week8

Once again the Rockaway Beach Volleyball League played under beautiful weather with perfect volleyball conditions and players are wondering if bad weather will ever hit Riis Park this summer. Keep enjoying the wonderful nights. You are not going to believe the next 14 words – there are only two more Wednesday night matches left in the 2016 RBVL season! Say it isn’t so, Joe. Playoff positioning and regular season titles will all be up for grabs the next two weeks. Longtime referee Coach enjoyed the music by Gearth, Wind and Fireman last week but has a question, what took them so long to play at Riis Park? Well, they are back again in Rockaway on Friday night and will be playing at the Graybeard’s Family Fun Run at SFDS schoolyard. Come on by if you like running, eating or drinking? On a serious note, the Graybeard’s are looking for your assistance to help out a neighbor who is in desperate need at this time. The neighbor is a family of 4. The father has a terminal genetic disease that was passed on to his 2 children. This disease is more progressive in younger individuals. It is truly a terrible situation. Dad had to leave his jobs when the disease began to take away his physical abilities. The mother had to stop working to remain home to care for her family. To make matters worse, mom had to be hospitalized for 2 weeks following an emergency surgery related to a health issue of her own. She is currently in the middle of a 6 week (expected) recovery at home and, thankfully, she will be okay. This family's gracious neighbors and friends have been pitching in to assist with everything from meals to yard work. Our goal is to help out financially to meet some of the family’s basic needs. At the Fun Run on July 29th we will be holding a 50/50 raffle with all the proceed going to assist our neighbor. The tickets are $20 a piece. The more tickets sold, the higher the prize will be. We would like your help in selling some tickets (and purchase of course). Please reach out to one of these people to get tickets to sell or purchase – Jo Jo O'Grady (917-417-4532), Jim Mullen (718-938-1665) or Jean Condon (718-634-6812). Thanks in advance for your generosity.

The Mighty Boosh reversed their early season score and took down 2^nd place foe Casino Auto Body 4-1 to solidify first place in the Ocean Breeze Division. Three of the games went to overtime and that is par for the course whenever these two old rivals battle. Young John Moroney led the charge for the Boosh. In the Moon Division, Chicks to Go must have been dreaming of delicious Peruvian chicken and not paying attention to volleyballs flying; they dropped three to Rogers Irish Setters. Did you know Peru moved from South America to 97^th Street and the Blvd.? Did you know that was the Chicks first loss of the season? Rogers played wonderful, according to James, and they're looking forward to the championships. It’s All Good won for the 8^th straight week, whitewashing Netropolitans and Hyper Athletic beat West End Tents for their 8^th straight victory in the Ocean Division. These two teams hope to remain hot heading into the playoffs. And how about President Patty’s old high school coach coming out to Riis Park to see how his former player is doing? Did he expect to see 78 teams doing battle? Some players show up at the bar in uniform with sand on most of their bodies. Good on you, mates. Some unnamed players change quickly and show up at the bar looking and smelling pretty darn good. Right, Tom? The league appreciates your outstanding hygiene.

After a rocky two weeks, former captain Matty Hayes put the team on his back and led the Notorious D.I.G.s to a 4-1 victory over Sands Point. Matty "The Southpaw" Hayes kept the opposition at bay with his jump-less spikes. Gotta make the most of that one inch vertical leap. Ray Agoglia summed up the game proper, "Nobody puts Sands Point in the corner." Down 4, the team came together and played to their potential and prevented a rock 5 scenario. Sands Point Physical Therapy aka "Le Grean" Is a team to watch for on championship Saturday! Was there ever a more lopsided match in the history of the rivalry between Rathbones and the Harbor Light than Wednesday’s 5-0 shutout by Rathbones? A little birdie says, “Watch out in the playoffs.” Remember when the Social Yachties were fun but mildly dysfunctional. Well they just swept DisFUNctional 5-0. So now who’s functional and who’s not? Some days they get the best of you, DisFUNctional's Sean O'Connell said. They would have won five if their guys showed up. But only six players showed up and as O'Connell said, "I wasn't built for five." There are many volleyball players who feel the same way. He left the Irish Setters because he wanted to play more. At the after party, as he dreamed of an Epsom salt bath to recover, the Setters said he got what he wished for.

