The hundreds of costume-clad players representing theme-based teams could only be outnumbered by the countless smiles of onlookers and players alike when the 23rd annual Smackfest beach volleyball tournament was held Saturday south of the Hermosa Beach Pier.
The four-person tournament featured approximately 140 teams in the “Fun” competition and 10 teams vying for the title in the Pro’s division.
Rockstar emerged victorious in the “Fun” division with highly-accomplished beach volleyball players Kurt Toppel, John Hagey, Jeff Steffens and Lauren Siekmann defeating Original Sun Chasers in the final.
In the Pro’s competition, a group of indoor All-Americans led by Spencer McLaughlin beat a group of AVP and NVL players in the championship game.
Yet competition was secondary to Smackfest founder and event coordinator Bill Sigler.
“The whole concept of Smackfest is for people to come together and have fun while celebrating the beach lifestyle,” Sigler said. “Watching people gather around the court to watch the finals is a throwback to old-school volleyball.”
Part of the fun are the innovative ideas teams have come up with for the “Challenge,” a feature offered in the “Fun” division where the losing team can take three points away from the opposing team if it completes the challenge.
Each players on the Pizza My Heart team was asked to put one arm through his or her leg and grab the hand of the following player. The group proceeded to walk around the court depicting a herd of elephants.
The Dizzy Bat Race forces players to place their forehead on a baseball bat, circling five times before receiving the serve in a dizzy state. The Sugar Cookie features players rolling the length of their side of the court while opposing players douse them with water.
Other negotiated challenges observed were teammates being connected by their suspenders and players forced to receive the serve while on their knees.
Hermosa Beach resident Raymond Dussault was playing in his seventh Smackfest as a member of Games of Serves.
“This is our Christmas,” Dussault said. “It brings the community together every year. You see faces you haven’t seen in a long time. They come in from places they’ve moved to just to play in this tournament. We’re already talking about next year’s costumes when we’ll be Gilligan’s Island.”
Playing for Beach Blanket Bingo, Kevin Bannerman enjoyed participating in his inaugural Smackfest.
“This is our first Smackfest but not our first tournament,” Bannerman said. “We play together every weekend and take a class in Hermosa Beach on Sunday mornings with Dennis Collins and Dave Fulton. We decided to push ourselves a little more and come join the fun.”
Laughs and jokes – many with the help of adult beverages from Sharkeez, The Deck and other br on Pier Plaza – were abundant throughout the day yet many players expressed concern about the future of the event.
For years, the Hermosa Beach City Council has held discussions regarding the tournament.
“They have been very strict about no booze on the beach so we have implemented actions to ensure maximum compliance,” Sigler said.
“It would be a shame for the city to shut amazing event down,” Dussault said. “I’ve never seen a fight or a disagreement, unless it’s about a point during a game.”
Redondo Beach’s Manoly Gustavson is a longtime participant if Smackfest.
“This is such an awesome event,” said Gustavson, a member of Team America. “We’ve been doing this for 10 years. The combination of friends, fun, sunshine, beautiful people and the party atmosphere make it a special day.”
The number of spots for Smackfest fills up early, but those wanting to play in costumes in a 4-person tournament still have an opportunity.
Registration is open for teams in the 4-person and 6-person tournaments to be held at the World Series of Beach Volleyball in Long Beach on Saturday, Aug. 27. Teams playing in the 4’s can save $30 before July 31 by signing up at smackfestevents.com. Other register and information is available at wsobv.com.
