Erik Shoji: Life as the Best Libero in the World

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Ben O’Dea and Brad Fuller. They’re New Zealand’s top beach volleyball team, and will be competing in China this weekend for one last shot at an Olympic berth through the Asian Continental Cup. The O’Dea name has been synonymous with New Zealand beach volleyball for years, as Ben and his brother, Sam, were essentially the only ones doing it full-time. But with the return of Jason Lochhead, the federation pumped in more funding, and has been on a steady improvement ever since. We chat all about that, as well as: Why O’Dea and Fuller feel like they’re on the precipice of a major breakthrough Why both Fuller and O’Dea didn’t want to retire before partnering with the other one What an Olympic bid would mean to the New Zealand beach volleyball federation Why Jason Lochhead’s return was such a big deal And, as always, much, much more. SHOOTS! *** Book your spot in Root and Fruit Nutrition's new Genomic Edge Program! Just 30 spots remain in a must-have competitive edge! Looking for the cleanest supplements in the business? Momentous has you covered. Use SANDCAST15 for 15 percent off.  Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB  

On this episode of the Road to Paris, Travis Mewhirter breaks down the European Continental Cup -- a fancy way of saying Olympic trial -- where France's Arnaud Gauthier-Rat and Teo Rotar, and Julien Lyneel and Remi Bassereau went absolute clutch mode and clinched a second Olympic spot for the French men. Meanwhile, four young Dutch women, Brecht Piersma and Wies Bekhuis, and Kirsten Broring and Emi van Driel, won the bid for the women...or so you might think. But a weird rule in the Netherlands has muddied things up a bit, and Mewhirter explains what in the world is happening (as best he can). Thanks as always to Producers 1 and 2, for you, the viewers. Happy Father's Day all! SHOOTS! *** Book your spot in Root and Fruit Nutrition's new Genomic Edge Program! Just 30 spots remain in a must-have competitive edge! Looking for the cleanest supplements in the business? Momentous has you covered. Use SANDCAST15 for 15 percent off.  Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB  

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features April Ross and Alix Klineman, one of the most successful teams in the world of the past five years and, of course, the gold medalists of the Tokyo Olympic Games. After winning gold in Tokyo, both began seeking the next major chapter of their lives: motherhood. Now, with a pair of sons in tow, they are back on the beach for one final AVP season together. On this episode, we chat about: The insane work ethic required to pursue Olympic quad after Olympic quad after Olympic quad as Ross did for these past 20 years How vastly different their preparation for matches and tournaments is now that they’re both moms How becoming a mother has impacted their view of and role in the sport Why they’re still playing, and still as competitive as ever And so much more. Such a fun chat with April and Alix – the A Plus Team. SHOOTS! *** Book your spot in Root and Fruit Nutrition's new Genomic Edge Program! Just 30 spots remain in a must-have competitive edge! Looking for the cleanest supplements in the business? Momentous has you covered. Use SANDCAST15 for 15 percent off.  Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB  

This episode is brought to you by Aura! Use our link to get a free trial and help the show in a big way! On this episode of the Road to Paris, Travis Mewhirter breaks down the Ostrava Elite16, the final event of the Olympic qualifying period, where dreams were made, hearts were broken, history written, legacies etched into stone. On this episode, Mewhirter: Gives a warm welcome back to Anders Mol, who returned in dominant fashion after an injury break Breaks down the controversial call, with the help of ref John King, that decided Anouk Verge-Depre and Joana Mader’s first round of pool play against Katja Stam and Raisa Schoon Highlights the 17 women and 20 men making their Olympic debuts in Paris Explains why it’s such massive news that Chase Budinger qualified for the Olympic Games, and why it could be a good thing that USA Volleyball is sending four new faces to an Olympics for the first time since 2008 What Pablo Herrera just did that nobody has ever done, and nobody may ever do again And, per usual, a whole lot more. SHOOTS! *** Looking for the cleanest supplements in the business? Momentous has you covered. Use SANDCAST15 for 15 percent off.  Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB  

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features another two-time indoor Olympian in Kelsey Robinson Cook, as well as a celeb appearance by her husband and good friend of the show, Brian Cook, who would have likely been an Olympian in his own right had he stayed healthy. This is such a fun episode, and Robinson Cook delivers, chatting about: How this is the highest level she has ever seen the indoor game since she began playing pro in 2014 Her experiences playing for clubs in China, Italy, Puerto Rico, Turkey, and, of course, the USA Winning the 2021 Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, the first ever for the United States women What it’s like being in the USA gym, with 30 women competing for 12 Olympic spots How she has developed into a leadership role with USA Volleyball And much, much more. Gold mine of a podcast with Kelsey and Brian! SHOOTS! *** Looking for the cleanest supplements in the business? Momentous has you covered. Use SANDCAST15 for 15 percent off.  Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

This episode is brought to you by Aura! Use our link to get a free trial and help the show in a big way! This episode of the Road to Paris, where Travis Mewhirter breaks down the race to the Paris Olympic Games, is a breakdown and analysis after the Stare Jablonki Challenge. There remains just one event left: The Ostrava Elite16, which begins next Wednesday. Even after all the action in Poland, no races were determined in Stare Jablonki. Mewhirter breaks down: Why it’s finals or bust for Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner and Alex Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen Why Stare Jablonki was the perfect storm at the worst time for Sarah Pavan and Molly McBain – but the best time for Lili Fernandez and Paula Soria What Marco Grimalt and Esteban Grimalt need to do in order to pass Austria’s Julian Horl and Alex Horst What Karla Borger and Sandra Ittlinger need to do to pass Laura Ludwig and Louisa Lippmann What Anouk Verge-Depre and Joana Mader need to do to pass Zoe Verge-Depre and Esmee Bobner Why Sophie Bukovec and Heather Bansley will represent Canada at the Continental Cup instead of Pavan and McBain What a race! SHOOTS! *** Looking for the cleanest supplements in the business? Momentous has you covered. Use SANDCAST15 for 15 percent off.  Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB  

