3/6/08

"The Partner Shuffle"

I'd like to take you along on a journey with me to see if I can paint the verbal images necessary to convey all the emotional & physical "happenings" one so lucky as myself should get to experience as a beach volleyball player. Intermittently, throughout the summer, I'd like to post some thoughts about emotional conflicts or excursions one might incur upon voyaging through an AVP season. And with no particular easy flowing transition into the beginning of our trip, I'll start with…

Phase one: "the partner shuffle" - Quite comparable to do-sa-do-ing in a square dance… "swing your partner round and round, triple scoot and touch the ground; pick her up and start again, wheel on thru from end to end." Either that, or "ring around the rosy," and when we all fall down, we land next to the person we're playing with. In actuality, I wish it were that simple. Choosing a partner can be cumbersome when you take in account the long list of qualities you need to consider before making a commitment to someone. Just to name a few… points (the biggest gauging factor), mentality, skill level, height, speed, tenacity, availability, geography, punctuality, attitude and desire.

Ideally and optimally, for me, I would want someone who could… (Respectively from the list above, skipping "points" briefly) maintain mental strength against tough competition and not wither or shrug off opportunities to be competing against the best. I don't need a partner who would rather bow down to a higher seed than to give them a run for their money. The fine line there being confidence, not cockiness; one must always have a realistic sense of self in order to accurately assess strengths & weaknesses. If you cannot see or will not admit to your weaknesses, you will never improve. We all know players like this, and honestly, I feel sorry for them.

Anyways, I would also like my ideal partner's physical attributes & skill level to compliment mine. Being 5'8" requires a partner of at least 5'11" or with astonishing vertical measurements. I've come to realize that speed & quick reflexes are key attributes in a partner for me. There's nothing more frustrating to me than a partner who cannot go from sideline to sideline to chase a ball that's above antenna height. The 13-year-olds I coach can do this, and so I expect that my partner can too. Tenacity, to me, means wanting to win no matter what and believing that you can. To believe in the miraculous possibilities that some days can bring a wonderful alignment of skill & luck (aka: natural forces) to achieve levels of success that seemed improbable is a powerful ability. Jim Carey in Dumb & Dumber comes to mind - "Soooo you're telling me there's a chance!" I would challenge my partner to try and match the tenacity I possess internally. It's cliché, but "where there's a will, there's a way."

And of course, I would want my partner to be local in order to get in the reps necessary to make playing seem effortless. It doesn't always look like that, but I'm hoping someday it will. And last but not least, I cannot have a partner surrounded in negative energy. I am a firm believer in playing with and for your partner. In that, you find strength to accomplish greater feats because it feels good to do it for someone other than yourself. And if my partner is "Debbie downer," I have a tough time wanting to play for them. Trying to get them back on the positive and still try to play volleyball is exhausting. I'd rather spend my thoughts on how to beat the opponent, not how do I get my partner to come around. In those situations, it's basically 3 on 1 and you're outnumbered.

With all that said, some rely solely on points and completely disregard any sort of compatibility. The more points you and your partner have conjoined, the higher seed you have. The higher seed you have, the better your chances are to win (assuming that the "lower" seeds aren't fresh out of college mvp's of their region with no points because they just haven't been able to play in too many tournaments). I think that about covers the main stances of "the partner shuffle." Some see it from a personal stand point, others treat it like business. Choosing a partner can be emotional or it can be a professional decision. I personally like to have a happy coexistence of the two. I guess it lies in the eye of the beholder. None-the-less, it is phase one and we all go through this reevaluation every year.

Once the partners are locked in… LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!