BALTIMORE, June 8 (UPI) -- Mike Dodd and Mike Whitmarsh blistered the second-seeded duo of Adam Johnson and Randy Stoklos, 15-7, at the U.S. Olympic Beach Volleyball Trials Saturday to earn one of three American spots in Atlanta.
Sinjin Smith and Carl Henkel will join the pair at the Olympics. Smith and Henkel claimed a berth by virtue of their earning the most points of any U.S. tandem on the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) tour.
Johnson and Stoklos will battle the team of top-seeded Karch Kiraly -- winner of gold medals as a member of the U.S. indoor team at Los Angeles in 1984 and Seoul in 1988 -- and Kent Steffes for the final berth on Sunday.
Beach volleyball will be making its debut as a medal event at the Summer Games.
Dodd and Whitmarsh, the third seeded team, began their professional athletic careers believing notoriety and money would come by slamming a ball through the net rather than hitting one over it. Then the harsh reality of NBA training camps set in and the tall Californians drifted to volleyball.
The 6-foot-4 Dodd was drafted by his hometown Los Angeles Clippers in 1979 out of San Diego State where his starting backcourt mate was the San Diego Padres' Tony Gwynn, another athlete to find greener grass away from the hardwood. ``For me it was kind of a disappointing experience,'' Dodd said. ``In your childhood you dream about the ultimate test of trying out for an NBA team and in my case we just had a couple of days of open play and your names on the chalk board and that was it.'' Two fortuitous events, however, came Dodd's way. The NCAA implemented a new rule allowing athletes a fifth-year of eligibility in a different sport and the volleyball coach at SDSU read in the newspaper that Dodd had been cut by the NBA. ``He offered me a scholarship and I've been playing volleyball ever since,'' said Dodd, 38.
Whitmarsh's professional hoops career lasted somewhat longer. The 6- foot-7 forward was drafted by the Portland TrailBlazers out of the University of San Diego in 1984. After nearly making the team, he played three years in Berlin. He returned to try out for the Minnesota Timberwolves in their inaugural season where he lost a roster spot to Donald Royal, now with the Orlando Magic. ``I was the last player cut and thought it was the end of the world, but things are looking up lately,'' Whitmarsh said.
Dodd and Whitmarsh raced to a 6-0 lead and at one point were ahead 11-3 against Johnson and Stoklos. It may have taken Stoklos time to shake off an ankle injury suffered when he landed on a ball during warm- ups and went down with a scream. ``We were able to get a couple of blocks and a couple of mistakes and really put the pressure on,'' the 33-year-old Whitmarsh said. ``It's kind of like basketball. You get into a zone where no matter what shot you take you feel it's going to go in.''
Dodd and Whitmarsh, who play for pay on the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) circuit, have had their ups and downs over four years, but have gelled this week. ``I think the significance of it all will hit me as the Olympics get closer,'' Dodd said. ``I'm happy that we played so well at such an important time. I just look forward to staying healthy the next month and coming into Atlanta hopefully playing at the same level we're at now.''
Besides staying fit, Dodd has another kind of health in mind between now and the opening of Olympic volleyball on July 23. ``Mike has an agent and I'm gonna get one,'' Dodd said.
Kiraly and Steffes avoided an exit in the double-elimination event with a 15-7 defeat of Carlos Briceno and Jeff Williams on Saturday. The day before Dodd and Whitmarsh surprised Kiraly and Steffes with a 15-8 victory to put themselves in the qualifying match. ``Based on these last two matches, (Dodd and Whitmarsh) look like gold medal contenders -- certainly,'' Kiraly said. ``I've got to give them a lot of credit. They played two tremendous matches and put it together when they had to.''
In the women's draw, Deb Richardson and Gail Castro, the third seeds, defeated seventh-seeded Janice Harrer and Gayle Stammer, 15-4. Richardson and Castro face fourth seeds Elaine Roque and Dennie Shupryt- Knoop on Sunday for one of three trips to Atlanta.
Holly McPeak and Nancy Reno have already earned one because of their FIVB performance. Barbra Fontana Harris and Linda Hanley edged Roque and Shupryt-Knoop, 16-14, on Friday to stake another.
The Castro and Richardson versus Roque and Shupryt-Knoop matchup pits former partners against one another. Castro played with Roque, and Richardson teamed with Shupryt-Knoop. ``I told Deb before, 'It's gonna come down to me and Elaine playing each other,''' Castro said. ``I bet it's going to be emotional. I hope everyone just plays awesome for the fans.''
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