No Boundaries

These were the first words spoken to the athletes at our initial staff meeting shortly after first arriving in Ixtapa, Mexico. As we gathered around a table in Tom’s rooftop suite overlooking the Pacific Ocean at the Park Royal hotel, I hung onto those words as he continued along with the meeting going over what South of the Border Volleyball Vacations is all about and what exactly the week would entail. Sitting at the table were veterans and newcomers of the sport, as well as veterans and newcomers of the SOB trips. The 12 of us formed the largest pro group ever brought on one of these trips. From the first pro, Brent Doble, at an SOB in 2002, to this year having April Ross, Sean Rosenthal, Billy Allen, Janelle Allen, Ty Tramblie, Ty Loomis, Caitlin Ledoux, Kelley Larsen, Miles Evans, Kerri Schuh, Troy Field and myself, I’d have to say things have come a long way.

This trip to Ixtapa marked the 50th SOB trip and the 25th year Tom has been running these vacations. At one point during the week, Tom told the guests and athletes new to Ixtapa the story of how SOB was started. He explained how in 1993, a few players from his league in Denver (Volleyball of the Rockies) went to Cancun and played volleyball on the beaches there for a whole week, but with the same four players the entire time. They suggested VOTR organize a bigger group to take to Cancun, and thus the SOB Volleyball Vacations was born. In 1994, the first SOB was held in Cancun with 34 guests. While it was a great start, Cancun was not the best place for beach volleyball. Let’s just say lots of wind ball was played. Tom explained to us that he decided to drive the entire west coast of Mexico in search of “the perfect volleyball beach” and stumbled upon the Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo area. As Tom was telling us this part of the story, I couldn’t help but think of that scene in Shawshank Redemption where Andy Dufresne has just escaped prison and is driving to Zihuatanejo in the convertible with the top down. I could imagine that’s what Tom looked and felt like upon arriving at that beach. I have to agree, though, Ixtapa is the perfect beach for beach volleyball. The sand is great, the weather is even better, and the water is refreshing. What more could you want?

I have been lucky enough to have gone to all three of the SOB trips now: Cabo, Puerto Vallarta and Ixtapa. Each one is similar but unique at the same time. My first trip was in Cabo in 2017, which happened within a day of knowing I was going. I had traveled to Dallas to train for a week with my beach partner at the time, Angela Bensend. I had only been in Dallas for a day or two before I got a call from Tom. They were in desperate need of a female pro to come to Cabo to work the trip, as someone last minute wasn’t able to make it. I explained that I was in Dallas to train with Angela, but before I could say anything else he responded, “She can come too!” And that was that. I had my parents overnight my passport, and the next day we were on our way to Cabo!

All three cities have great hotels that we stay in each year, with an amazing staff, and local businesses that personally know the SOB crew. Supporting those people and giving back to the community is something SOB always encourages. Before each trip, Tom asks the athletes to bring items for a silent auction he holds on the last evening during the awards banquet. Whether it’s old jerseys, signed hats, balls, etc. the guests bid on the items, and the money made from the auction is donated to local organizations in Mexico. I can’t help but think how many lives this has helped over the 25 years they have been doing this.