week1

The Rockaway Beach Volleyball League kicked of the 2014 season Wednesday night at Riis Park with an opening night that featured 74 teams, tying the league record. Nine divisions of different levels of play battled fiercely on the beach on a chilly, windy evening, whose temperature had dropped 30 degrees from Tuesday’s highs into the mid 50’s. The RBVL Committee does a lot of work and tries to cover many contingencies but weather is out of their control so the players did what they always do, they played ball and had fun in frosty conditions. Many Rockaway lives, families, homes and businesses are still recovering from Sandy but no matter what your personal situation is everyone knows that Wednesday is volleyball night and all is right in the world for those two hours on the beach. And that’s what makes the RBVL so great.

TBG noticed that the zephyr of wind from practice week morphed (not Murphed) into a full blown sirocco on opening night and the only shelter found was at Kirby Korner in Cubby Cove. Two weeks and two priceless quotes! Beware, Joe DiMaggio, your streak is in jeopardy. It’s All Good is ready to have fun in the Sun Division. And Pat Goldberg is guaranteeing a championship this season. Cousin Brian warned him that if he doesn’t deliver the title in the 6^th division his cousinship may be terminated. Patty is so happy to see all the familiar faces again. It really is a great feeling to be back together again. She wants to welcome Wayne to the "The Stanii." He was very perplexed and wants to know the meaning of the team name and how Patty hurt her elbow doing Zumba. But, at least, he was more understanding than Susie who laughed at Patty’s odd injury. As the page turns…

St. Francis De Sales Father’s Day (6/15) Beach Mass will be celebrated on 129^th St. at 10:30 AM. Bring your own chairs and please arrive by 10:15 AM. For the first time in many years, the Social Yachties swept opening night. It looks like the starting line up is already set for the playoffs. Dan Toomey is not cutting his hair until the Social Yachties lose! Barber shops are in a frenzy. Ryan Ford paid a good deed forward by setting up Casino Towing’s net even though he was not their opponent. Any help the aging and beaten down Rocky and Joe get is much appreciated. Rocky’s return to action after being sidelined last year is certainly a good strange feeling, like Ron Popeil on a Deadliest Catch vessel. The paleo ancien régime brothers actually played a game together raising the average age from 26 to 49. And are there really two members of the 1993 Libations Football Triple Crown Champions in the league now? Rusty could not find the league reporters and he was disappointed because he had a lot to say. (What else is new?) Perhaps they were hiding out in the back of Uma’s because an article somehow got written.

The official start of the twenty fifth anniversary season kicked off Wednesday night and many of the 74 teams are still in contention for a championship. Believe it or not, the RBVL committee is already planning festivities and event s for the fiftieth anniversary of the league. We have to factor changes that will happen socially, culturally and environmentally as we prepare. Joe and Rocky will be eighty-six years old so they will have to start recruiting some young spry fifty year olds to energize the team. The league itself will be twenty five year’s older so the uniforms will be changed to fleeces instead of tank tops along with compression socks. By that time, the changing climate will have moved the low tide up to the top stair so the league will move to the bath house roof top courts. Political correctness in 2039 will force the RBVL to drop the volley in volleyball so as not to offend the local vollies. New name - Rockaway Beach Ball League.

If any teams need additional shirts please contact Jackie at jackie@bigdogimprints.com or office phone 347-328-0661. The deadline for orders is June 1^st. Ten new net systems have been ordered. Let us know if the net you recently used is in need of replacement. This way Steve can focus on which nets to replace first. Welcome back to all of the returning sponsors and to the newest sponsors of RBVL teams. The league would not flourish without your financial support and is very grateful for your help. On an administrative note, the RBVL has gone “green” and the Rules and 2014 Schedules are posted on the website. This saves the printing of thousands of pages of copies. SIGNED rosters must be in by week one (5/28) at the latest. That means now. If a player or two was not here to sign, send them over to see Patty on Court #1 next week; they can sign the roster form. Captains who have not handed in signed rosters are late and must take care of this duty immediately. Captains and players are reminded that they can have team items entered in the weekly Wave article by showing up at the sponsor bar or by e-mailing Joe at jmcgivney2@nyc.rr.com by 11 PM on Wednesday night. The prize for the first e-mail entry goes to the Social Yachties. Keep up the good work. The RBVL has a Facebook page and, if you like it, you will receive timely updates, whoever you are, captain or not.

Wednesday night, June 25th, is The Cabana's night for the RBVL party. So get ready for something completely different. The Cabana is located at 1034 W. Beech St. Long Beach, NY 11561 (the corner of Georgia & W. Beech Streets). And the RBVL will be providing a large coach bus with a bathroom for anyone interested in making the trip. If you've never been there it's a really fun place with Mexican-American food and lethal frozen margaritas. Tentative plans are for the bus to leave BHYC at 9 PM and return at 11:30 PM. Please poll your team and contact George Johnson so he can estimate how many people are coming. This will help him reserve the right number of buses. You can text or call him at 347-752-2566 or email to fdnyrocket@gmail.com.

If you need players for your roster, let us know what you need; there are many individual players looking to join the RBVL. President Patty Moule and her Committee members have one major complaint with league players. It is a problem that has persisted over the years and there is no reason for it at all. Each and every week, a handful of teams return their nets to the equipment room late. That means Equipment Manager Extraordinaire, Steve, and several other Committee members cannot leave for the after-party and must needlessly sit around and wait. And don’t just wait for the deadline time; bring your net back immediately after your game. Then go back and finish your beverages and chit-chat. Steve does inventory every week. That helps keep the equipment coming back. Have some consideration. It’s the least you can do. And on opening night there were no offenders. Everyone returned everything on time. Yippee! Keep it up all season. If you have any questions please call Patty Moule at 917-613-0908. (Call between 10 AM and 9 PM.)

See you on the beach!