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In Year 2, bigger beach volleyball fest, and Rude

By WTOP Staff

JIMMY GOLEN
AP Sports Writer

Former beach volleyball commissioner Leonard Armato interrupted a telephone interview to play a song from his computer, explaining: “I thought that would be better than me singing it myself.”

The song, “Rude,” had recently climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart, and Armato was so excited about bringing the reggae group Magic! to this summer’s World Series of Beach Volleyball that he couldn’t resist. In its second year, the event is planning an expanded music festival mixed with the sandiest, sexiest sport in the Olympics.

“We’re trying to appeal to pop culture in a way that hasn’t been done before,” said Armato, who along with running the AVP domestic tour has also been an agent with clients including Shaquille O’Neal and Oscar De La Hoya. “It’s just a matter of how much we’re going to push the envelope beyond last year.”

Although the Americans have dominated beach volleyball since it joined the Summer Games in 1996 — Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor have won three straight gold medals — the sport has struggled here between Olympiads. The AVP went bankrupt in 2010, returning the following summer; the international tour, which also serves as the Olympic qualifier, pulled up stakes in this country in 2003 and didn’t return until last year.

That’s when Armato brought it back with the inaugural World Series of Beach Volleyball.

More than a tournament, the event sought to be a beach-themed festival, with musical stages along with four- and six-person beach volleyball competitions surrounding an FIVB grand slam event with the traditional 2-on-2 matches that are familiar to Olympic fans. After a successful run in 2013, the World Series is back in Long Beach, California, on July 22-27, and organizers are hoping that bigger is better.

“It’s just great summer entertainment and great programming,” said Rob Simmelkjaer, a senior vice president of NBC Sports Ventures and International, which is a partner in the event and will also broadcast 20 hours of competition. “People are in a summer state of mind; they want to see something that reflects what they’re doing. It just sort of fits in with the rhythm of summer.”

The total purse for the beach volleyball events has doubled to more than $1 million — the biggest ever for the sport. NBC and its sister networks will be broadcasting the men’s and women’s finals live. And, to expand on the musical offerings, Armato has brought in Clear Channel and iHeart.

“We learned that if we want to incorporate music and make it even bigger from a festival perspective, we needed to get someone involved that knew what they were doing,” Armato said.

This year’s musical lineup also includes Bleachers, the new project from Grammy winner Jack Antonoff, along with DJ Irie. The event website also boasts of a bikini contest with a $1,000 prize that is “not only a great networking opportunity but also an ideal portfolio builder for aspiring bikini and fitness models.”

But at the center is the beach volleyball tournament that draws the world’s top players to the United States. After a decade without an FIVB-sanctioned event in the country, the Asics-sponsored World Series puts the sport back in front of the American eyeballs more than once every four years.

Walsh Jennings will be there, with new partner April Ross, a silver medalist in London (May-Treanor has retired). Also in attendance will be Phil Dalhausser, the American gold medalist from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and many of the top international players who went a decade without having a reason to play on U.S. sand.

Simmelkjaer, already salivating over the opportunity to broadcast Olympic beach volleyball from Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach in 2016, said any advance buzz the event generates is just a bonus.

“Certainly it’s helpful to use an event like this to develop story lines,” he said. “It gives us an opportunity to continue to tell the story of a player like Kerri Walsh Jennings, but also to develop new stars and new names people aren’t as familiar with because people aren’t as focused on Kerri and Misty.

“But it’s not the reason we’re doing this. We think that people will tune into beach volleyball for the Olympics, especially in a place like Rio.”

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Follow Jimmy Golen on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jgolen

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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