CINCINNATI (Aug. 29, 2011) --- The 2011 beach volleyball champions will be crowned this week during the U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball, presented by Corona Light, as the top U.S. beach volleyball players from across the United States converge on the sands of Hahana Beach in Cincinnati, September 2, 3 and 4. A total of 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams will vie for part of $150,000 in prize money with $22,500 going to each of the men’s and women’s championship teams.

                  Going into the open weekend 14 men’s and 14 women’s teams will have qualified for the 2011 U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball (qualification process information can be found at www.usopenbeachvolleyball.com). Winners from each of the Corona Light Wide Open (CLWO) Tour events have earned spots in the field of play, while the winners of this week’s Manhattan Beach Open, taking place in Manhattan Beach, Calif. Aug. 26-28, will round out the 14^th men’s and women’s teams.

                  Before U.S. Open play begins, a qualifying event will take place at the Hahana Beach venue on Thursday, Sept. 1 to determine the final two men’s and women’s team to make the final fields of 16. More information on the U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball can be found at www.usopenbeachvolleyball.com.

                  The U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball launched in 2007 as a collaborative effort between volleyball legend Karch Kiraly and The Elevation Group, and is joined in 2011 by ReachUSA. USA Volleyball sanctions the tournament and 2011 will be the first year for the event to take place in Cincinnati. A variety of activities will take place in conjunction with open play. Corona Light will present musician Kelley James on Saturday while Spalding and Dick’s Sporting Goods are offering a free youth clinic by gold medalists Karch Kiraly and Todd Rogers. 

Tournament Headlines:

·       The duo of Sean Scott, from Honolulu, and John Hyden, of San Diego, swept the  2011 CLWO beach volleyball tournaments and festivals schedule, scoring their most recent victory in Hermosa Beach, Calif., on Aug. 21. As one of the top teams, the Scott-Hyden tandem are riding a wave of momentum into this weekend’s tournament and return to Cincinnati where in 2010 they scored the win in the Cincinnati Open.

·       The only thing that may be standing in the way of Scott and Hyden this weekend is Redondo Beach, Calif.’s Matt Fuerbringer and Nick Lucena of Santa Barbara, Calif. Fuerbringer and Lucena are ranked second in USA Volleyball Beach Team Rankings, behind Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers and will start U.S. Open play as the top-seeded team.

·       Ty Loomis, of Corona Del Mar, Calif., and Mark Williams enter the U.S. Open as the one of the only teams to have gotten a game off of Scott and Hyden in CLWO play (North Avenue Beach in Chicago) and hope to pull an upset this weekend. Loomis was a four-time CLWO tour winner in 2010 while his Australian teammate Williams represented his native country in the 2004 Olympics.

·       Matt Prosser of Long Beach, Calif., was one part of the runner-up team during the 2010 U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball. This year he teams with John Mayer, Culver City, Calif., and will try to take the 2011 title.

·       One of the top women’s teams going into U.S. Open play is the duo of Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik. Kropp, from Hawthorne, Calif., and Pavlik, Laguna Beach, Calif., captured two of the 2011 CLWO titles, winning in Seaside Heights, N.J., and the North Avenue Beach event in Chicago. The Kropp-Pavlik team is the sixth-ranked team in USA Volleyball Player Rankings.

·       One of the teams to score a win over Kropp and Pavlik during the 2011 CLWO tour is the pairing of Brittany Hochevar, Hermosa Beach, Calif., and Lisa Rutledge, San Diego. Hochevar and Rutledge, ranked 13^th and 14^th respectively, topped Kropp and Pavlik earlier this year during the CLWO event in Siesta Key, Fla., in June.

·       The U.S. Open Women’s Title could be forced to go through the country’s second-ranked team of Jennifer Kessy and April Ross. Kessy, San Clemente, Calif., and Ross, Costa Mesa, Calif., are ranked second behind the top-ranked volleyball duo of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor and will be the top-seeded team next weekend. Kessy and Ross return to Hahana Beach as the 2010 winners of the Cincinnati Open.