EZ Company went 4-1 against the Cape Cod Irish Village. The Sparkling Seltzer Sisters debated cranberry versus lime during breaks in the action. Cecilia was whistled for traveling for the second straight week; you'd think she was playing basketball. Old Dan says his ankle is trying out a straight jacket because, "My feets just can't stop dancing." TJM swears his initials really stand for The Jolly Mashugana. Parrot Head is pricing flamethrowers to generate interest in a paint-ball type event he's planning, but without the paint. Coach gave two inspirational pep talks that most think will serve as a springboard for higher office. Double M has been busy checking the Faber College constitution for a little known codicil. Young Dan felt so good he thought he could beat a team full of Ditka’s. Jill gave a total clinic and then graciously thanked her uncle for teaching it all to her. KKRN was rolling with her Acura-ite shots. Marty hit everything except a backhand but it was more than enough. Great having Sheila back again. Word is she's bringing a pot of Irish stew next week. Despite blowing two big leads in their loss to EZ Company, the Cape Cod Irish Villagers rookie sensation Upbeat Pat stayed upbeat. He was even asking if championship sweatshirts are available in size 3XL. Stay confident, big man.

The Star Wars Cantina faced off against the Rock Fam tonight. In an effort to influence the game Pat Brady took the whole Rock Fam team out to Connolly’s before the game. It didn't work, and they dropped all five. The games were close - losing by two points each time. Pat needs to work harder at getting the other team drunk, or maybe the Cantina needs to drink more, one or the other. Rock Fam dominated despite only having six players. The rest of the team may have been stuck taking down all their flags from their giant beach circle in Belle Harbor. Congratulations Michael of the Stanii on his retirement as a New York State Court officer of the highest court. His teammates drank tonight in his honor. The IFMAS defeated the first place ServPro NW Brooklyn, thanks to the triumphant return of Ryan, who returned from a three week hiatus. They celebrated with drinking games at the Wharf late into the night. By the Beach Cocos bested the host team Wharf Rats three games to two, carried by the play of Elefant and Ashley Raaf. Kerry Hills took all five despite adding another player to the DL list. There's now three players trying to rehab in time for the championship. Things are not looking good. The team admits they're getting old and the 2008 championship is further and further in the rear view mirror. Maybe they should call themselves the Kerry Over the Hillers.

Elsewhere on the courts, Community House Cheese Fries won three games against a team that star newcomer Tara does not know because nobody wore their jerseys. (League sources say it was Coastal Real Estate.) The games were tight and each game had the minimum two point margin. Coach Kerry was the glue that held everything together and Tara thanks her for her good work. Five Rock lost their rock, star player Matt Allen, who is going to Nicaragua for a surf trip. Coach James Hayden came up with a new Survivor plan and will start with 18 players at the beginning of next season. Throughout the season one player gets voted off each week. By the end of the season, the remaining players get to play on the Saturday championship. He thinks this will make next season very interesting. Tonight's games were played in the midst of a heat wave, but the teams sweated it out on the court. It's hard to believe but we're almost at the finish, so each game feels more important. Riis Park was lively, with a DJ and live music and plenty of late beach goers enjoying the sun and warm water. Our after party was held at the always gracious Wharf Bar and Grill, which served delicious food on the deck under the moonlight. The last three bars of the season - The Wharf, Bungalow Bar and Yacht Club - feature great outdoor spaces, and the teams took advantage of the cooling breeze outside.

We know it’s hard to think about life after volleyball, and the fall, but September brings its own joy. The beaches are now open a week after Labor Day, the weather cools down and the water stays warm. And on Saturday, Sept. 17, the second annual Poseidon’s Parade will kick off at Beach 106^th St., ending at the Beach 95^th St. plaza. Last year’s parade, organized by some volleyball players, was a huge success. Locals of all ages got dressed in amazing costumes, made creative floats and had a great time celebrating the end of summer. This year’s should be even more successful. There are new categories this year to win, like Best Block or Building, Best Business and more. Get your neighbors together to build a float and battle it out with the houses around the corner. Poseidon’s Parade is also hosting a contest for kid’s art, so if you have a budding Picasso, have him or her send a sea-inspired drawing or painting to PoseidonsParade@Gmail.com. The contest is open to kids up to 10 years old and the winner will be printed on the kids t-shirt. Find the page on Facebook, like it and stay up to date on everything that’s going on.

Captains 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 midnight on Wednesday night. If you are wondering why some teams get a lot of coverage it’s because they send over some items and we transform the ideas into literature. Amazing! The RBVL has a Facebook page and, if you like it, you will receive timely updates, whoever you are, captain or not. Your RBVL Committee members will be around each and every week to help out on any matters and answer your questions.

See you on the beach!