GODS to GHOSTS Volleyball

Ron Lang Interview.  From  August 30th_2018   Part 1

Ron Lang Discusses:   

-  Why he thinks Gene Selznick is the GREATEST American volleyball player in history, ever!,  the strategy he would use playing against the modern day best player, Phil Dalhausser,  a classic story of playing a young Jim Menges when he taught him a lesson!, how he didn't play the game to make friends, but rather looked at it as a business, and did his BEST to crush and demoralize the competition so they wouldn't think they had a chance against him,  how he moved on from Gene Selznick to Ron Von Hagen as a partner, and why,  what he did as a digger that made him so successful, some of the best hitters he faced over his career, and his recollection of the legendary '68 Manhattan Beach Open final played in the dark between him and Von Hagen vs.  Larry Rundle & Henry Bergman, and how he handled that devastating loss...

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Ron Lang.   First Interview.  May  20th, 2018

Ron Lang Discusses:

-  His start in the sport when he went to the beach  in 1954 to surf as teenager and couldn't surf due to the jelly fish  in the ocean, and saw Richie Cooper and Harry Cohen from the Hollywood Y volleyball team playing beach volleyball, and played with them,   how they were hard on him while teaching him the nuances of the game (which drove him nuts, but served him well!),  playing in his first tournament in '56 with Dick Davis and beating the legendary team of Gene Selznick & Bernie Holtzman in the first round and realizing he could be successful in the sport with the right partner,  how magical the sport was during that era when players played for bragging rights, how he developed his mindset to not be friends with his opponents, but rather beat their brains in,  how amazing it was to have played alongside Gene Selznick, and Ron Von Hagen as partners, and what made each SO SPECIAL in their own way,  the BEST team he ever competed against over his career, his recollection of the legendary '68 Manhattan Beach Open when he and Von Hagen battled Larry Rundle & Henry Bergman for 7 plus hours between the winners finals, and the finals played in the dark,  how he became a legendary digger by watching his opponents during warm ups, and then positioning himself during games where he knew they liked to hit, the rivalry between Gene Selznick and Mike O'Hara on the beach,  a classic story later on with a young Kent Steffes over dinner,  what he's up to now days, what he's most proud of from his career, his thoughts on the new game and rules,  and his amazing mind and strategy when it came to playing the game.    

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Fred Zuelich Part 2 ( Conclusion).

Fred Discusses:

-  Some of the talented players he competed against when he played, his "foggy" memory of the after party when he won the '73 Manhattan Beach Open, the surreal experience of driving back down to San Diego after he won the MBO,  the amazing comradery between the players back then, what it was like seeing his and Bobby Jackson's  name  on the Manhattan Beach Pier afterward, Captain Jack and his RAIN MAN esque  recollection of the sport's history, the 5 best hitters he saw, the 5 best diggers, some classic stories about Gary Hooper, Jim Menges, and Tom Chamales,  what he remembers of the infamous '68 Manhattan Beach Open as a spectator when Von Hagen & Lang battled Larry Rundle & Henry Bergman,  and how it was the best volleyball he's ever seen, his thoughts on the new rules,  and how he would do playing the new school players under the old rules, what he's up to now days after his playing career concluded, and  how much he loves working in real estate for Strand Hill Properties in the South Bay where he grew up, and the story behind his infamous Puka Shell Necklace!

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Fred Zuelich Part 1.

Fred Discusses:   

- His start in the sport as a surfer surfing at 42nd Street in El Porto and the infamous "Black Ball",  which meant you couldn't surf, so he played beach volleyball during the break from surfing, his time at SDSU where he went to college, earning his way up through the ranks on the beach through the ranking system,  the EPIC story from 1970 in San Diego when he was a AA player and Ron Von Hagen  were both partner less and hooked up.  Fred's partner never made it down from Sant Barbara as the bus broke down, and Von Hagen's partner Dane Holtzman turned Hare Krishna the night before, and Dane showed up at the tournament to let him know he couldn't play, much to Von Hagen's dismay!  Then how  Legendary tournament director George Stepanof played MATCH MAKER, and helped Fred and Von Hagen play together and they  earned a 3rd place victory!, Fred  shares how amazing that experience was playing with Von Hagen, including how elated he was to earn his AAA rating, and all the invaluable knowledge Von Hagen passed on to him that weekend,  the players he looked up to on the beach when he was young and coming up, the '73 Manhattan Beach Open he and Bobby Jackson won, and the gauntlet they went through to finally win it over Matt Gage and Ron Von Hagen a week later after the first final was stopped due to darkness. 

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John Vallely.

