Several years ago I wrote something I called, The Wednesday Bump. In todays vernacular it would be called a blog. I am considering rekindling that literary fire. Below is one I think all volleyball players could and should relate to. . . The Red Tide In the 1970’s I was the Physical Education Director at the Spokane YMCA. The competitive fire still burned within me to play but there was no team. Since volleyball was a YMCA original and, therefore, quite justifiably a program the Physical Education Director should promote and develop, what could I do? It was obligatory that I further this YMCA tradition. We built the drop-in noonday volleyball program into one of the most popular daily fitness breaks. It was a perfect blend of the most diverse characters. Ages ranged from 18 years old to guys in their 70’s. There were experienced competitive players and those to whom the game was new. There were white guys, Hispanic guys, African-Americans, Hawaiians, a Native-American, a Japanese, and others of a variety blend. In the last couple of years several college women players joined the fray. The backgrounds of the players were equally diverse. We had lawyers, doctors, two television personalities, a Hellfire and brimstone preacher (who would air his frustrations by fervently exclaiming, “Balderdash!), a policeman, insurance salesmen, college students, a Green Beret, and everything in between. Each had his or her own life that was likely very different than the others. But every noon Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we would gather at the ‘Y’ and, for 90 minutes we would become one. And were there some characters in that bunch! A very solid Men’s AA competitive grew out of that program. A while later a strong women’s team emerged as well. We secured Kimmel-Hatch as a sponsor for the competitive squads. Our uniforms were bright red so we named ourselves the Red Tide. It is difficult to distinguish among the many outstanding characters. Therefore, I will give thumbnail sketches of some. Randy Boynton He was a policeman in Coeur d’ Alene Idaho and made the 40-mile drive to Spokane to feed his volleyball habit. I would walk into the gym and find him plugged into a wall socket. Whereas most athletes with chronic sore knees would ice them, Randy wrapped them in electric heating pads. This rather unique regimen was his primary warm up activity for practices and matches. An angular fellow, Boynton was an intense player who would aggressively approach to hit, taking his final step, swinging his long arms skyward. But his feet wouldn’t follow. The only things that separated his feet from the floor were his shoes. He jump-trained too. Fortunately, those long arms and the ability to reach the ball high allowed him to hit the ball hard. Once during a match for a tournament championship that was being locally televised Randy took umbrage with an official’s call. Pointing a long finger at the official he said, “I am going to pull you off that stand and tear your heart out!” Ah. Sportsmanship. But it was okay. Randy was a lawman. When, the ref saw all of us who were Randy’s teammates collapse in fits of laughter, he knew his heart was to pump another day. We had a million experiences in a thousand obscure places. Despite not seeing him very often he remains one of my great friends and source of great memories. Alberto Lopez Alberto Lopez began and perhaps, ended his volleyball career with the Red Tide. Alberto took to floor defense. Built low to the ground he found the retrieval skills to his liking. He would hear the young ladies oooh and awww when he made a save requiring a roll or dive. He concluded the more spectacular the play the more enthusiastic and loud the adulation became. Therefore, he would take the most routine defensive play and throw in a dive or roll or both to add to the growing legacy. This skill of making the easiest play look difficult has become known as the “Alberto Lopez Theory of Defense.” Bernie Hite What Boynton was to non-jumping Bernie was to jumping. The Hawaiian, who was at Eastern Washington University on a basketball scholarship, could seriously bound. Basketball may have been funding his education but it was volleyball that coursed through his veins. He once hit my two-year old daughter on the top of her head as she wandered across the floor. It was a cannon shot that pile-drove her to a sitting position. It hit her just right crunching her head directly down between her shoulders. The ball bounced to the ceiling and she didn’t even cry. However, my daughter, now the mother of two, is still about the same height. They say smoking stunts growth. Try a Hite shot to the head during the growth years. Bo Brant It is virtually a fact that Bolek Brant-Zabatski MD. was the most talented, versatile member of the team. He was the Chief Surgeon at Fairchild Air Force Base on the outskirts of Spokane, full filling his military obligation. His life story is a book waiting to be written including a dramatic escape from Communist Poland, being a professional musician recording a few albums, a ski instructor, and, of course, a superb surgeon. He is fluent in at least 12 languages and traveled with the USA Men’s Volleyball Team as the Head of Delegation. Bo’s passion was volleyball and he played it with a fury. His dignified, professional manner could be quickly reduced to an alley-fighting, trash talking (albeit articulate with a slight Polish accent), demeanor on a volleyball court. We all somehow felt more credible with Bo on the team. Once, after a particularly intense practice he had to cancel surgeries the next day because he couldn’t lift his arms above this head. Buzzie Welsh Donald “Buzzie” Welsh began his storied volleyball career with the Red Tide. After learning something about the game and likely more about what not to do, Buzzie has gone on to become one of the State of Washington’s most respected high school volleyball coaches and leaders. If only his young charges knew about his early years in the game. Steve Gustafson (”Gus”) One of the true wild men in the sport. Steve was a very talented all around athlete. He could jump, was quick, and very competitive. Volatile is another descriptive word that could be employed. He hit middle for the Tide. Early in our team’s history we were playing a traditional YMCA team from Walla Walla. The players wore old strap-Tee white basketball jerseys with “W W” emblazoned on the front. They were wily veterans that only played but never trained. They knew nothing about “real volleyball” other than keeping the ball in play. When they played defense they never left their original serve-receive positions and stood watching as the other team attacked. We were working on a “sophisticated” multiple attack with Steve hitting the first-tempo. Of course, it is designed to open up the block and put the defense out of position. We debuted our multi- faceted offense against Walla Walla. Off an excellent pass I set Gus a quick that he blasted against no block, not because we fooled them but, rather, because it required effort they never had intention of using. The ball hit the middle back defender between the W’s on his chest. The ball bounced back over the net and landed on our side for a Walla Walla point. None of their players had made a move but celebrated the “great dig”. Gus was incredulous. He looked at me and screamed “I thought you said this stuff was supposed to work!” From then on any blind, ricocheting, accidental dig is described as a “Walla Walla Dig”. Yeah, we lost that match, too. There are many Gustafson stories. There were many more on the Red Tide. There will be a re-visit. I hope you enjoy your current and former teammates and shared experiences as much as I have. Have a great week!
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 19:05:13 +0000
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