To Whom It May Concern:

After years of supporting the AVP in its fight to run the Manhattan Beach Open however it wanted, I am forced to change sides this year. The Manhattan Beach Open has always been the most historic beach volleyball tournament and the AVP has done much to honor that tradition over the years but this year’s proposed change runs contrary to so much of that history.

The AVP’s proposition to reduce the field by half would cause this event to lose a vital piece of itself. Certainly, there would still be high-level volleyball using the proposed format but there has always been high-level play at the Manhattan Beach Open. What does the AVP gain by reducing the size of the field? Certainty of who will play in the final rounds? A condensed time table? A smaller footprint on the beach?

I think it valid to draw similarities to the recently-completed NCAA men’s Final Four. Would the tournament have the same level of fan excitement if the field were 32 teams? There would certainly be a sizable audience but what about the fans drawn to their alma maters? The fervent, diehard fans that travel miles to see their teams compete. How many players with local ties would be eliminated from your event before the first serve?

Compare the venerable Manhattan Beach Open to the “tradition unlike any other”, The Masters. The Masters has helped preserve and even grow its mystique by maintaining so many traditions that run contrary to the PGA. (Lucky for all of us, volleyball allows women.) The tournament has always held spots for amateurs and past champions, regardless of their ability to win a green jacket. What opportunities for dream-come-true moments will be eliminated by cutting the size of the field at the Open?

Reducing the size of the Manhattan Beach Open reduces the aura, the respect, the honor, the promise, the challenge, and the beauty of competition. Please preserve the Manhattan Beach Open and its proud tradition.

Respectfully,

Eduardo

— Eduardo Fiallos · Apr 10, 09:08 AM · #

Dear Manhattan Beach City Council/ AVP,

In the summer of 1993 a buddy of mine had an extra seat in his car to this “Volleyball Thing” at Hermosa beach. Fifteen years later, I have attended countless So-Cal AVP events, purchased products from Club Sportswear, Redsand, Mossimo (Before they took over Target), Power Shoes, Herb-a-life, Nissan, Speedo, Smack, Crocs, AVP Store Products, countless eateries, local shops, and most of all local parking fees. I make a great living, I am the married father of two, and bring the whole family to every event I can. I bring them because attending an AVP event is not just a sport I enjoy or a lifestyle that we embrace, but because I want to maintain this tradition with them as one of those sweet summer memories from childhood. I am your past, we are your present, and my children will be your future.

It is that future that I am now concerned about. I’m not one of the critics that thinks nothing should ever change and charging admission is defiling the sacred sands. I get it. You are a business and are struggling to carve a niche into the sports and TV markets. You need sponsors to feel that you are viable enough of an investment to take a risk. I’m not crazy about some smaller draws this coming year but understand the cost savings and potential focused marketing of key individuals it provides. Those changes are expected and tolerable but there is one recent change that I can not support or stay quiet about.

Manhattan is touted as “The Wimbledon of Beach Volleyball” because of its depth, unique tradition, and place in the community. I have attended almost every one since 1993 and even one year saw some kid named Pepe become a man. The tradition I have founded with my family is based in large part on the very tradition of Manhattan. The suggested change of format to a 16 team exhibition goes against everything Manhattan stands for. It is this tradition that separates AVP Beach Volleyball from other x-games pseudo-sports.

Please don’t misinterpret the message that AVP is sending to the fanbase and community as a mere needed change. The AVP is not honoring the commitment and support the community has given for decades. This change is neither needed or desired. To change from 24 auto bids to 8 and from 32 total bids to 16 is not just cutting numbers, but cutting directly into the legacy that has driven them to where they are today. It is cutting into the community and the fanbase and if allowed, will cut into my families attendance and support of local businesses during the tourney.

Please reconsider the historical impact allowing such a change to tradition. Keep the Manhattan Beach Open exactly that… OPEN.

Sincerely-

Nick Maksimuk

— Nick Maksimuk · Apr 10, 09:16 AM · #

To Whom It May Concern,

I just recently learned that the City Council is considering reducing the number of teams that will qualify for the main draw in the 2008 Manhattan Open. Dropping the main draw from 32 teams to 16 will take away from the competitive atmosphere that has made the Manhattan Open the premier AVP tournament on the schedule. Each year hundreds if not thousands of spectators come out to watch some of the worlds greatest athletes compete for the championship. By dropping the main event to only 16 the winner does not have to be in top physical condition to get to the final. It takes an amazing athlete to survive through the long days on the beach. Beach volleyball is a sport of endurance and I would like to see that continue.

The city will also make more money by keeping people at the beach watching. When I go to the event I made a full weekend of it, which includes staying in a hotel room and buying food and souvenirs. I stay for the whole weekend because I know that I will see more than one good game. Decreasing the amount of games will decrease the number of spectators who will show up. Who wants to come all the way out to see just a few games? And the less people that are there the less revenue the city will bring in that weekend. In the past the City of Long Beach had not hosted the AVP however the City of LB brought in the AVP because it can see the benefits of having such a huge event that draws so many travelers and members of the community.

Please reconsider changing the formate of the Manhattan Open. You will be doing a disservice to your own city as well as the sport of Beach Volleyball.

Jessica Morales

— Jessica Morales · Apr 10, 09:21 AM · #

Dear City Council Members,

I sincerely hope it is just a rumor going around about the AVP changing the format of the Manhattan Beach open from 32 teams to 16 teams!

Being from the East coast, I attended the Manhattan open for the first time last year and it lived up to all the hype. East coast stops can’t compare.

I was planning a group trip there again this year with about a dozen people or more, though I am hestitant now that this new format has basically cut the tournament in half!

Part of what made Manhattan so awe inspiring was the size! Getting to watch so many teams compete at such a high level was a great experience!

Please do not change the format of this prestigious event.

Sincerely,

Curt Reuter
Orlando, FL

— Curt Reuter · Apr 11, 08:28 PM · #

I cannot believe this is even being considered. I (like many of you)have lived the sport for over 30 years. While some things do need to change for the better, this would be a complete step in the opposite direction. I cannot help but think that this is another effort to keep many of the awesome players on the beach out of the way so the commercialism that the AVP has been bowing down to can make the event fit what they want.

It is just wrong.

When Miller Lite took the AVP across the country, that was a good thing at first. Everyone got involved. Local qualifiers gave everyone a chance to get in the mix. It was still a sport and not a business. Then NBC came along. 15 minute clocks were used to make sure TV time slots would work. Then rally scoring and short court came in to play because a lot of the top players couldn’t handle the long sideout games and cramped up before the finals. That didn’t bode well for the TV execs. Physical endurance used to be one of the most important factors in a tournament. Now it is more important to have the coordinating sand socks for my shorts and sponsor tattos. In my mind, it sterilized the sport into something unrecognizable. Please do not bow down and change the Manhatten Open. It and several others are truly what keeps a good amount of “Old School” players even interested in what the new kids are doing.

The players and their families from AZ,NM,CO,TX,NV and many others will more than likely not bother coming to the event and spending the week in the area just to see the same players as they do from the comfort of their local hangout.

It just doesn’t make sense to change this. The beach is public. Let the public play.

We will keep going to Mexico and Aspen every year, but I think Manhatten will get crossed of the list like Hermosa and Huntington.

Take it all the way back to way the game was originally played, and you will have people coming out in droves. And remember, The old players have real jobs and can afford to have less than 20 people in one room. I miss that, but then again….

Keep it Real

— Sean Tonge · Apr 12, 09:05 PM · #