John Discusses:

- His youth growing up in Newport Beach surfing, working for his dad, playing basketball, and learning the sport of volleyball, his journey as a talented basketball player starting out at Orange Coast Community College where he met his amazing wife, Karen, transferring to UCLA and playing guard for John Wooden at UCLA and winning 2 NCAA Championships in '69 & '70,  what he learned at his 2 years at UCLA from Coach Wooden,  his career on the beach playing volleyball and the players he played with up to landing Ron Von Hagen as a partner in '69, what it was like winning beach opens alongside the Legendary Von Hagen, including the '69 Manhattan Beach Open against Rundle & Bergmann,  plus beating them at the Jonathan Club,  what he remembers about Bergmann & Rundle, what made Von Hagen such an incredible player and role model to play with,  his recollection of some of the other players he played with:  Brian Lewis SR,  Pete Ott, and  Bobby Garcia,  his time playing indoor for Wilt's Big Dippers,  his recollection of many of the legends and characters he played with and against ( Larry Rundle, Ron Lang, Keith Erickson, Gene Selznick, Kirk Kilgour, Bob Vogelsang, Ron Coon, and Dave Bordwell), the 3 best hitters he saw, the best diggers he recalls, and the best team he competed against, his favorite win on the the beach, his thoughts on the sport today with the new rules,  including what strategy he would use playing against a team like Dalhausser & Lucena under the old rules, what he's most proud of from his career, and what he is up to today!

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Holly McPeak Interview.

Holly Discusses:

-Her start in the sport as a  kid in the South Bay on the beach with her dad, brother, and sister, the pro players she witnessed in her youth that inspired her, playing indoors at Mira Costa high school  for legendary coach Dae Lea Aldrich, and some of the amazing players she played with there in the Mustang program, her collegiate volleyball career starting out at Cal - Berkeley, and then transferring to UCLA  for her senior year where she was the starting setter on their '90 NCAA Championship team,  the inspiration behind her "one of a kind"  work ethic indoors and on the beach,  her most memorable wins on the beach where she won 72 OPENS,  her memories from the 3 Olympiads she competed in, including winning the Bronze medal in 2004 alongside Elaine Youngs,  her advice on what it takes to be a top defensive player, the 5 best hitters she faced, the 5 best diggers, what she is MOST PROUD of from her career in the sport, how she would like to be remembered, what she is up to in 2020, the young players on the beach and playing collegiately that she sees as being "special" talents,  and how amazing it is to be a full-time mom to her son, and paying it forward as an owner and coach for Elite Beach Volleyball in the South Bay.


www.godstoghosts.com

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Tom Chamales - Part 3 ( Conclusion)

Tom Discusses:

- The 4 most memorable/MAGIC plays from his career ( including the time he ran down a ball and set it perfectly, the time he hit a ball at Sorrento during a practice game and it SHOOK the sand, and the time he bounced a ball OVER the Sorrento wall into the Hilton families yard and who he met there when he climbed the wall to retrieve the ball!), the 5 best hitters he ever saw, the 5 best diggers he ever saw, the 3 best teams he competed against, his IVA career and some great memories from it, his thoughts on the rule changes to the short court and rally scoring, and who he'd pick to play with against Phil Dalhausser & Todd Rodgers in a match under old school rules & the strategy he would use to compete, what he's most proud of from his career, how he'd like to be remembered in history, and what he is up to today!

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Tom Discusses:

-  Winning the Sorrento Beach Open in '74 with Marshall Savage over Von Hagen & Menges after he showed up at the beach partnerlesss, his  IVA career from '75 - '77, playing in the '76 World Championships with Von Hagen against Menges & Lee when the lighting was crashing, and he was CRUSHING BALLS even though they lost in the finals, going to Hawaii in '75 and playing at the Outrigger Canoe Club with Tommy Haine and pounding 2  balls over the fence, some classic stories from his time on the IVA, his favorite partner on the beach,  his 3 favorite beach wins, some classic stories of road trips in his VW van with Greg Lee & Jim Menges to the East coast back in the day, the players he helped get their AAA rating, including Pat Powers, how fun it was to play on the tour in the 70's and the player houses they crashed at after the player parties up and down the coast, and his thoughts on legendary players like Jim Menges, Matt Gage, Buzz Swarts, etc...

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Tom Chamales - Part 1.

Tom Chamales Discusses:

- His start in the sport at Santa Monica HS in the late 60's, going to Sorrento Beach with all his SAMO HS friends, including Jim Menges, and Randy Niles, how amazing Sorrento Beach was during that era with the Steere Family, Yoshi and her husband Wally Busby., witnessing Ron Lang and Ron Von Hagen hold court, the infamous Sorrento Wall, playing collegiately at UCLA playing for Al Scates, living in the basement of Greg Lee's frat house, the time his dog Barron got in a fight with Mike Stormin' Normand's Great Dane, losing in '73 to Chris Marlowe's SDSU team, the time Ron Lang beat him and Menges at Sorrento 8-0, and the lesson they learned, how he earned his AAA rating with Bob Vogelsang on the beach in San Diego when Vogie didn't show up for their first round game as Vogie was in the bar with a hot chick!, and a classic story from the Winston League....

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Kathy Discusses:

- Mike Stormin' Normand, her best friend, Kathy Hanley, the best women's and men's beach teams and players she saw over the years,  her thoughts on the new rules on the beach ( including how she would do against Misty May & Kerri Walsh playing old school sideout rules, one game to 15, and who she would pick as her partner),  title 9 and how it affected the sport, her coaching career at UCSB, her broadcasting career, what she is most proud of from her illustrious career, what she is up to NOW DAYS in retirement, and her answers to fan questions!

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