A Place in the Sun

To find Jason Ring and George Roumain during an Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Nissan Series event, simply follow the crowd.

Fans are drawn to Ring’s high-flying, acrobatic style that has earned him the nickname “Hydraulica” and Roumain’s imposing 6-foot-7, 260-pound frame that sometimes gets him mistaken for pro wrestler-turned-actor the Rock.

Their unorthodox power game, emotive celebrations and trash talking after particularly well-played points also seem to draw interest. Mostly, however, people flock to Ring and Roumain to see their muscles.

Ring and Roumain are among the most exciting and entertaining players on tour -- and among the most successful after winning last week’s Huntington Beach Open. They are also two of the most physically developed athletes on tour, which has made them the rising male sex symbols of beach volleyball.

“I have no problem with that,” Ring said. “It’s funny because a lot of guys say it doesn’t really matter. But for us, it matters. We love the attention.”

Seeing such massive physiques on the other side of he net can be intimidating, but muscle building isn’t among their goals. Ring said he and Roumain hit the gym maybe once every 10 days, just to maintain their shape. Both used to be gym rats, but they have tried to lose some muscle in order to gain quickness.

“We would push each other five days a week, taking the creatine and whatever, but we’ve both lost about 15 pounds,” Ring said. “We were a lot bigger.”

They are still big, but raw strength isn’t what wins volleyball matches. Ring has cat-like reflexes and chases down many balls other players can’t. Roumain is among the most daunting net players in the game and can alter just about any shot coming from the other side.

Still, it’s strength and power that define their play.

“George loves hitting, and I love hitting too,” Ring said. “We’re a pretty good defensive team, but we’re all about the offense.”

Their similar styles are what brought them together. Ring, a standout at Pierce College and then Hawaii before joining the AVP in 2000, played with 13 partners in four seasons. But as soon as Roumain lumbered onto the beach in Santa Monica in January, he knew No. 14 might be something special.

“He was hitting balls and I was playing defense, and it wasn’t a ball that I wanted to dig,” Ring said. “I was like, ‘I don’t want to have to play against this guy all year,’ so I asked him if he wanted to play.I like to play a certain style of volleyball. George speaks my language.”

Roumain, a two-time NCAA player of the year at Pepperdine in 1997-98, played on the 2000 U.S. Olympic team and then tried a brief professional stint in Europe. But the Olympic team was 0-5 in Sydney and Roumain’s heart wasn’t into it anymore, so he quit the sport.

For nearly two years he didn’t touch a volleyball. He worked in sales for a startup Internet company, then landed a job with a Fortune 500 firm. That’s when he started missing the game.

“I had to wear a suit and tie every day for that second job,” he said. “I lasted about 2 1/2 weeks.”

More comfortable in the spotlight than he is behind a desk, Roumain said he is enjoying volleyball now more than ever before.

“I think a lot of my career I was very, very stressed and tense just wanting to make everything perfect,” Roumain said. “But out here, I relax. I play loose. We practice with Jack Johnson blaring out of the stereo. What could be more relaxing than that? It sounds corny, but it works.”

During matches, however, the pair is anything but relaxed. Both fiery competitors who despise losing, they play with heartfelt emotion. Their style is entertaining -- and successful. Combine that with their good looks and you have superstars in waiting.

“We’re trying to build stars and larger-than-life personalities,” AVP Commissioner Leonard Armato said. “Those guys think of themselves as entertainers as well as athletes, so it certainly isn’t hurting our tour when they have success.”

Roumain just does what comes naturally. He’s always stared down opponents in the heat of competition, likes to talk trash, and likes it even more when opponents talk trash back. He thrives on crowd reactions and said his worst nightmare is to play when nobody is watching.

“When you make a good play out here and you don’t react, the crowd isn’t going to react,” Roumain said. “Our flex downs are merely just how we celebrate. If it goes to the crowd and the crowd reacts, then we love it. I think they have a good time too.”

Especially when they get going with some of their signature big hits. Every once in a while they will hit cut shots and dinks out of necessity, but more often than not their game plan is to keep hitting the ball harder and harder.

“I want a fast arm because I think a fast arm can bail you out of a lot of situations,” Ring said. “Swing hard and good things happen. If you get a bad set, swing hard. You can hit fingers, you can hit hands. You disrupt the timing of the other team and it throws everyone off.”

Most times it works. And even when it doesn’t, people are watching.

*

Manhattan Beach Open

Where: Manhattan Beach Pier.

* When: Today, qualifying matches begin at 9 a.m. Main draw, Saturday-Sunday, matches begin at 9 a.m. Women’s final, Sunday, 2:30 p.m.; men’s final, Sunday, 4 p.m.

* 2003 men’s champions: Eric Fonoimoana and Kevin Wong.

* 2003 women’s champions: Misty May and Kerri Walsh.

* TV: Fox Sports Net, Sunday.