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Media Contact:

Penny Copen Fender at O:704.632.2003/M: 704.728.7596 Email: pcopen-fender@elevationgrp.com

Charlie Severe at 513.794.4120

Batt and Sweat Win Their First Wide Open Title in the Women’s Open Division

HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. (Aug. 21, 2011) --- Sean Scott and John Hyden completed their clean sweep of the 2011 Corona Light Wide Open beach volleyball tournaments and festivals, defeating the Brazilian duo of Fred Souza and Rodrigo Monteiro, 21-12, 21-12 in action Sunday at the Hermosa Beach Pier.

                  Sunday’s win in Hermosa Beach allowed Scott, from Honolulu Hawaii, and Hyden, of San Diego, Calif., to close out their string of championships at the four Corona Light Wide Open events held this summer.  The duo went undefeated the entire Corona Light Open season and previously captured Wide Open titles at Siesta Key, Fla., Seaside Heights, N. J. and Chicago, Ill.

                  In the women’s final, Kristen Batt, of Venice, Fla., and Brooke Sweat, from Estero, Fla., picked up their first Wide Open title, defeating Priscilla Lima, of Brazil and Annett Davis, from Long Beach, Calif., 21-18, 21-16.  The No. 3 seeds, Batt and Sweat defeated Tracy Jones and Jennifer Fopma in the semifinals and got some help from Lima and Davis in the other semifinal when Lima and Davis ousted top seeds Whitney Pavlik and Jenny Kropp. 

                  Action was played Saturday in several amateur divisions.  The Redondo Beach Calif. tandem of Landon Tusiesiena and Jeffrey Dudlik won the Men’s AA divisions, while the Women’s AA division champions were the Chicago, Ill. team of Jennifer Solm and Alex Brown.  The Men’s A division champions were Jeff Urton, of Santa Ynez Valley, Calif., and Bobby Jones, from Santa Monica, Calif.  The Women’s A division title was captured by Pamela Scovill, of Charlotte, N. C. and Katherine Shorey, from Scottsdale, Ariz.    Jon Aharoni, from Honolulu, Hawaii, and Salamon Scrfati, from Mexico, won the Men’s B division and the Women’s Novice division winners were Dianna Decaisto, of Venice, Calif., and DJ Decaisto, of Santa Monica, Calif.

                  In co-ed action, Aurora Skarra-Gallagher, of Santa Cruz, Calif., and David Fischer, from Oxnard, Calif., won the Co-ed Open division and Valerie Mallevergne, from Brazil, and Mike Johnson, of Brentwood, Calif. won the Co-ed A division.

                  More than 2,000 players competed in the four Corona Light Wide Open events this summer.  In addition to this weekend’s tournament and beach festival in Hermosa Beach, events were held in Siesta Key, Fla., Seaside Heights, N. J. and Chicago, Ill. 

                  Full draws from the men’s and women’s open divisions and a list of winners from the amateur divisions at all of the Corona Light Wide Open events are available at www.coronalightwideopen.com . 

List of Winners from the Corona Light Wide Open in Hermosa Beach, Calif. – August 20 and 21, 2011

Men’s Open – Sean Scott, Honolulu, Hawaii and John Hyden, San Diego, Calif.

Women’s Open – Kristin Batt, Venice, Fla. and Brooke Sweat, Estero, Fla.

Co-ed Open -- Aurora Skarra-Gallagher, Santa Cruz, Calif., and David Fischer, Oxnard, Calif.

Men’s AA _- Landon Tusiesiena, Redondo Beach, Calif. and Jeffrey Dudlik, Redondo Beach, Calif.

Women’s AA – Jennifer Solm, Chicago, Ill. and Alex Brown, Chicago, Ill.

Men’s A – Jeff Urton, Santa Ynez Valley, Calif. and Bobby Jones, Santa Monica, Calif.

Women’s A – Pamela Scovill, Charlotte, N. C. and Katherine Shorey, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Men’s B – Jon Aharoni, Honolulu, Hawaii and Salamon Scrfati, Mexico

Women’s Novice – Dianna Decaisto, Venice, Calif., and DJ Decaisto, Santa Monica, Calif.

Co-ed A -- Valerie Mallevergne, Brazil, and Mike Johnson, Brentwood, Calif.

                Scott, from Honolulu, Hawaii, and Hyden, of San Diego, Calif. have not lost a match and have lost only one game all season en route to winning the Corona Light Wide Open titles at Siesta Key, Fla., Seaside Heights, N.J., and Chicago, Ill. 

