March 2016 – JMBoulden

A New Way To Have Fun On The Water

Carolina Flyboard owner Matthew Neal, top, demonstrates flyboarding while Jonathan Bundy drives the jetski at a private lake in Rock Point, N.C. The company was started last June and are the only one of its kind in Southeastern North Carolina. (AP Photo/The Star-News, Matt Born)

Wilmington has always been know for its numerous outdoor recreation possibilities. The area beaches and warm weather provide the perfect playground for area residents. Water sports are a big part of the outdoor recreation scene as surfing, fishing, swimming, boating, and jet skiing are all very popular. A new water sport is now gaining popularity for the unique feeling of flight that it can provide.

Man has always looked to the sky and envied the birds. Now there is a way to mimic this sensation and have an experience like no other. Carolina Flyboard was started in 2013 by two Wilmington natives as a water sport adventure company. What is fly boarding? Good question. Flyboarding is like a water jet pack attached to your feet that creates lift and propels the rider up to thirty feet in the air. The jet pack attached to your feet is connected to a jet ski through a fire hose. The rider has a remote control connected to the jet ski that activates the throttle. Carolina Flyboard asserts that most riders can become proficient in as little as ten to twenty minutes of instruction. Carolina Flyboard is the only company in southeastern North Carolina that provides this unique experience. One look at the company’s Instagram account shows how thrilling the new sport can be for riders.

In order to enjoy flyboarding the main requirement is a large, deep, body of water. The Wilmington area is perfectly suited for the sport being near so many fresh water lakes and beach communities. One of the main drawing points for riders is the safety factor. Skateboarding and snowboarding require much of the same skills and balance as flyboarding. But flyboarding is much safer due to the fact that riders can bail on a trick and land in water. Flyboarding is truly a unique experience that has been described as getting big air on a snowboard or skate board. The horse power of the jet ski that is powering the flyboard determines how high and how fast riders can go. Most can experience speeds of up to twenty miles per hour.

Infographic created by Jeffrey Boulden using Google Maps, data retrieved from www.carolina-flyboard.com

Carolina Flyboard is headquartered in Boiling Springs Lake and has rental operations in Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, and Topsail Beach. There are several packages available with the basic being 160 dollars for a twenty minute flight and ten minutes of instruction. Surfing, wake boarding, and skiing will always be popular for summertime fun, but flyboarding has arrived as an extreme alternative for adventurous souls looking for more excitement from their water sports. Carolina Flyboard is here in Wilmington to supply that excitement. Are you ready to fly?

First Year Outlook And Beyond For UNCW Beach Volleyball

The inaugural season for the UNCW beach volleyball program is proving to be a challenge. The team has had trouble early and gotten off to a 3 – 7 start. With this being the first year, some growing pains are expected. The schedule has not made things any easier with UNCW having faced three top ten teams already. Despite a disappointing start to this season, the future looks bright for the program.

Head coach Amy Bambenek has done an excellent job with the indoor program and looks to have the same success with beach volleyball. Upon coming to UNCW she did not have any experience with the sand game so she wisely brought in David Fischer to help.

UNCW beach volleyball coach David Fischer. Image retrieved from www.uncw.edu by Jeffrey Boulden

Coach Fischer brings over twenty years of experience in beach volleyball to UNCW. He is a graduate of Stanford University where as a player he led his team to the NCAA finals. After graduation Fischer played professional beach volleyball on the AVP tour. His professional career lasted for fifteen years where he played in tournaments worldwide. Fischer comes to UNCW from The University of Louisiana at Monroe where he led them to a trip to the NCAA tournament in his first year. He also coached several players to All-American seasons.

The sand game is very different from the indoor game. On the sand, skill and finesse are more important than physical characteristics. This gives players who don’t have that prototype volleyball body a chance to be a division one athlete and earn a scholarship. The team has signed six full time beach players and filled out the rest of the roster with indoor players. In future years the program should be able to recruit more players specifically for the beach game. The location of the UNCW campus near the beach should help attract some top level recruits.

Both the sand and indoor programs should be mutually beneficial. With each coach bringing a different perspective to the game, the teams should both gain valuable insights. The indoor players that also play sand should also benefit. The games a very different and could help attract indoor players to UNCW because they can play sand volleyball in the off-season. Besides keeping in shape, playing both sports could help them develop skills and gain perspective that could help them with their indoor game.

