JOSH Court and Michael Snart have added another title to their growing collection, winning an AA-level competition in Los Angeles.
The national under-23 champions recently returned from the Californian Beach Volleyball Series after playing several competitions.
Court, from Applecross, said driving on the wrong side of the road, as well as Los Angeles itself, was a little overwhelming but the trip was a success.
He said the first competition at Long Beach, California, was as much a battle against jet lag as their opponents, as it began the day after they landed.
“We managed to pull a ninth out of our bag of tricks, which impressed some of our rivals who struggled with the double elimination (out after two straight losses) set up,” he said.
“Our final competition was at the Manhattan Beach Pier where we played in the AA event with over 30 teams from around the state.
“At this competition we managed to remain undefeated, winning the grand final 28-22 in the final set.”
Court said he and Snart, from Kingsley, were able to grow their skills and knowledge as they trained with some of the USA’s best beach volleyball coaches, developing a particularly close relationship with Brian Corso.
A former professional player, Corso now owns a beach volleyball school, where he is also director of strength and conditioning.
Court said the team’s own strength coach, Andrew Ivy, was also an important factor and he said the trip had opened several doors for the pair. Next up for the pair is the Australian National Tour, while preparations are also under way for the national under-23s in January.