Good morning, beach volleyball fans,
I know last week seemed like the final week of a long and winding beach volleyball season, and it would make sense in so many ways for the year to end with the World Championships. But because Doha was cancelled, Volleyball World was still on the hook to hit the minimum prize money, so they added a late Elite in Itapema — big fan of this place, almost died there, but I do love it — to round out the year. The entry list, on both the men’s and the women’s side, is as soft as you’ll ever see an Elite, to be expected this time of year, which means it is a HUGE opportunity for free points.
Just look at those Crabb Brothers! No. 11 in the main draw!
What a time.
As for me and my house, we will be…in Pompano Beach! Yes, I’m playing my annual tournament at the eleventh hour, getting to hang out with Miles Partain in a Futures in South Florida. Will be good to get some quality time with Miles, and we’ll see if I have any juice left, seeing as the last time I actually played beach volleyball was September…of 2024…with Andy Benesh. Here we go.
On to this week’s beach news and pod things:
The week in SANDCAST Studios
This week we let the World Champs content ride out its beautiful storm. It was the most views we’ve had in a 10-day period ever, by A LOT. Our YouTube Channel hit nearly half a million views from our World Champs coverage. To some channels, this is very normal. To ours, it was rather large, close to half of our total from the entire 2024 calendar year, which in and of itself was a record. To us, this is a pretty sure sign that you enjoy more newsy coverage alongside our more traditional evergreen content.
Noted as we head into 2026.
Give us a follow on Spotify if you haven’t already.
Onto the news and notes on the beach.
News Around the Beach
- It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s December 1. Wild! Our most popular write-up, every year, without fail, is up: The 2025 Ultimate Beach Volleyball Gift Guide. Go get that beach volleyball enthusiast in your life some swag and equipment and merch and all the rest.
- 52 matches, 8 podcasts in 10 days. I was asked during Adelaide if I have a teleprompter or a photographic memory. Neither, but I appreciate the compliment. What I have is a meticulous process for commentating that allows A LOT of information and stats and numbers and stories to stick in my head. Here’s my extensive process for how I prep to commentate.
- I finished Montaigne, by Stefan Zweig. A book that came highly recommended by Ryan Holiday was solid, and here are my biggest takeaways from it.
- Watch SANDCAST Episodes Early! Become a member of our YouTube Channel and you’ll get every piece of content days or weeks or, now, months, even, before anybody else.
- Coming up on Wednesday Tri Bourne and I are talking the AVP schedule and answering fan questions. If you’re a member of our YouTube Channel, you can already watch the next THREE episodes: us chatting AVP, Zach Schubert, and Switzerland’s Marco Krattiger, all recorded from Adelaide.
Much Love to the sponsors
We’ve been with Wilson Volleyball since day one, and we love the products they make — the best ball on the market, hands down, no questions asked. Use our discount code: SANDCAST-20 for 20 PERCENT OFF.
Watch VBTV for 10 percent off using our discount code, SANDCAST10.
We’ve got SANDCAST merch! Get yourself some swag.
SANDCAST adds another year with AG1. One of our longest-running sponsors, AG1, is back on the pod for another year. We’ve re-signed with the brand, and have changed our model with them, to a fully affiliate-model. So if you want to stay healthy AND help the show, please order with this link, which comes with a full year of Vitamin D for FREE, as well as five totally FREE travel packs!
We’re officially partnered with Better at Beach! If you want to get Better at Beach, use our code SANDCAST for 10 percent off all of their products, from online classes to in-person camps and more.
Appreciate y’all for listening, reading, and loving the beach like we do.
Have a great week!
SHOOTS!
SANDCAST Team
