KIRALY READY TO TAKE ON AVP TOUR VETERAN FEELS STRONGER AFTER RECOVERING FROM INJURY.Byline: Katie Hooker Special to the Daily News Don't bother asking Karch Kiraly Charles Frederick Kiraly, better known as Karch Kiraly (born November 3, 1960 in Jackson, Michigan), is an American volleyball player who is the only person to have won Olympic gold medals in both the indoor and beach versions of the sport. , three-time beach volleyball For the ball used in this sport, see . Beach volleyball is an Olympic team sport played on sand. Two teams, positioned on either side of a net which divides a rectangular court, hit a volleyball, usually using the hands or arms. Olympic gold Olympic Gold is the official video game of the XXV Olympic Summer Games, hosted by Barcelona, Spain in 1992. It was released for the Sega consoles, Mega Drive/Genesis and Master System, and Sega's handheld, Game Gear. medalist, about his age. He doesn't seem to think it's an issue and, just looking at him, no one else would think the 44-year-old would have any kind of a problem taking on players almost half his age. Last year, after a tough season in which he had surgery to treat a shoulder injury, Kiraly and partner Mike Lambert still were named 2004 Team of the Year by the Association of Volleyball Professionals The AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) was founded in 1983 by Leonard Armato. The organization started its own American beach volleyball mens tour in 1984. By the late 80's, the tour was experiencing tremendous growth, in part through the promotion of the sport by . Now Kiraly is back with Lambert on the court and ready to take his swing at new teams on the AVP AVP arginine vasopressin. Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, which launches April 1 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. ``I feel like I'm in better condition than last year,'' he said. ``Because of my shoulder I couldn't take any hard swings. I'm feeling light years ahead of where I was last year.'' Kiraly noted Dain Blanton Dain Blanton (born November 28, 1971 in Santa Monica, California) is an American beach volleyball player, who attended Pepperdine where he helped The Waves win a National Volleyball Championship in 1992 as a sophomore. and Kevin Wong as one of the top pairs on the tour, saying, ``They're both great and a tough new partnership, but I'm not taking any (team) lightly.'' Blanton, former Pepperdine player and 2000 Olympic gold medalist, made his way to Athens, Greece, last year with teammate Jeff Nygaard Jeff Wayne Nygaard (born August 3, 1972 in Madison, Wisconsin) is an American beach volleyball player who participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics with partner Dain Blanton in Athens, Greece. In 1996 and 2000 he was a member of the Men's Olympic National Indoor Team. but did not medal. ``It ran its course.'' Blanton said of switching out of his partnership with Nygaard. ``The Olympics is a big goal, and we did make it, and Jeff's now with Dax Holdren Dax Holdren (born September 4, 1972 in Santa Barbara, California) is an American professional beach volleyball player. Holdren is currently on the AVP tour playing with Jeff Nygaard. .'' His new teammate, Hawaiian Kevin Wong, is a former UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX All-American and former member of the Collegiate National Team, as well as a longtime veteran of the AVP. Blanton said his partnership is a good one because both are Olympians, but admitted that this year's tour is a tough one to call. ``There's so much parody on the men's side.'' he said. ``There are so many great teams.'' On the other side of the tour, Kerri Walsh and Misty May are back again as the longtime powerhouse of the women's circuit. Last summer they took home the first women's beach volleyball gold medal for the U.S. in Athens, and, since their start in 2003, set the record last summer with an 89-match winning streak on the AVP tour. May suffered from a stomach injury last year and has since married Florida Marlins catcher Matt Treanor, but apparently she still has found time to train and practice with Walsh. ``It's Kerri and Misty. It's their show again,'' Kiraly said. ``I hear they're stronger this year. That's bad news for anyone else.'' Katie Hooker, (818) 713-3608 katie.hooker(at)dailynews.com 2005 AVP SCHEDULE April 1-3: Fort Lauderdale, Fla. April 22-24: Tempe, Ariz. April 29-May 1: Austin, Texas May 20-22: Santa Barbara June 10-12: San Diego June 30-July 3: Cincinnati July 8-10: Belmar, N.J. July 21-24: Hermosa Beach Aug. 11-14: Huntington Beach Aug. 18-21: Manhattan Beach Aug. 26-28: Boulder, Colo. Sept. 1-4: Chicago Sept. 8-10: Las Vegas Sept. 30-Oct. 2: Honolulu CAPTION(S): box Box: 2005 AVP SCHEDULE (see text) |
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