Beth Van Fleet
Photo by Volleyshots.com
Beth Van Fleet played NCAA Division I volleyball, coached club teams and is currently competing on the AVP Beach Volleyball Tour. Beth graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in Marketing. As a Lady Panther, she is still one of only two players in school history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. Beth was a two-time second-team all-conference pick and an all-academic all-conference player throughout her entire career at GSU. While competing at the college level she started coaching local club teams in Atlanta. She quickly realized how lucky she was to share the skills she'd acquired with younger girls. After 7 years of coaching, she decided to move to San Diego to compete at beach volleyball. In 2003, she landed in California and joined the AVP tour. In 2005, Van Fleet and her partner won the prestigious AVPNext National Championship.
Playing beach volleyball has been one of the most amazing adventures of my life. It’s allowed me to travel the country and meet some incredible people. Originally from Tampa Bay, I grew up with sand all around me but each time I tried to play beach volleyball, my pride sent me sprinting back to the comfort of the hard, familiar indoor courts. After graduating from Georgia State University, I worked in a chaotic advertising environment for 3 years. I loved the rush of deadlines and the satisfaction in accomplishing my goals on a daily basis. Basically, advertising enabled me to keep competing, in a sense. On the weekends, I ventured into the grass and beach game a little more. Finally my focus shifted and I found myself working to afford my volleyball habits. Somehow between then and now, I’ve found my rhythm in the sand and have come to love the game and many of the people I’ve met along the way.
| Just the facts | |
| Name | Beth Van Fleet |
| Nickname | Nothing really sticks, maybe bvf | Birthdate: | 6/27/77 |
| Height: | 6'0" | Hometown: | Tampa, FL |
| Resides: | San Diego, CA | College: | Georgia State University |
| Years Pro: | 4 | Partners: | Cinta Preston, Catie Vagneur and Suzana Manole | Career Stats: | Beth's BVBinfo profile |
| Inspirations | Life: | "Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain." |
| Volleyball: | "Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser"… this is one of my dad's favorites; it makes most people's eyes roll. |
| Favorites | AVP event 2007: | Long Beach, CA | Food: | Grandma's Spanish Bean Soup |
| Drink: | Nesquick chocolate milk | Vacation: | Palm Island, FL |
| Car: | Frankie, 4Runner | Ice Cream: | Chunky Monkey |
| Holiday: | Thanksgiving |
| Top Fives | Movies: | Blue Crush, Pirates of the Caribbean, Shag, American History X, Sweet Home Alabama |
| TV: | Prison Break, Law and Order: SVU, Nip/Tuck, Grey's Anatomy, Ed (canceled a while back) | CD's: | Van Morrison, R.E.M., John Mayer, Michael Buble, Sarah McLachlan |
| Books: | Good in Bed, Memoirs of a Geisha, In Her Shoes, DaVinci Code
Way of the Peaceful Warrior |
| Seven Silly Questions | 1. If you could have one super power, what would it be? | I would be able to move things with my mind by sheer will. | 2. If you were stuck on a deserted island, what is the one thing you would want? | Other than a global cell phone, either kosher dill pickles, chocolate chip cookies or a sweet hammock. | 3. What is your guilty pleasure? | Saved by the Bell reruns | 4. Who is your hero? | Buzz Lightyear… to infinity and beyond! | 5. What frightens you? | People who insist that drinking milk is bad for you… and snakes (but not on a plane) | 6. If you could meet anyone, who would it be? | I'd love to spend a day (as an adult) with Vivian Van Fleet, my grandma who passed away when I was 7. She amazed and inspired me even at a young age. | 7. If you didn't play volleyball, what would you do? | I hope I'd get back into advertising or go to school to teach. |