THE NORTH POLE — Thanksgiving is, sadly, over. I’m fat and sleepy; you’re also probably fat and sleepy, and our credit cards are about to be alive and a-swipin’, because it’s officially Christmas season, which means it’s not only Mariah Carey’s time to shine, it’s time to get the gifts your beach volleyball playing — or watching — significant other or friend something awesome under the tree this year.
Below, we have the ultimate Beach Volleyball Gift Guide, breaking down everything from the best sunglasses to the best beach volleyballs, radios, water bottles, warm up bands, recovery tools, board shorts, sand socks, and everything else you might need (pumps? Oh, yeah, we got those, too). If we missed a category for which you’d like our recommendation, please let us know in the comments, or just message me on Instagram (@trammew), and I’ll jump right on it.
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, had the best food, spent some quality time with family, and are enjoying the downtime before Olympic qualifying begins and all hell breaks loose, in the best of ways, in the beach volleyball world.
Without further adieu, enjoy our Ultimate Beach Volleyball Gift Guide.
Best Sunglasses for beach volleyball
I, like most everyone else, was an Oakley loyalist when I began playing beach volleyball. They’re the brand name in sunglasses, and they make an excellent product. But when Roka sponsored a p1440 event in San Jose, and I got hooked up with a pair of Rokas, I never went back. They’re the lightest shades on the market, and, I think, have the best lenses. Oakleys are a bit heavier, with firmer frames, so when you get hit in the face — a serious consideration for players competing at the AVP and Volleyball World levels — it leaves a very literal mark. Roka’s lighter, more flexible — but grippy — sunglasses provide the best defense for your eyes, both for the sun and the ball. I’ve been all aboard the Roka train for four years, and I’m not looking back.
BONUS: Roka also makes prescription sunglasses. Lee Feinswog, the editor of this magazine, called me one day to ask if there were any companies who make prescription sunglasses for sports. I immediately sent him to Roka, and now we have another Roka loyalist in Mrs. Brenda Feinswog.
To be clear, my love for Roka does not stem from a distaste for Oakley. I just think Roka…
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