willard Scott is posting here with the weather report. If you people want real problems try shoveling "cement snow" (heavy water content) after working an 8 hour day....that is real work.

Does anyone know if there is a Beach Volleyball or AVP Hall of Fame? I am reading Bill Simmons "Book of Basketball" and he suggests a HOF in the shape of a pyramid with each floor dedicated for different levels as you go up. So for instance at the top of the pyramid you would have Jordan, Bill Russell, Kobe, Lebron and then lesser players on lower floors in the pyramid. For the Beach Volleyball Hall at the top I would put Karch, Steffes, Stoklos and Sinjin. Todd and Phil would be on the next level with Dodd and Hovland.

Any HOF talk is always subject to great debate.

Unknown said...

Hope you and Phil had a great and relaxing off-season. The Beach will be officially open this weekend. Good Luck to you and Phil. Should be interesting with a few new teams and the regulars.

Garret