McEntee Hire Beach Volleyball Tour
The McEntee Beach Volleyball Tour is in full swing. We sat down with kiwi team 'Scundell' - Anna Scarlett & Susan Blundell in the build up to the tour.
This year you have debuted in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Series. How many of the 13 events did you compete in?
Of the 13 Open events we played in 12, five of which we made main draw and currently have a world ranking of 63 (which may increase once these final events results are added in).
Can you tell us about qualifying for this series / events?
Each Open World Tour event has a 32 team draw. 24 teams are automatically in this Main Draw from previous tournament results and points, which leaves 8 teams to make up the main team draw from the qualifier.
When playing in the qualifier it is single elimination, you lose one game and you are out of the tournament. It is very cut throat and a very hard road, especially when starting out with zero points and especially when over 40 teams can be entered in the qualifier. Once you make the main draw, the points you gain are at least double what you do in the qualifier, prize money is guaranteed and accommodation and food are provided for as long as you remain in the main draw!
What countries have you traveled to, and what was your most memorable tournament?
We have been to 18 countries over 8 months this year playing and training for beach volleyball. Norway would have to be the most memorable tournament as it was our first qualification into Main Draw and we got to do it with the support of our junior girls and boys, plus coaches, as they were there to experience a world tour before they went to their Junior world event.
It was a great feeling to finally have the hard work pay off and to have fellow Kiwi’s there cheering us on was just awesome. We also finished 13th in that tournament, which equals the best finish a New Zealand Women’s team has achieved on the World Tour in over 10 years.
Where have you based yourselves in between these world tour events?
Many of the World Tour events run week after week and so we follow it around. But when there was a gap in the world tour calendar we spent a month in Hamburg, Germany, preparing for the World Beach Volleyball University Games and then we also spent a month in Los Angeles.
Although it was great to have more than a week in one place it was still living out of a suitcase and so the continuous travel without being able to settle and unpack properly was definitely hard at times. 2008 was all about getting out there on the world tour and experiencing as much as we could, so in future years we may possibly select specific events to peak for and therefore have more time to recover in between.
What was your highlight of the series?
Anna: Making the main draw in Norway for the first time and then coming 13th was up there. But I was actually more excited when we made the main draw the second time in Poland a week later. We had a tough qualifier game against the Great Britain girls we know and have trained with and winning that in 2 sets was such an awesome feeling!
Susan: My road to qualifying for the main draw was a lot longer than Anna’s. This has been my third season on tour so to qualify, and the feeling associated with it was what I had been after for a long time, and to place 13th was fantastic. Like Anna, to qualify the following week was just as significant, I will never take qualifying or a straight position into the main draw for granted.
Has this series been a real learning curve for you? What have you got out of it?
Susan: Since I last competed on the world tour I have developed as a player and hopefully I am a few years wiser as well. There is still a lot to learn and this is constantly occurring with the feedback we get from those helping us and also the lessons we learn ourselves.
We do all the logistical organization ourselves. We also have to manage ourselves physically and mentally through a long season and through a large array of cultures and countries. The life lessons that we collect along the way provide us with more than just the professional sporting experiences.
Your long-term goal is to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. Can you tell us about qualification for this?
Susan: To qualify for the Olympics you have to be in the top 24 teams in the world. This includes a place automatically given to the host country and no more than two teams per gender from each country are eligible. This means that you can be slightly outside the top 24 teams in the world and still make it in if there are more than two teams from a country, which is often the case with teams from USA, Brazil and Germany.
Your best 8 finishes in the Olympic qualification period are what get you into that top 24 position.
What are your mid term goals leading up to the 2012 Olympics?
Susan: We have set ourselves progressive goals over the next three years and where we would like to be leading into the Olympic year in 2012. We have high expectations but we wouldn’t be pursuing those goals if we didn’t think we could achieve them.
Depending on sponsorship and funding such as the SPARC system, we will potentially spend more time out of New Zealand as the years roll on. We need to have access to teams and full time coaches that are constantly challenging us and making us better players.
What are you goals beyond the 2012 Olympics? Will you continue playing?
Susan: By 2012 we will have spent five years living this lifestyle and although we are competing and training for something we are passionate about and believe in, it can be a lonely lifestyle and tiring a lot of the time due to the continuous travel, relocating, training and competing. We will both probably step back from international competition and start new challenges such as careers and families. I wouldn’t imagine that I wouldn’t play again since by then it would have been a significant part of my summer life in New Zealand for 12 years.
Are you looking forward to competing in the McEntee Hire National Tour this summer?
Susan: Of Course, we are in New Zealand for a start!J But it is also a chance to showcase our sport to the New Zealand public. This year the McEntee Hire National Tour is returning to the South Island after a long absence so it is a chance for those holidaying in or near Christchurch to come and watch the games and support local teams as well. It will then make its way to Wellington, which I always like returning to since I studied there (I’m hoping for some magical weather on January 10th and 11th). Lastly the final three events are at Ohope, Mount Maunganui and Stanley Street in Auckland, which is always a favourite with the players.
What do you enjoy most about the McEntee Hire National Tour Series?
Anna: Being able to play at home!
Susan: I second that!
What are you goals for this year’s National Tour?
Make five out of five finals and win the New Zealand Open.
How long have you two been paired together and what have you learned about working together?
Susan: We have played two New Zealand summers together and this has been our first international season together. Prior to our travels we hadn’t spent a lot of time together so the learning that took place this year was happening on and off the court.
We have some similar personality traits but also things that make us unique. Because we have spent a lot of time together this year it is important we make the environment as comfortable as possible which involves working together most of the time, but also giving each other time to relax.
How did you both become involved in the sport? Previous backgrounds….
Anna: I was playing Indoor volleyball and was asked by one of my team mates who lived in Tauranga if I would like to come on the tour and play with her. It was the summer between the end of School and University in Otago so I couldn’t see why not! I fell in love with the skill and environment that the game is played in!
Susan: I started indoor because that is what the junior girls did at Otumoetai College so I followed my friends along to the trial and had a fantastic time in the teams from a junior through to senior level.
From school I meet my previous beach volleyball partner who had competed on the world tour and due to her partner’s retirement asked if I wanted to compete on the world tour. I was young and naïve, but it allowed me to see a lot of the world and have knowledge prior to this year. I love the independence of beach volleyball and majority of the life we live.
What do you think of the profile this sport receives in this country?
Unfortunately in New Zealand Beach Volleyball is ‘sold’/promoted on the ‘sexy’, party image. But being such a minor sport, we will take whatever publicity we can get. We would like to think that once people do come along and watch and then maybe have a wee go themselves they realize how skillful and physically hard it actually is to play!