For Troy Tanner, life is a beach. In his case, however, that is not always a good thing.
Aside from being one of the top professional beach volleyball players in the world, Tanner is also a husband, a father of three children and a graduate student at BYU.Which probably explains why his wife, Desiree, says, "We love volleyball, we hate volleyball. It's been good to us, but it takes him away from us."
On the pro circuit, where he is surrounded by many players who revel in bachelorhood, Tanner is known as "The Family Man." Yet during the six-month season, almost everything takes a back seat to volleyball. "It's how I feed my family and pay the mortgage," he said.
Every weekend from late March until mid-September, Tanner traverses the country to play in two-on-two tournaments. He estimates he logs up to 45,000 air miles a year, flying from places like California to Texas to Michigan.
With another season completed, he is relieved. He's back in Provo, trying to establish a routine with his family (including twin sons Carson and Riley, age 7, and daughter Bailey, who's almost 3) and his studies (he's working on a master's degree in communications). "I've been living out of a duffel bag, literally," said Tanner. "I'm glad it's over."
Not that his endeavors and responsibilities outside volleyball have adversely affected his play. He's ranked No. 7 in the world. Two weeks ago, Tanner and teammate Ian Clark finished fifth, out of 64 teams, in the first two-on-two pro beach world championships, held in Los Angeles. Thousands of fans attended the four-day tournament. Nike, the sneaker empire, sponsored the event and awarded prize money.
Twice during his career, Tanner has played in nationally televised tournaments on NBC. He has an agent who has helped land him several sponsors, including Sunkist, the Superwash car wash chain, a sunglasses company and Nokia. All of which makes him a walking, spiking billboard on game day. Sunkist will soon feature him in a national television ad, and they plan to use his likeness in packaging and at point-of-purchase displays at grocery stores.
That's right, pro beach volleyball is serious stuff.
Tanner, 33, is not your typical pro beach volleyball player. Oh, sure, he's got the surfer's 'do, the bronzed body and good looks. But few, if any, juggle school, a family and volleyball. Not to mention also serving as an assistant coach with the BYU men's team.
Long before he began playing competitively on the beach, Tanner launched his volleyball career on the indoor courts. He starred at Pepperdine (he took two years off to serve an LDS Church mission) and later the Hacienda Heights, Calif., native helped the U.S. national team earn a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Then he spent three seasons playing overseas, with stints in Italy, Croatia and Japan. During the off-seasons, he began his foray into beach volleyball and quit indoor volleyball.
The transition from the indoor to the beach was difficult, the 6-foot-4-inch Tanner admits. While the size of the court is the same (60 feet by 30 feet), the playing conditions and style of play require some adjustment.
"It's a completely different game," he said. "There's wind, sand and the sun. Even the ball is different. When people go to a beach volleyball match, they don't say, `Did you see how hard that guy hits?' It's a game of ball control and defense."
Pro beach volleyball's popularity is growing in this country. At some venues, sand is trucked onto a city street, a net is set up, and fans gather in droves to watch. Businessmen in three-piece suits peer down from their skyscraper office buildings to catch the fast-paced action. Beach volleyball's debut as an official sport at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta did nothing but feed the fans' interest. Speaking of the Olympics, Tanner hopes to qualify for the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia.
Though he is enjoying his beach volleyball career, Tanner knows it won't last forever. "I don't want to turn 39, snap my ACL and ask, `Well, now what?' " he said.
When his playing days are over, he may become a coach. Or he may become a broadcaster. It's all quite uncertain at this point.
For now, Tanner understands there are worse ways to make a living than playing barefoot on the sand. "It's ideal," he said. "My office is the beach."