Beach Tour Gets New Beginning

It didn’t go as smoothly as expected and there are still some holes to patch, but Leonard Armato is no longer known mainly as the agent for Laker center Shaquille O’Neal . . . at least in the beach volleyball community.

After a series of surprises and snags, including the on-again, off-again courtship of a rival beach volleyball tour, Armato has achieved what he wanted, acquiring the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals and earning an opportunity to inject life into an organization that has struggled since the mid-1990s.

Armato’s initial intention was to also purchase the Beach Volleyball America tour, which made its debut last year as a women’s circuit and added a men’s division this year, creating tension with the AVP.

But the sides never reached more than a verbal agreement and as the BVA tour foundered economically, its players crossed over to sign with Armato. The BVA tour lost an estimated $2 million and shut down this week.

The AVP begins its eight-stop tour June 8-10 at Hermosa Beach.

“I think we have the elements right now to be successful, otherwise I wouldn’t put millions into it,” said Armato, who purchased the AVP through his Management Plus and Digital Media Campus companies.

Armato’s acquisition will have a different look than the old AVP, which championed itself as laid-back, play-until-the-sun-goes-down fun.

Armato has installed new rules to better prepare players for the Olympics, including a smaller court, heavier ball and rally-scored matches, all characteristics of international volleyball.

In addition, several players ostracized by the AVP are being welcomed, including Sinjin Smith, 44, who left the AVP in 1993 and, with the exception of a brief return in 1998, has devoted most of his time to the international tour.

Smith, who used to be represented by Armato, called the deal “the best thing that’s happened to this sport in a long time.”

Smith’s archrival, Karch Kiraly, even agreed that change might be better if the sport is to survive.

“I think it’ll be a healthy thing for the sport to get everyone on the same page,” said Kiraly, Smith’s teammate at UCLA and former beach partner until the successful duo split in September 1984. “I think we’re working for the greater good.”

Ex-BVA players Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana, who won the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics but left the AVP after an acrimonious spat regarding international play, will re-sign with the AVP today.

Blanton and Fonoimoana missed the May 18 signing deadline imposed by Armato, but AVP players voted to grant them an extension, Armato said.

“We need each other,” Fonoimoana said. “It’s a new beginning and hopefully we don’t fall into the same rut.”

Holly McPeak, Armato’s longtime girlfriend and one of the top women’s players, has signed with the AVP, but rising star Misty May has indicated she would rather play for the international tour.

May, McPeak’s former beach partner, said she disagreed with the language of the contract, a binding four-year deal that hands over almost all licensing rights to the AVP.

Armato acquired the AVP from Spencer Trask Securities, giving the New York-based venture capital firm a share of future AVP profits in lieu of cash.

For the upcoming season, AVP prize money has dipped to about $800,000 from $1.1 million last year, part of Armato’s restructuring plan.

Armato, a former beach player and one of the founders of the AVP in 1983, said he will seek increased corporate sponsorship and a television deal, important concepts for a sport that does not charge admission and relies on advertising for a majority of its revenue.

NBC ended an eight-year deal with the AVP after the 1997 season, citing decreased viewership. Like last year, AVP tournaments will be televised on delay by Fox Sports Net.

“We’ve inherited a TV schedule and package for this year,” Armato said. “In 2002, we hope to develop a much more significant package of a higher national level.”