The Roster - Old or Gold?

No more grass stains, fellas. It's gonna be sand burns from here on out.

The newly formed Dupont Office & Storage Beach Volleyball team has done some heavy recruiting, and they have made some interesting picks in the draft.

Meet the players:

A seasoned veteran and former Ball State intramural champ (we won't bother to mention what decade)....Tony Fingerle!!! This folically challenged German Superman has a big heart, a big block and a surprisingly good vert for being...ehem...well....from the Laverne & Shirley era (Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer, Incorporated!). Tony has a large following....and they will be anxiously awaiting those games with Tony's kills in the double digits. Some massive hits from Tony have been clocked at speeds of up to 105 mph!

Our next team member is basketball star turned volleyball specialist....Ryan Romey. "Rome" has made it his pesonal objective to get to those balls that are seemingly impossible to get to. He spends the majority of his time stretched out horizontal about a foot off the ground. It will be interesting to see if this 30 something rookie can make the switch from grass to the sand. Keep your eye on this defensive madman.

The roster continues with The Man with Plan, Chris Gerardot. This church volleyball veteran has been playing on the grass for many, many, MANY....uh .....many (I hope you're getting the point), many years, but 2 questions remain: can he handle the sand and can he still hang with the young'ns? The net is higher than he's used to and the ground is not as firm. Can this shepherd lead the flock to the Tourney Finals? Stay tuned.

The next member of this team of underdogs is Kyle Zimmerman. It has been said that "Zim" has a lost a step since he turned 30 this spring, but he (half-heartedly) denies it. This guy loves to play and lives to eat sand, but his game is not as sharp as it was in his college days. His competitors say that "his bark is worse than his bite." This may be due to Zim's favorite offensive tactic: screaming like he's going to pound it on you and approaching the net full force....when he knows the ball is going to land on the other side anyway. By the way, what's that thing he wears on his head? What a goofball.

One of the youngest (and shortest) members of this team is none other than Matt Kindness. Matt, a.k.a. "Matt-ee-poo", makes up for his height with his speed and agility. He will try to bring young vigor to the bunch with his tremendous hustle. Matt just has a hard time remebering that you can use your hands in volleyball....he keeps wanting to kick or headball it over. Not only that, but he is having a hard time choking down the fact that he is playing for Dupont Office & Storage. Wear the name with PRIDE, my friend. He's also the only team member who has a motorcycle, which is also translated: Matt is the only team member not married yet. Take your pick. By the way, he also designed our logo.....isn't it cool? What a guy!

And last, but certainly not least, there is the ex-hockey player Shannon Rose. Don't let Shannon's thin build or girlie name fool you. Those wrists he's got snap like a rubber band on steroids. "Shanner" is also a youngster who hopes to add a spark to the team. Like Tony, Shannon also has a fan club......which is extremely loud.....and is 1 person.....but we all love the "Lisa Dance".

The season starts on Sunday, July 23rd, so we'll see if this new expansion team has what it takes to make it in this competitive beach league. Will they work well together, like a well-oiled machine......or Matt's old truck? I'll see you there.