June 1986 Volleyball Monthly

LEGENDS OF BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Selznick was the sand’s first King
n the beginning, it wasn’t much of a
Ikingdom. The domain, of course, was
the California seashore, broad and
always beautiful, but the trappings we
associate with modern beach volleyball
were nowhere to be seen. No center
courts surrounded by advertising
banners to push products and restrain
crowds; there were no sponsors and few
spectators.
There was no commercial appeal.
There was, in fact, no pomp in simple
circumstances and the only court
retainers bearing any resemblance to
today’s were female — but even here
the quantity, if not quality, couldn’t
begin to approach the train of "volley
dollies” 1978 World Champion Gary
Hooper would rhapsodize about a
quarter century later.
I he game itself was different, back in
the dark ages following World War II. It
was still slowly evolving from its indoor,
recreational origins with the help of
South Bay lifeguards seeking ways to
while away the hours. An early leader
was Sam Shargo, who well into the
1970s could still be seen, at Will Rogers
State beach north of Santa Monica,
practicing the “finesse” game.
Finesse is a polite way of saying that
early beach ball lacked power and
speed. But that description was largely
true when serves were received by the
hands like sets, when all sets were
hand-delivered, and a good portion of
the offense was deftly placed by the
fingers.
Indeed, as late as 1966, Bernie
Holtzman, a dominant beach and indoor
player throughout the 1940s and into
the ’50s, was still lobbying to outlaw the
underhand "bump,” the European
service reception technique that was
most responsible for speeding the game
up and ushering in the changes that
characterize the modern era.
But more important than technique,
beach volleyball has been shaped by its
leading personalities. Talent, desire and
competitive record have earned a few
the coveted title, “King of the Beach."
The first was Gene Selznick.
The Los Angeles-born but New
York-raised Selznick was 20 years old in
the summer of 1950 when he first
played beach volleyball at the 9th Street
courts in Hermosa Beach. His impact
was immediate, bringing to the game a
combination of size, strength and natural
ability that had never been seen on the
By Ron Berstein
sand before.
At 6-3. he pounded the ball over nets
that were then just 7-9 in height. His
huge hands and long fingers directed
sets with pinpoint accuracy. Before the
summer was over he had dethroned
local kingpins Marty Deitrick and Dick
McFarland and was ready for State
Beach.
Coincidentally, State Beach was to
host the first tournament where “AAA"
Gene Selznick
ratings were to be won. Holtzman, then
27, and Manny Saenz, 32, both indoor
all-Americans, were favored to capture
this new honor. But Selznick, playing
with another indoor athlete, Eve Keller,
took the semifinal event. It w'ould be the
first of many.
The 1950s could truly be called the
“Selznick Decade.” At Laguna Beach, for
Continued
12 June 1986 VOLLEYBALL MONTHLY
Ken Chen