Hermosa Beach Open Recap: Olympians Capture Titles in Return to Roots
Hermosa Beach Open Recap: Olympians Capture Titles in Return to Roots
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The 2024 Hermosa Seaside Open shipped a Exclusive sort of magic, Mixing environment-class athleticism with the down-to-earth spirit that defines the beach volleyball Local community. Held September four–seven close to the Hermosa Beach Pier, this calendar year’s tournament wasn’t just a end over the competitive circuit—it was a celebration of the Activity’s origins, featuring Olympians competing shoulder to shoulder with increasing stars and local heroes in a enthusiast-welcoming, no-frills environment.
The event experienced no stadium seating or flashy supporter zones. As a substitute, spectators gathered within the courts, standing during the sand and sitting down on Seashore towels because they cheered on elite athletes from just feet absent. Organized with grassroots support and backed by sponsors like Wedbush Securities, the Event returned into a purer Edition of the sport, the place community, Competitiveness, and connection ended up the focus.
Within the Females’s facet, Olympians Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes reminded everyone why they’re thought of One of the finest on the planet. In the extraordinary all-USC final, Cheng and Hughes dropped the primary established to Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft before roaring back to get the following two. The determining set came right down to the wire, with Cheng and Hughes edging out a 20–18 get in the thrilling end. The victory marked a triumphant minute inside their article-Olympic marketing campaign and underscored their dominance heading into the following AVP and Intercontinental functions.
The Males’s remaining highlighted another Olympic-caliber clash. Previous NBA ahead turned Seashore volleyball standout Chase Budinger teamed up with Olympic veteran Miles Evans to confront off versus Miles Partain and Alex Ranghieri. Budinger and Evans proved also strong, profitable in straight sets, 21–fourteen and 21–17. Budinger’s physicality at the net and Evans’ sharp instincts built them the unstoppable duo with the weekend.
Across 4 times of Engage in, 130 teams competed in a double-elimination format that retained fans on their toes and athletes grinding as a result of lengthy, Sunshine-soaked times. The Event also included a juniors division, which introduced in a huge selection of young players eager to discover, Sodo66 compete, and share the sand Along with the execs. It absolutely was a scarce opportunity for youth athletes for being Component of An important volleyball celebration in addition to a valuable recruiting instant for faculty courses in attendance.
An entire Picture gallery captured the essence with the Match—from large-traveling spikes and gritty digs to tranquil moments of concentrate and laughter among teammates. These pictures, greatly shared on the web, helped showcase the beauty and intimacy with the sport in its most reliable setting.
With its achievements, the Hermosa Seaside Open up has sparked conversation about its long run. City leaders are Discovering a product similar to Manhattan Seaside, where by the municipality could just take a bigger function in internet hosting the Event yearly. There’s also A much bigger target in sight: Hermosa is actively positioning alone to be a designated instruction web page for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The 2024 Hermosa Beach Open was much more than just a Event. It absolutely was an announcement—proof that even in an period of massive contracts and global broadcasts, beach volleyball’s coronary heart still beats strongest within the sand, surrounded by community.