                Among the teams lining up for a shot at Scott and Hyden are Aaron Wachtfogel and Bill Strickland; Ty Loomis and Mark Williams, who have been the only team to get a game off of Scott and Hyden and Tim Wooliver and Colin Kazlow, who picked up two titles on the 2010 Corona Light Wide Open.

                There are several other teams entered that have a good chance of doing well this weekend, including former Olympian and international star Kevin Wong, who is partnered with Steve VanderWerp, Matt Olson and Jeff Nygaard and Scott Lane will team with Casey Jennings in the Men’s Open draw.

The Men’s and Women’s Open divisions will share a purse of $75,000 with $11,250 going to the winners in each of the elite divisions.  International volleyball rules will be used and seeding will be based on current USA Volleyball Beach Player Rankings.

Both the Men’s and Women’s Open divisions will be limited to 32 teams and players will be seeded and placed in the draws based on the current USA Volleyball Beach Player Rankings.

                The Corona Light Wide Open is a weekend festival of beach volleyball, music and fun and is making its annual stop in Southern California.  The nationwide tour was created, in part, by volleyball legend Karch Kiraly and features an appearance by Brian Lewis, a former No. 1 player in the world. 

                Play will be held in 11 different two-person divisions.  In addition to the professionals competing in the Open divisions, more than 250 players are expected to take part in amateur divisions on Saturday and Sunday.

                Registration for the 2011 Corona Light Wide Open is available at www.CoronaLightWideOpen.com.  Online entry is available until 2 p.m. local time on Friday, Aug. 19.   Open division teams must register before 5 p.m. local time on Wednesday, August 17.  

                The Corona Light Wide Open is produced, promoted and managed by Cleveland-based The Elevation Group. 

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CHICAGO, ILL. (July 31, 2011) --- Sean Scott and John Hyden picked up their third consecutive Corona Light Wide Open title defeating John Mayer and Matt Prosser 21-16, 22-20 to capture the Men’s Open division in beach volleyball action Sunday at North Avenue Beach in Chicago.

Scott, from Honolulu, Hawaii and Hyden, of San Diego, Calif., survived a scare earlier Sunday when they lost their first Wide Open game of the season, a 21-19 setback to Ty Loomis and Mark Williams, but bounced back winning games two and three, and then posted a win over Braidy Halverson and Adam Roberts in the semifinals to advance to the final against Mayer, from Culver, City, Calif., and Prosser, of Long Beach, Calif.

In the Women’s Open division, Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik picked up their second Corona Light Wide Open title with a 21-11, 21-16, win over the No. 3 seeded team of Tracy Jones, of Huntington Beach, Calif., and Jennifer Fopma, from Bellflower, Calif. Kropp, from Manhattan Beach, Calif., and Pavlik, of Laguna Beach, Calif., were the top seeded team in the Women’s Open division and also won the title at the Wide Open event in Seaside Heights, N. J.

Action was held over the weekend in several amateur divisions. Winners in the Men’s A division were Robert Ritchie, from Ft. Myers, Fla., and Donny Bass, of Naples, Fla. The Women’s A championship was won by Elisa Joris, from Walled Lake, Mich., and Angie Wannemacher, of Toledo, Ohio. The Men’s BB division was captured by Mark Higginson, of Bonita Springs, Fla., and Garrett Rasmussen, of Ft. Myers, Fla., while the Men’s B crown went to Carlos Araujo, from Redondo Beach, Calif., and Juan Silva, of Huntington Beach, Calif.
In Two-person co-ed action, Bill and Julie Kolinske, both from Big Bend, Wis. Won the Co-ed Open title, while Brian Wade, from Loogootee, Ind., and Autumn Strawn, of Cannelburg, Ind. took the title in the Co-ed BB division.

The Corona Light Wide Open tour now moves to Hermosa Beach, Calif. for the fourth and final event of the season. Two days of beach volleyball action are planned for Hermosa Beach on August 20 and 21.
For more information on the Corona Light Wide Open and to register for future events, visit www.CoronaLightWideOpen.com.

