SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter

Latest Episodes:

Road to Paris No. 7: Aussie Aussie Aussie! GOLD GOLD GOLD! Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

This is the seventh episode of the Road to Paris, where Travis Mewhirter breaks down the Olympic beach volleyball race for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. We also have our first guest appearance from Australian Olympian and Volleyball World commentator Damien Schumann, who provides a little background on the gold medalists. This episode follows the @BeachVolleyballWorld Jurmala Challenge, where Australians Zach Schubert and Thomas Hodges won gold, and Brazilians George Wanderley and Andre Loyola, Evandro Goncalves and Arthur Mariano, and Renato Lima and Vitor Felipe all made the semifinals.

In this episode, Mewhirter covers:

- The big gold medal won by Schubert and Hodges

- How Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson have become the best defensive team in the world

- A huge breakthrough silver medal for Esmee Bobner and Zoe Verge-Depre

- Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova getting back on the map with a bronze

And a whole lot more!

SHOOTS!

***

Travis Mewhirter and Kent Steffes just published a seminal work on the history of beach volleyball in their new book, Kings of Summer: The Rise of Beach Volleyball. Check it out on Amazon!! https://www.amazon.com/Kings-Summer-rise-beach-volleyball/dp/B0B3JHFKM7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1WGJFWHPBGPQ2&keywords=kings+of+summer+book&qid=1658922972&sprefix=kings+of+summer+book%2Caps%2C1328&sr=8-1

We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Stay healthy with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter and get your greens today! https://athleticgreens.com/partner/d35ctoffer-strength/en?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=influencer&utm_campaign=sandcast_d35ct__a3172__o27&utm_term=cac__a3172__o27&utm_content=sport__a3172__o27

We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/

If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/

This episode, as always, is brought to you by Wilson Volleyball, makers of the absolute best balls in the game, hands down. You can get a 20-percent discount using our code, SANDCAST-20! https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball

Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

SHOOTS!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mailbag Episode! What’s up with the Taylors? Alison to the AVP? New partnerships everywhere! Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter is our always popular, semi-monthly mailbag episode, where our lovely co-host, Savvy Simo, moderates as we get through as many of your questions as we can! This was, per usual, a fun one, including chats on:

Are Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander still making an Olympic run?
Is Alison playing on the AVP full-time?
What happened to Logan Webber and Evan Cory, Hagen Smith and Bill Kolinske, and how does Troy Field fit into the mix?
What are the best times to ask for autographs and pictures?
If co-ed teams could compete in the Olympics, who would the USA send?

Fun ones!

SHOOTS!

***

We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/

Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

SHOOTS!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Riley McKibbin and Carli Lloyd: The All-American volleyball couple living the life of athlete-parent Jun 07, 2023

Show notes

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features a first in many ways. In Carli Lloyd, we have one of the first indoors-only athletes to come on the show – although that is set to change this summer, when Lloyd takes to the beach and the AVP Tour. In Riley McKibbin and Lloyd, side by side on the blue couch, we also have the first couple we’ve had on (aside from the hosts and our own wives). It was, as you would expect, a treat, as Lloyd, an Olympic bronze medalist, and McKibbin, he of the McKibbin Brothers YouTube Channel, chatted all about:

Carli Lloyd returning to the highest level indoors in the Italian League after having a daughter, Storm
Riley McKibbin navigating the new life as full-time dad
What Lloyd’s future looks like as an athlete
The new direction of the McKibbin brothers and their viral volleyball content

And oh, so much more.

We LOVED this one, and think you will too.

SHOOTS!

***

We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/

Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

SHOOTS!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Road To Paris No. 6: USA makes massive moves in Ostrava Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

This is Episode Six of The Road to Paris, breaking down the Olympic beach volleyball race with Travis Mewhirter. After a month off of @volleyballworld events, the world returned to one of the coolest venues in the sport: Ostrava, Czech Republic, where an extensive defunct industrial area has been converted into a beach volleyball venue. It's awesome. And apparently Americans love it, as it was a MASSIVE weekend for the USA, including:

- Terese Cannon and Sarah Sponcil jumping up to No. 5 in the Olympic race

- Andy Benesh and Miles Partain winning the USA's first Elite16 medal

- Qatar's Cherif Samba and Ahmed Tijan returning to the Beach Pro Tour

- Brazil's Olympic race getting very, very interesting with the rise of Evandro Goncalves and Arthur Mariano

And a whole lot more!

SHOOTS!

*** FACT CHECK NOTE: I made a factual error when talking about Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson. I said they got fifth in AVP New Orleans when, in fact, they took second.

***

We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/

Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

SHOOTS!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

April Ross: The Olympic gold medalist who is onto the most important role: Mom May 31, 2023

Show notes

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter features April Ross, one of our favorite people in the world, one of the greatest players of all time, and now: A MOM TO BE! As parents ourselves now, we’re stoked for April and the new season of life she’s on. We talked about the full gamut of topics, including:

What she’s been up to, under the radar, for the past two years
How she became the coach for Betsi Flint and Julia Scoles, and still occasionally helps with Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner…and is the graduate assistant for Concordia
Her mindset that allowed her to outwork everyone – but came with serious drawbacks as well
Why she doesn’t miss playing. Not yet, anyway. And also: Why she’s not finished playing yet. Yes, we’ll see her back on the sand.