The first season for any program will be tough as this year is proving to be for UNCW. Coach Bambenek and coach Fischer have been successful everywhere they have been. There is no reason to think that they won’t with the UNCW beach volleyball program. The future looks bright and with a few years of recruiting and coaching, the program should be very competitive.

Meet The UNCW Beach Volleyball Coaches

This is the innagural season for the UNCW beach volleyball team. Considering this is the first season for the new team, their 3 and 4 start can be looked at as a success. The schedule runs from March until the end of April. Guiding the team this year will be coaches Amy Bambenek, David Fischer and assistant Brittany Fennell. Each bring a wealth of playing and coaching experience at all levels to the team.

Coach Bambenek also coaches the UNCW indoor team. She has resurrected the team from one of the league’s worst to a NCAA tournament bid and a CAA championship. Fans hope that she can bring the same success to the beach program.

Photo retrieved from http://www.uncwsports.com by Jeffrey Boulden

Bambenek’s resume is quite extraordinary. She began her playing career at Coastal Carolina where she was a four year starter and led the team to a conference title and a NCAA tournament bid. She also ranks in the top five in several all-time stats for the team. She began her coaching career in 1998 at Florida State as an assistant. There she helped the team win an ACC title and another tournament bid. After three years at FSU Bambenek took an assistant job at George Washington university where she was primarily in charge of recruiting and practicing coordination. In here eight years at GW she coached several players to All-Conference level seasons. Coach Bambenek is also CAP level 1 certified through USA Volleyball. She also holds a Masters of Science in Sports Administration from FSU.

Coach Fischer comes to UNCW after three successful seasons as the University of Louisiana at Monroe head coach. At ULM he coached several pairs of players to All-American honors. Fischer started his playing career at Stanford University where he led the team all the way to the finals of the NCAA tournament. He has also played professional beach volleyball on the AVP tour. He finished fourth in the 2003 Pan Am games. His vast professional and collegiate experience should give the Seahawks an edge against the competition this year.

Coach Fischer's Professional Career Stats. Data retrieved from www.bvbinfo.com by Jeffrey Boulden — Coach Fischer’s Professional Career Stats. Data retrieved from www.bvbinfo.com by Jeffrey Boulden

Brittany Fennell will assist the coaching staff this season with recruiting and administrative needs. Brittany was head coach for Village Christian Academy in Fayetteville, NC leading them to a winning record in 2013. Her playing career began at Clemson university where she earned the team’s rookie of the year honors. Fennell helped Clemson to two NCAA tournament appearances. She has also played for a USA volleyball development team in international competition.

The combined experience and expertise of the coaching staff looks to give UNCW beach volleyball a bright future. The team looks to be competitive right away and hopes to make the NCAA tournament within the first few years of competition.

A Different Take on Beach Volleyball

As the 2016 Summer Olympics quickly approaches, all eyes will be on the beaches of Rio. Beach volleyball is one of the Summer Olympics newest and most anticipated events. While Brazil is one of the world’s best volleyball countries, they are mostly known for their skill in soccer. So it should come as no surprise that Brazil was the birthplace of a little known sport that combines the two.

Futevolei, or footvolley in english, is a hybrid of soccer and volleyball. Like in soccer, players cannot use their hands but instead use their heads, knees, chest, and feet to pass the ball over the net. Games are played on a regulation beach volleyball court on the sand with the same size net but using a soccer ball. Serves are kicked from the ground over the net to the other team. Many of the scoring rules are the same as volleyball except no hands are allowed. Matches are two vs two style. The sport takes great skill and produces some amazing physical feats. Players are forced to bend, twist, and jump in all directions to keep the ball alive. The most exciting shot is the footvolley version of the “spike.” Players leap in the air after being set up by a high pass and smash the ball down with their foot. This play known as a “shark attack,” can be very dangerous due to the fact that players will often land on their backs.

Footvolley was created on the beaches of Copacabana in Brazil in the 1960’s. Since then the sport has gained popularity all over the world. International competitions have grown to include a world cup competition. The U.S. has formed a professional tour and national championships. The sport is truly global with major competitions being held from Paraguay to Israel. This map shows the major hot spots for the sport as well as the birthplace in Copacabana Brazil.

Information retrieved from http://footvolley.com by Jeffrey Boulden. Map created using Google Maps.

The game is growing in popularity partly because it is cheap and accessible. Soccer is already the world’s most popular sport so it stands to reason that footvolley would be logical extension. The sport also offers a unique and fun way for soccer players to train and hone their skills. Many soccer players actually prefer footvolley because of the constant action, there are no dull moments and the ball is always moving.