# # #

Results from Corona Light Wide Open, Chicago, Ill., July 30 and 31, 2011
Men’s Open – Sean Scott, Honolulu, Hawaii and John Hyden, San Diego, Calif.
Women’s Open – Jenny Kropp, Manhattan Beach, Calif. and Whitney Pavlik, Laguna Beach, Calif.
Co-ed Open – Brian Kolinske, Big Bend, Wis. and Julie Kolinske, Big Bend, Wis.
Men’s A – Robert Ritchie, Ft. Myers, Fla., and Donny Bass, Naples, Fla.
Women’s A – Elisa Joris, Walled Lake, Mich., and Angie Wannemacher, of Toledo, Ohio
Men’s BB – Mark Higginson, Bonita Springs, Fla., and Garrett Rasmussen, Ft. Myers, Fla.
Men’s B – Carlos Araujo, Redondo Beach, Calif., and Juan Silva, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Co-ed A – Still playing
Co-ed BB -- Brian Wade, Loogootee, Ind. and Autumn Strawn, Cannelburg, Ind. Media Contact: Tip Nunn – TipNunn@comcast.net

CHICAGO, ILL. (July 26, 2011) --- Several of the top women’s pro beach volleyball teams in the nation will head to Chicago’s North Avenue Beach this weekend for the $100,000 Corona Light Wide Open, which will be played Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, July 31.
Among the players expected to compete in the Women’s Open division are Whitney Pavlik and Jenny Kropp, currently ranked No. 13 on the USA Volleyball Beach Player Rankings and winners of the Corona Light Wide Open event last month in Seaside Heights, N. J. Other players registered for the two-day event include Kristin Batt and Brooke Sweat, currently 17thin the rankings; Jenn Snyder, currently ranked 16th and a Wide Open winner last year, and her partner Angela Lewis; and the 21st ranked team of Meg Wallin and Chara Harris, who won a Wide Open title in 2009.
Last year’s Corona Light Wide Open winners in Chicago, Erin Gray and Kathryn Babcock are both expected to return this year, but with different partners. Gray, currently 15th in the rankings, is expected to play with Olaya “Yaya” Pazo, while Babcock will team with Sheila Shaw.
Also expected to compete are one of the top teams from the former AVP tour, Jennifer Johnson Jordon and Annett Davis. Johnson Jordan and Davis were only the second team in the history of the AVP to compete in 100 events together and were frequently ranked among the top 10 women’s teams on the tour.
The Corona Light Wide Open is a weekend festival of beach volleyball, music and fun and is making its annual stop at North Avenue Beach. Created, in part, by volleyball legend Karch Kiraly and featuring an appearance by Brian Lewis, a former No. 1 player in the world, the event includes a free concert between the Men’s and Women’s Open division championship matches at approximately 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 31 featuring west coast sensation, singer-songwriter Kelley James.
Play will be held in nine different two-person divisions. In addition to the professionals competing in the Open divisions, more than 250 players are expected to take part in amateur divisions on Saturday and Sunday.
Registration for the 2011 Corona Light Wide Open is available at www.CoronaLightWideOpen.com. Online entry is available until 5 p.m. local time on Friday, July 29. The Corona Light Wide Open is produced, promoted and managed by Cleveland-based The Elevation Group.
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CHICAGO, Ill. (July 20, 2011) --- With two Corona Light Wide Open championships already secured, Sean Scott and John Hyden, one of the top-ranked teams in professional beach volleyball will try to pick up their third consecutive Wide Open title when they compete in the $100,000 Corona Light Wide Open July 30 and 31 at Chicago’s North Avenue Beach.

Other men’s teams expected to compete in the two-day event include 2010 US Open of Beach Volleyball champion Aaron Wachtfogel, who will partner with former AVP Rookie of the Year, Bill Strickland, and Ty Loomis, a four-time winner on the 2010 Corona Light Wide Open and his partner, 2004 Australian Olympian Mark Williams. Also expected to compete are Kevin McColloch and Matt Olson, who were the runners-up in the Wide Open season opener in Siesta Key, Fla.

The Corona Light Wide Open is a weekend festival of beach volleyball, music and fun and is making its annual stop at North Avenue Beach. Created, in part, by volleyball legend Karch Kiraly and featuring an appearance by Brian Lewis, a former No. 1 player in the world, the event includes a free concert between the Men’s and Women’s Open division championship matches at approximately 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 31 featuring singer-songwriter Kelley James.