And so, so, so much more. One of the best episodes we’ve recorded in a long time, and that’s saying something, because this year has been jammed with awesome episodes.

SHOOTS!

***

We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/

Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

SHOOTS!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alice Zeimann: The New Zealand ’mid-major’ seeking to prove herself May 24, 2023

Show notes

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, is an absolute treat, featuring Alice Zeimann, the blocking half of the top pair in New Zealand. If you haven’t heard of Zeimann and her partner, Shaunna Polley, you will soon. They are currently the No. 31-ranked team in the world, with a win over Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth in last fall’s Torquay Elite16. An injury to Polley has limited their competition this season, but when they return, rest assured, they’ll be competitive, and are Mewhirter’s personal dark horse to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games. We chatted – in that lovely New Zealand accent! – about all manner of topics, including:

How Zeimann was recruited by Hugh McCutcheon to play at Minnesota…and then by another Kiwi, Jason Lochhead, at Florida State
The wild life of packing your bag and leaving home for almost the entire year, traveling on the Beach Pro Tour
The imposter syndrome that comes with being trailblazers in a country without a long history of success in beach volleyball
Why a routine is the most important thing to keep you tethered to reality when traveling from country to country, time zone to time zone

And, as you can see from the length of this episode, so much more. What a delight it was to have Alice on the show. We think you’ll enjoy!

SHOOTS!

***

We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/

Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

SHOOTS!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sarah Pavan is far from retired. She’s ”chasing peace” May 18, 2023

Show notes

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Sarah Pavan, the most decorated beach volleyball player in Canada history, with a World Championship (2019), Commonwealth Games gold medal, Team of the Year (2019), three-time Blocker of the Year, and a pair of Olympic appearances to her name. This was such a fun conversation with Pavan as she nears the twilight of her career, discussing:

The stark reality of sport, and how the greats just fade away while the game moves on
What her next move is, as a partnership with Sophie Bukovec ended earlier than expected
Her love of practice, and grit, and just being tough
Why she’s not chasing accolades, or gold medals, or praise and adulation, but peace. Just peace.

This was a really, really good conversation, and we think you’ll enjoy!

***

NEW BOOK ALERT!!! Travis Mewhirter and Kent Steffes just published a seminal work on the history of beach volleyball in their new book, Kings of Summer: The Rise of Beach Volleyball. Check it out on Amazon!! https://www.amazon.com/Kings-Summer-rise-beach-volleyball/dp/B0B3JHFKM7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1WGJFWHPBGPQ2&keywords=kings+of+summer+book&qid=1658922972&sprefix=kings+of+summer+book%2Caps%2C1328&sr=8-1

We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/

Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

SHOOTS!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Miles Partain: Taking his ’spark from God’ and fanning it into flame May 17, 2023

Show notes

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, may be the most anticipated episode since we had Kent Steffes on last summer. Finally, in the studio this week, is Miles Partain, the young jedi who is returning the force to USA Volleyball. Miles is easily one of the most curious people we’ve ever met, and that curiosity has helped him develop into the most precocious and promising talent of his generation. Not that he’d tell you that. He’s as humble as can be, too, a testament to his character both on and off the sand. We chatted about all of the things on this one, including:

Why he considers his curiosity a ‘spark from God’ and why it’s so important to ‘fan it into flame’
Why he decided to leave UCLA – and why he thought UCLA would actually be better without him
Choosing Andy Benesh as his running mate for the Paris Olympics, and how they have developed the Swedish style jump-setting and optioning system so quickly
Why he loves losing more than winning (he still likes winning) and why having a breakthrough moment practicing against his wall back home is more satisfying than winning an AVP tournament

And so, so, so much more.

This one lived up to the hype (as Miles always seems to do)

SHOOTS!

***

We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/

Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

SHOOTS!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hagen Smith is only just beginning ’to dial in my volleyball’ May 03, 2023

Show notes

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Hagen Smith, one of the most physically impressive players on the AVP Tour and, yes, the son of the great Sinjin Smith, who is perhaps the most important person in the history of beach volleyball (he only helped found the AVP and FIVB, so there is that…). We chatted a bit about Hagen’s well-known lineage, as well as:

His physical recovery the last few years after a handful of surgeries
That breakthrough fifth-place finish in Hermosa Beach a year ago
How it was being raised by one of the greatest players of all-time
His overall goals in the sport of beach volleyball, which includes, of course, “hitting the crap out of my serve.”

Super fun podcast with Hagen, as fun to podcast with him as it is to watch him play beach volleyball.

SHOOTS!

***

We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/

Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Road to Paris No. 5: GOLDEN TKN; Tri Bourne, Chaim Schalk arrive, Swiss women with three Elite teams May 02, 2023

Show notes

This is the FIFTH episode of our Road to Paris series, where Travis Mewhirter breaks down the race to the 2024 Olympic Games. Just a quick one today, analyzing the moves made after the @volleyballworld Elite16 in Uberlandia, Brazil, including:

- Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth with their second gold of the year!

- Steven van de Velde and Matthew Immers playing big

- Tri Bourne and Chaim Schalk taking a massive fifth

- Welcome back, Joana Mader and Anouk Verge-Depre!

And a whole lot more.

SHOOTS!

***

We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/

Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.