June 1986 Volleyball Monthly

e realize our first glossy issue
Wwill be a tough act to follow,
but we’ve recruited a bonafide
volleyball novelist to help us avoid
the June swoon.
Ron Bernstein, the official
historian of beach volleyball, begins
the first of a five-part scries this
month entitled: “Legends of Beach
Volleyball.” Bernstein looks back at
the great sand career of Gene
Sclznick (page 42) in his first effort
for Volleyball Monthly since 1984.
Subsequent articles will follow this
summer on such legends as Ron Von
Hagen, Ron Lang, Larry Rundle,
Henry Bergman, Jim Menges and
Greg Lee.
Bernstein, 38, is no stranger to
beach volleyball or writing about it.
lie has chronicled the sport’s
characters and superb athletes since
1966 when he began his journalism
career at Santa Monica City College.
“1 remember Mike O’Hara was the
indoor coach at Santa Monica then
and I was interested in the beach
game," says Bernstein, a native of
Santa Monica. “1 asked O’Hara who
was the best player on the beach
and he said: ‘I am.’ I asked him
about Sclznick and he said to go
look at the records, that he had won
more.”
Bernstein didn’t stop asking
questions or verifying records until
he drifted away from the sport in
the early 80s. Before he took a
bleacher scat, however, he covered
the beach game for the defunked
Volleyball Magazine, Beach
Volleyball Magazine and
sporadically for Volleyball Monthly.
His most impressive writing
accomplishment is a novel he wrote
about the beach game appropriately
entitled: “Straight Down.” The book,
most likely the only novel ever
written about volleyball, follows the
adventures of fictitious character
Billy Rovere, but is full of real-life
personalities.
Bernstein’s “Legends of Beach
Volleyball” are non-fiction efforts.
On the Cover
Pepperdine setter Doug Rigg
slaps a high five tri th teammate
Rob Scott en route to a remarkable
comeback victory over USC in the
.VC4A National Championship
match at Penn State. It teas the
second straight national title for
the Waves. (Photograph by Dennis
Steers).
STRAIGHT
but the subject matter promises to
make the series a novel treat for all
VM readers.
The June issue also marks a
change in the format of our junior
coverage. The opinionated and
often controversial Jess Money, who
has covered the high school and
junior beat for this magazine for two
years now, will be writing under the
umbrella of a new column heading
called: “On the Money.”
lliis will allow Money to offer
more of his opinion, without it
necessarily correlating with the
views of Volleyball Monthly. Money
grew up in Manhattan Beach
watching the same beach
tournaments Bernstein was writing
about, where his interest for the
sport escalated. Money has a diverse
volleyball background, ranging from
public relations director of the
Orange County Stars in the old
International Volleyball Association
to one of this year’s Pac Rim
coordinators for the USA’s women’s
entry.
Money has always held a
particular interest in junior
volleyball. “The things that interest
me the most are the things that
interest the USVBA the least,” says
Money.
“I see so many athletes out there
that could be that much better with
a little exposure. I see junior
development as a real key to
international competition for the
United States, especially with the
women because it’s going to be real
hard to get back where we were in
84 and maintain it.”Q
w
Editor/Publishers
Jon Hastings
Dennis G. Steers
m w w
MONTHLY
Staff Writers
Steven R. Churm • Kevin Falls
Barry Fisher • Jon Lee
Craig Reem * Glenn Scott
Staff Photographers
Ken Chen • Colin Crawford
Brad Graverson • Bruce Hazelton «
Steve Richmond • Tim Ryan •
Jim Spirakis
Art Department
Bob Fusfield * Thomas G. Steers
Contributors
Andy Bergher• David Cowie
Brenda Bea Gallagher • Tony Hertz •
Thalia Hastings * George Lopez
Nancy Wilcox • Diane Williams
Executive Secretary
Colleen Kramer
Advertising Director
Peter Koch-Weser
(213) 836-2642
Advertising
Tobin & Kreitman Associates
4753 N. Broadway, Suite 1126
Chicago, IL 60640
Telephone: (312) 561-9334
Promotions
Paul Gabriel • Mark Hucek
Accounting
Jeannie Madden & Associates
Legal Department
Wallace F. Rodgers
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