Play will be held in nine different two-person divisions. In addition to the professionals competing in the Open divisions, more than 250 players are expected to take part in amateur divisions on Saturday and Sunday.
Registration for the 2011 Corona Light Wide Open is available at www.CoronaLightWideOpen.com. Online entry is available until 5 p.m. local time on Friday, July 29. The Corona Light Wide Open is produced, promoted and managed by Cleveland-based The Elevation Group.

The 2011 US Open of Beach Volleyball will be held at Hahana Beach in Cincinnati, Ohio on September 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. The event will host 16 Men’s teams and 16 Women’s teams from the US competing for a total purse of $150,000.

Players may qualify to compete in the 2011 US Open of Beach Volleyball in the following ways:

1. June 10-11, 2011: Win the Siesta Key, FL, Corona Light Wide Open.
Qualified: Men’s team of Sean Sean Sott/John Hyden
Women’s team of Brittany Hochevar/Lisa Rutledge

2. June 25-26, 2011: Win the Seaside Heights, NJ, Corona Light Wide Open.
Qualified: Men’s team of Matt Prosser/John Mayer
Women’s team of Jenny Kropp/Whitney Pavlik

3. July 30-31, 2011: Place in the top 4 of the Chicago, IL, Corona Light Wide Open.
i. The top 4 is determined by 1) finishing place in the Chicago Wide Open (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 3rd) and 2) 2011 CLWO points as listed in the USA Volleyball beach rankings.
ii. For example, if there is a tie at 5th place for a berth, resulting from finishers in 1st, 2nd or 3rd place having already qualified, the team with the highest CLWO points will earn the berth.

4. August 20-21, 2011: Place in the top 4 of the Hermosa Beach Corona Light Wide Open.
i. The top 4 is determined by 1) finishing place in the Chicago Wide Open (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 3rd) and 2) 2011 CLWO points as listed in the USA Volleyball beach rankings.
ii. For example, if there is a tie at 5th place for a berth,resulting from finishers in 1st, 2nd or 3rd place having already qualified, the team with the highest CLWO points will earn the berth.

5. August 26-28, 2011: Win the Manhattan Beach Open, Manhattan Beach, CA.
i. If the winning team has previously qualified, then the entry will be awarded to the highest finishing team of the MBO that has not earned a berth based on CLWO points.

6. By occupying one of the top three spots in the FIVB rankings as of August 25, 2011. The invitation must be accepted by no later than 5pm PDT on August 25th.

7. September 1, 2011: Cincinnati Qualifier on Thursday, September 1st prior to the US Open main draw. The men's and women's qualifier fields will be limited to a total of 16 teams per gender. The men's and women's qualifier will each be single elimination and will determine two (2) entries into the main draw. The field for the qualifier will be determined and seeded by USAV Beach Rankings for any teams not automatically exempt into the main draw. Any ties in rankings/seedings will be decided by using Corona Light Wide Open points.

www.usopenbeachvolleyball.com

Results from Corona Light Wide Open, Seaside Heights, N.J., June 25-26, 2011

Men's Open – Sean Scott, Honolulu, Hawaii and John Hyden, San Diego, Calif.
Women's Open – Jenny Kropp, Manhattan Beach, Calif. and Whitney Pavlik, Laguna Beach, Calif.
Coed Open - Lisa Ekmekjian, Montvale, N. J. and Dan Sempkowski, East Brunswick, N. J.
Men's AA --Pete Zisa, West Orange, N. J. and Milson Peixoto, Kearny, N. J.
Men's A -- Kevin Froehlich, Ridgewood, N. J. and Danny Vaccariello, Sayerville, N. J.
Men's B -- Charlie DeCrescenzo, New York, N. Y. and David Loss, New York, N. Y.
Women's AA -- Christine Schlegelmilch, Reston, Va., and Tristy Bittikofer, Raleigh, N. C.
Women's A -- Lisa Hoang, from Metuchen, N. J., and Evelina Trzeciak, Monroe, N. J.
Women's B -- Margaret Buttery, Ridgewood, N. J. and Devin Plote, New Brunswick, N. J.
Coed A – Lisa Hoang, Metuchen, N. J. and Brian Gadaleta, Neptune, N. J.
Coed B-- Leanne Hershkowitz, West Caldwell, N. J. and Eric Zan, Cherry Hill, N.J.