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, is a little shift from our typical beachy episodes. We’re going indoors, with one of the greatest liberos of all-time in Erik Shoji. In Paris, Erik will make his third Olympic roster, in search of his second Olympic medal (he won a bronze in 2016). We cover quite a bit in this insightful chat, including: His childhood, as the son of the legendary Dave Shoji and younger brother of Kawika, an all-American setter as well as an Olympian How Michael Gervais’ new book, the First Rule of Mastery, led to a huge breakthrough this season from a mental standpoint How he has never been burned out, despite playing the same position since his freshman year of college at Stanford The beauties and challenges of life overseas And so, so much more. Erik is incredibly well-spoken and thoughtful, and this is an episode y’all will surely enjoy! SHOOTS! *** Looking for the cleanest supplements in the business? Momentous has you covered. Use SANDCAST15 for 15 percent off.  Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB  

This episode is brought to you by Aura! Use our link to get a 2-week free trial -- and even a free trial helps the show! This episode of the Road to Paris, where Travis Mewhirter breaks down the Olympic race to the Paris Games, follows the Espinho Elite16. Big congrats, first, to Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth who made a third straight final and took gold, and Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig, who made their eighth straight final and also won gold. As far as the Olympic race goes, Mewhirter talks about: The massive role a NORCECA qualifier on April 5 has played for Chase Budinger and Miles Evans The even bigger lead now enjoyed by Budinger and Evans over Theo Brunner and Trevor Crabb with just two events to go (and what Crabb and Brunner need to do to get back in the lead) Matthew Immers’ improbable run to a likely Olympic bid as the odd man left out at the beginning of the quad to now ranked No. 9 in the Olympic rankings with Steven van de Velde SHARPIE! For Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno, 22-year-old Spaniards who are making history – and then returning to TCU Anouk Verge-Depre and Joana Mader stay alive with a ninth Thank you as always for watching and listening, and thank you, as always, to Producers 1 and 2 for the help! SHOOTS! *** Looking for the cleanest supplements in the business? Momentous has you covered. Use SANDCAST15 for 15 percent off.  Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features America’s most popular team: Taylor Crabb and Taylor Sander. A note: We recorded this interview before their win at AVP Huntington Beach, which, to us, actually makes this all the more interesting. Aside from being two of the best volleyball players on the planet, they’re also refreshingly candid, forthcoming, and well-spoken and introspective. This was an excellent, excellent podcast. We chat about: Taylor Crabb’s off-season in New Zealand playing with Phil Dalhausser Why Taylor Sander and Crabb decided that the Olympic race wasn’t necessarily for them Crabb’s bigger mission, and why he’s chasing far more than individual accomplishments How Crabb and Sander would fix USA Volleyball The Right Siide, Crabb’s new content venture with Troy Field and Sean Rosenthal And much, much more. Such a good episode with the Taylors! SHOOTS! *** Looking for the cleanest supplements in the business? Momentous has you covered. Use SANDCAST15 for 15 percent off.  Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB  

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Evan Cory, one of the brightest talents on the AVP Tour and within the USA Volleyball system. Cory had an up-and-down 2023 season, one that was still more up than it was down, but his trajectory slowed, so he felt it was a failure. It certainly wasn’t – but he learned from it. Now, coming into 2024, he’s returned to his old style of playing, building a team around him that is custom-fit to him, including a blocker you may have heard of: Alison Cerutti. We talked all about that, as well as: Why the standard Californian path to professional beach volleyball isn’t necessarily for Cory How he and Alison came to be How Joey Keener and his coach on the West Coast (Mewhirter) have helped Cory return to his core identity as a player and what this off-season looked like His early success on the NORCECA circuit this year with Wyatt Harrison And, of course, the art of trash talk And, as always, a whole lot more. SHOOTS! *** Looking for the cleanest supplements in the business? Momentous has you covered. Use SANDCAST15 for 15 percent off.  Want to get better at beach volleyball? Use our discount code, SANDCAST, and get 10 percent off all Better at Beach products!  Get 20 PERCENT off all Wilson products with our code, SANDCAST-20. https://www.wilson.com/en-us/volleyball We are FIRED UP to announce that we've signed on for another year with Athletic Greens! Get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D by purchasing with that link.  We have a new book! Playbook of Champions: The habits, routines, and stories of Olympians, Champions, and world-class athletes. If you listen to the show – which, if you’re reading this, then you are – then this is the perfect book for you, as it is a distillation of the best golden nuggets from our first five years of the podcast. Check it out on Amazon! We now have SANDCAST MERCHANDISE!! Rock the gear of your favorite podcast today! https://www.sandcastmerch.com/ If you want to receive our SANDCAST weekly newsletter, the Beach Volleyball Digest, which dishes all the biggest news in beach volleyball in one quick newsletter, head over to our website and subscribe! We'd love to have ya! https://www.sandcastvolleyball.com/ Check out our book, Volleyball for Milkshakes, written by SANDCAST hosts Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter: https://www.amazon.com/Volleyball-Milkshakes-Travis-Mewhirter/dp/B089781SHB