This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter features Dain Blanton, one of the most accomplished people in the sport of beach volleyball. As a player, Blanton won an Olympic gold medal, completing a Cinderella run in the 2000 Sydney Games with Eric Fonoimoana. As a broadcaster, you can hear Blanton’s voice on the AVP’s livestream, NBC – wherever volleyball needs commentary, Blanton’s there. As a coach, Blanton has led USC to two consecutive NCAA Championships and is gearing up for another run as the 2023 season approaches. We talked about ALL of that, as well as:
The incredible success of his USC players on the AVP this season, with Tina Graudina, Hailey Harward, and Julia Scoles all winning AVP titles
Should USA Volleyball have an Olympic trials system for the upcoming 2024 Paris Games?
Should USA select its pairs, as coaches do in college?
His Olympic run with Fonoimoana, and how it was a major dose of serendipitiy that put them back together again

And, as always, so much more. Love chatting with Dain anytime we can, and you’ll love to listen in.
ENJOY!
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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
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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