Seaside Heights Womens Open Bracket Saturday 845PM.xls

Play will be held in 11 different divisions. In addition to the professionals competing in the Open divisions, more than 200 players are expected to take part in eight amateur divisions on Saturday and Sunday.
Registration for the 2011 Corona Light Wide Open is available at www.CoronaLightWideOpen.com. The Corona Light Wide Open is produced, promoted and managed by Cleveland-based The Elevation Group.
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Media Contact: Tip Nunn 303.526.0994 Tipnunn@comcast.net

Other teams expected to compete in the two-day event include 2010 US Open of Beach Volleyball champion Aaron Wachtfogel, who will partner with former AVP Rookie of the Year, Bill Strickland, and Ty Loomis, a four-time winner on the 2010 Corona Light Wide Open and his partner, 2004 Australian Olympian Mark Williams. Also expected to compete are Kevin McColloch and Matt Olson, who were the runners-up in Siesta Key.
The Corona Light Wide Open is a weekend festival of beach volleyball, music and fun and is making its first stop in Seaside Heights. Created, in part, by volleyball legend Karch Kiraly and featuring an appearance by Brian Lewis, a former No. 1 player in the world, the event includes a free concert at 4 p.m.; on Saturday, June 25 featuring the award-winning band, Gentlemen Hall.
Play will be held in 11 different divisions. In addition to the professionals competing in the Open divisions, more than 200 players are expected to take part in eight amateur divisions on Saturday and Sunday.

Registration for the 2011 Corona Light Wide Open is available at www.CoronaLightWideOpen.com. The Corona Light Wide Open is produced, promoted and managed by Cleveland-based The Elevation Group.
# # #

Media Contact: Tip Nunn 303.526.0994 Tipnunn@comcast.net

Scott, from Honolulu, Hawaii, and Hyden, of San Diego, Calif., claimed the $7,500 winners’ check and pocketed an additional $5,000 bonus for going undefeated as the top seeds throughout the weekend. The duo advanced to the championship match with a 15-2, ret. win over Ty Loomis and Mark Williams, when Williams was forced to retire after cramping during the match. McColloch, of Cardiff, Calif., and Olson, from Solano Beach, Calif., won the contenders bracket to earn a spot in the final, but Sunday’s intense heat took its toll on the California duo and forced them out of the championship match.
In the Women’s Open final, the top seeded team of Lisa Rutledge and Brittany Hochevar, also went undefeated for the weekend and picked up $12,500, including the $5,000 bonus, for their effort. Rutledge, from San Diego, Calif. and Hochevar, from Hermosa Beach, Calif., defeated Whitney Pavlik, of Laguna Hills, Calif. and Jenny Kropp, from Hawthorne, Calif. in the Women’s Open final, 21-18, 17-21, 15-11.
Both Scott and Hyden and Rutledge and Hochevar earned automatic berths into the 2011 US Open of Beach Volleyball, which will be played Labor Day weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Championships were also claimed in several amateur divisions over the weekend, including the Men’s AA division championships, which was won by David Hansell, of St. Petersburg, Fla. and Shawn Quillen, of Dade City, Fla. The Men’s BB division was won by Christopher Vones, of Vermillion, Ohio and Jeff Svec, from Olmsted Falls, Ohio, while Sage Newgood, of Groveland, Fla. And Joshua Velarded, from Bradenton, Fla. Took top honors in the Men’s B division.
The Women’s AA draw was won by Katra Saavedra, of Brandon, Fla. and Tessa Wolf, from Sarasota, Fla., and Taylor Eiken, from Port Charlotte, Fla. and Bree Scarbrough, from Sarasota, Fla., took top honors in the Women’s A division. The Women’s B/BB championship went to Hannah Richards, of Nokomis, Fla. and her partner Courtney Krause, from Venice, Fla.
The coed Open division was won by Curt Toppel, of Pacific Palisades, Calif., and Laryssa Mereszczak, from EL Segundo, Calif. The Coed B division winners were Ben Sevlie, from Red Wing, N.M. and Natalie Gaudreau, of Sarasota, Fla.
The 2011 Corona Light Wide Open now moves to Seaside Heights, N. J. with two days of action on June 25 and 26. The tour also has events scheduled in Chicago, Ill. and Hermosa Beach, Calif. in August.
For more information and entry details for all Corona Light Wide Open events, visit www.coronalightwideopen.com.

