LONG BEACH, Calif. – USA Volleyball sat down with members of Volleyball Canada’s beach volleyball team to see what they thought of their American counterparts in wild and fun hypothetical scenarios.
Volleyball Canada’s Heather Bansley, Sam Schachter and Sam Pedlow took on USA Volleyball’s questions where we asked them to pick among the USA athletes in four fun scenarios. USA, Canada and six other countries are in Long Beach, California, for an exhibition event this week, the Long Beach Presidents Volleyball Cup.
Hitting the round table, Heather Bansley, and partners Sam Pedlow and Sam Schachter surprised us with their keen knowledge of Team USA.
USA Volleyball: If you were stranded on an island, who from USA Volleyball’s beach athletes would you want with you?
Pedlow: I’d pick Nicole Branagh for the pure comic relief. She’s wily too.
Schachter: I think Jake (Gibb) would have survival skills. With him I’d last the longest.
Pedlow: No, I think I’d pick John Hyden. He definitely has the best survival skills. I feel like I could last 20 years out there. I always thought he was an engineer or something. He told me, ‘nope I just play volleyball.’
Pedlow: (To Heather) Who would you pick? You have to come up with someone!
Heather: Nick.
Pedlow: Lucena? I feel like he’s also a good choice for an island.
Heather: He has a little wiliness to him.
Pedlow: I feel like he’d be good at hunting. Small game, not big game, small game. (Table laughs)
Heather: He’s so fast!
Pedlow: He could catch a chicken or a goat.
USA Volleyball: If you were stuck on a plane for a really long flight, who would you want in the seat next to you?
Pedlow: No blockers for sure. Who is the smallest female?
Schachter: True. Brooke (Sweat)?
Pedlow: No, her hair is really long. It might hit you. You gotta go with Sara (Hughes). They also have to be interesting too, because you’re going to be stuck with them through the flight.
Heather: Or you just sleep the whole time.
Pedlow: I’m sticking with Sara.
Schachter: John Hyden, so he could teach me all his survival skills. (Table laughs)
Pedlow: (Laughing as if Hyden) ‘If this plane goes down, this is the position you need to assume!’
Heather: ‘I’m an engineer, so I know how to land this.’
Pedlow: ‘I built this plane!’
Pedlow: Bans…? Your indecisiveness on these!
Heather: I mean, Nick Lucena is the smallest of the guys.
USA Volleyball: If you were to partner with an American for beach volleyball, who would you play with?
Pedlow: I feel like going with double big ball would be the best. I’d play with Theo (Brunner). We’d double block the entire time!
Schachter: That’s tricky, because I’d like to play with Phil (Dalhausser). He’s the biggest.
Pedlow: That’s such a cop-out answer.
Schachter: I know, but the problem is if you play with Phil, you know you’re going to get served every ball and it’s going to be a lot of work. Phil is such a typical answer. Double small ball; I’d play with Rosey (Sean Rosenthal).
Pedlow: That would be awesome. Split blocking with Rosey. He was split blocking with Trevor (Crabb).
Heather: He got more blocks than Phil and Trevor did. (Table laughs)
Pedlow: Bans…?
Heather: I have to go with a big blocker. I’d have to go Kerri (Walsh Jennings).
Pedlow: Respectable answer, no judgement here.
USA Volleyball: Best American city you’ve played in?
Pedlow: I’ve only played three; Fort Lauderdale, Cincinnati and here.
Schachter: Texas is too hot, Atlanta was too hot, California.
Pedlow: I’ve never competed on a California beach except for here in Long Beach… The Super Mex down the road is like my home. I love that place. Sam (Schachter) doesn’t like Super Mex! Sean Scott also thought that was blasphemy!
Schachter: Last year I remember it being good but this year when we went here I got a beef enchilada…
Pedlow: (Interrupting)… And it was amazing.
Schachter: I was like ‘I don’t know. Meh.’ It didn’t do it for me. It didn’t cut it. The first time though.
Pedlow: Blasphemy. If we had come last in this tournament, that’s what I was going to blame it on. I already decided. You blasted Super Mex and then we got last, you’re cut bud.
Heather: (Laughing) Super Mex karma gods. I like Fort Lauderdale.
Pedlow: I’m sticking with Long Beach. Every time we come here I can’t stop singing about Snoop Dog. (Singing) So much drama in the LBC! (Table laughs) I don’t even know what LBC means.
USA Volleyball: Last question. If you had an American partner for ping pong, who would it be?
Schachter: (No hesitation) Jake. I’ve played him and he’s amazing.
Pedlow: Isn’t Rosey also really good at ping pong? And Theo is good at ping pong. I heard Rosey is also an exceptional bowler.
Schachter: I heard he’s an exceptional golfer actually.
Heather: I think Rosey is an all-around really good athlete.
Pedlow: Does Rosey have survival skills? (Laughing) If he does, I’m changing my answer! Actually, I don’t know why Rosey was not my answer for the island question. Opponent wise, I think I’d want to play (Ryan) Doherty, because I feel he would be the worst at ping pong. So I’d like to play him.
Heather: Is this a teammate or opponent?
USA Volleyball: teammate.
Heather: I pick April (Ross). I think April would be good at ping pong.
Pedlow: I don’t know the strategy behind doubles ping pong. Two huge people might just crash into each other. Do I want Nick, or Rosey?
Heather: Someone nimble and quick. Good hand-eye coordination.
Pedlow: I’m going to go with Casey (Patterson). I feel like he’d be so unorthodox, that we might win. ‘Quick attack!’ (flashing his arms around).
Heather: He’d have like a drop shot.
Pedlow: Yeah, Casey would mentally wear people down.
Schachter: He’d be like… (mimics a weird shot).
Pedlow: Exactly!