In less than two weeks the Corona Light Wide Open will begin its third season, a season unlike any other in pro beach volleyball history. None of us wished for the circumstances to play out as they have, with the AVP gone and so many of you scrambling to continue earning a living playing the sport you - and I - love. If it’s any consolation, I am extremely glad and proud that my team and our sponsors have stuck to our vision and have nurtured the Wide Open Tour from its grass roots origins to its current state playing such a significant role in American pro beach volleyball.

You’ll see a number of familiar faces on tour this year: beach volleyball’s Mister everything Geeter will be with us at every Wide Open event (and at the U.S. Open too). Several of the operational staff, referees, and other familiar faces will appear over the course of the season too.

In addition, in just 4 short years our team has grown 2011’s culminating event, the U.S. Open, into what appears to be its biggest one ever. It will feature a purse of $150,000, at a great location (Hahana Beach – Cincinnati), with one of the best pro beach promoters in recent memory.

Here’s a special note regarding the upcoming event in Florida …

As many of you know, I have a very busy schedule working as the Assistant Coach of the USA Women’s National Team as we look toward trying to accomplish something special in London come 2012. Because of this commitment, unfortunately I will be unable to attend the kickoff of the Wide Open’s 2011 season in Siesta Key.

Over 20 years ago, I developed an idea that evolved into one of the most anticipated events of the Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, the King of the Beach event, typically held at the end of the season, first in Daytona Beach, and later in Las Vegas. This annual event crowned a champion, a stand-alone King.

Following the theme of that King of the Beach concept, I have hatched another idea that - in lieu of my absence at Siesta Key - will christen the tour with something aimed to inspire some of the same excitement and drama that existed at the KOB events during beach volleyball’s heyday.

It’s simple. It’s called the King/Queen of the Beach Throwdown, and here is what it means: I am personally placing a $10,000 bounty on the shoulders of the #1 seeds in both Pro Divisions.

Should any team, during the Men’s or Women’s Pro Division tournament play, upset the #1 Men’s or #1 Women’s seed, that team - and that team only - will immediately be awarded $5,000. If this should occur, the “Throwdown” will be over for that division.

Should the #1 Men’s or #1 Women’s Pro Division seed go through the event undefeated, they will receive a bonus of $5,000 in addition to their 1St place prize money.

I’m pumped to see how this will play out, and I hope this adds to the drama and excitement of the Corona Light Wide Open Tour.

I will definitely miss you all, the Siesta Key Corona Light Wide Open, the beach, and the competition - but I wish you all the best of luck, and I’ll see you in Seaside Heights.

Sincerely, Karch

We are stoked that our commitment to the beach lifestyle and the authentic presentation of a beach festival have not strayed. We have stuck to the core values which bred athletes like Selznik, Von Hagen, Menges, Smith, Stoklos, Hovland and Dodd, along w/ Gregory, Hanley, Kirby, Reno, Rock and so many more - giving players, fans and sponsors a great synergy of competition and collaboration amongst themselves.

With all of the confusion in the marketplace sometimes going back to the soul of a program is the only way to move forward.  That is what the Corona Light Wide Open has done.  By playing the “Old School” rules in 2010, while the entire domestic pro volleyball industry was in collapse, afforded the Corona Light Wide Open to get back to the basics and create a plan to successfully move into the new era of beach volleyball.

In 2011, the tour will play under international rules, visit all four U.S. coasts, plus a stop in the heartland. Top-rated professionals can compete for over $425,000 in cash.  An ever-growing prize package will be available for the amateur divisions which we anticipate, based on 2010 registration, will be pushing "sold out" status in all markets (as we run out of sand and daylight).

Karch Kiraly and Brian Lewis will be on hand to host and engage everyone, while Luke Van Valin and the legendary Chris "Geeter" McGee serve up the on-stage entertainment in partnership with DJ Shares. Live music will be performed on–site in several markets as well.

At the Corona Light Wide Open, the day is spent competing for a championship, enjoying a festival that runs day into night. . .and a night celebration that sometimes runs into the next day.

See you this summer.

The four events will offer a combined prize fund for the men’s and women’s open division of $275,000 and the winners in the men’s and women’s Open divisions at each of the four stops will receive an automatic berth in to the 2011 US Open of Beach Volleyball, which will be played Sept. 2-4 in Cincinnati, Ohio and will feature a total prize purse of $150,000.

Several top professional players have already committed to the 2011 Corona Light wide Open, including 2010 US Open of Beach Volleyball champion Aaron Wachtfogel, who will partner with former AVP Rookie of the Year, Bill Strickland, and Ty Loomis, a four-time winner on the 2010 Corona Light Wide Open and his partner, 2004 Australian Olympian Mark Williams.

Media Contact: Tip Nunn 303.526.0994  Tipnunn@comcast.net

World Class Beach Volleyball Players Return to Cincinnati as the Prestigious US Open Tournament Shifts from California to the Midwest

The U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball, presented by Corona Light and one of the premier beach volleyball events held in the U. S., will be played Sept. 2 – 4 and for the first time the event will converge in the country’s heartland, with play set for Hahana Beach in Cincinnati.

In addition to the new venue, players will also be competing for a $150,000 purse, a $100,000 increase from last year’s U.S. Open in Manhattan Beach.

“Six years ago we were approached by Karch Kiraly and his team to join forces in creating a beach volleyball event that paralleled successful Open championships in that have been part of the sports landscape in golf and tennis for years,” said Daniel Kinghorn, Manager-National Sponsorships at Crown Imports.  “Our faith in Karch’s credibility and respect for The Elevation Group, USA Volleyball, and Brand X Marketing made this an easy decision, especially when the Corona Light brand and the beach volleyball lifestyle fit perfectly together.”      

The U.S. Open launched in 2007 as a collaborative effort between Kiraly, The Elevation Group, USA Volleyball and Brand X Marketing, and is joined in 2011 by ReachUSA to further expand this event over the next three years.

“We are excited to continue the tradition of excellence associated with the US Open of Beach Volleyball in Cincinnati,” Bob Slattery, president of ReachUSA, said.  “Volleyball’s growth has exploded in the US over the last 10 years!  The 2011 US Open will give attendees a chance to watch, enjoy, and learn from the champions of the sport.”

Dave Williams, managing director of USA Beach Volleyball beach programs said, “Cincinnati has been a beach volleyball phenomenon and success story over the past decade.  USA Volleyball is thrilled to support Bob Slattery and the Reach Team, coupled with Elevation Group, as the US Open moves from Manhattan Beach, Calif., to Cincinnati’s Hahana Beach.”     

“We are very proud of the growth this event has experienced since the inaugural season,” Elevation Group Managing Partner Steve Lindecke said.  “We look forward to continued success as this event transitions from the West Coast to the heartland with the goal of becoming one of the largest beach volleyball events in the nation.  We could not have grown as quickly as we have without five years of support from Corona Light, the founding partner.” 

The Hahana Beach location is a 6-acre complex located in Columbia Township, which boasts pristine amenities combined with a relaxed, warm restaurant and unique event center to create an ideal atmosphere and venue for this USA Volleyball sanctioned event.

The legendary Kiraly is fired up about the Hahana Beach concept, “Hahana Beach has created a place for players of every skill level to partake in and enjoy volleyball.  Hahana’s hip, beach-vibe restaurant and event center may be the future model for a non-coastal volleyball tour throughout the US heartland in cities with a strong grassroots volleyball community like Atlanta, Dallas, Indianapolis, and Louisville.” 

Media Contact:  

For information about hospitality, event ticket packages, partnership opportunities and pro athlete interviews, please contact Charlie Severe at 513.794.4120.

For general media questions: Penny Copen Fender at O: 704.632.2003/M: 704.728.7596 Email: pcopen-fender@elevationgrp.com

Hahana Beach is located at 7605 Wooster Pike, Cincinnati, Ohio 45227.  www.hahanabeach.com.