Santa Barbara to Honor Local Olympic Gold Medalists

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/090408_santa_barbara_to_honor_local_olympic_gold_medalists/

By Kathleen Sullivan

Recent Olympic gold medalists Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser and former Olympic qualifier Dax Holdren will be given Letters of Recognition by Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum during the AVP Crocs Volleyball Tournament this weekend at West Beach.

Rogers and Dalhausser will be honored at 3 p.m. Saturday, just before the final match, and Holdren will receive his letter from the city at 2 p.m. Sunday, before the first men’s final.

All three players have local ties: Rogers graduated from UCSB, where he was also assistant men’s volleyball coach from 2000-05 and now lives in Solvang; Dalhausser lives close to Santa Barbara and practices often on local beaches; and Dax Holdren is a native Santa Barbaran who attended San Marcos High School and Santa Barbara City College.

Rogers and Dalhausser recently returned from the Beijing Olympics, where they won the gold medal in men’s volleyball.

The AVP Crocs Shootout will be at West Beach this weekend.Gates open at 8:30 a.m. Saturday with men’s and women’s competition beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday’s gates open at 9 a.m. with competition beginning at 9:30 a.m. Tickets are $40 for courtside or $20 general admission per day. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.avp.com.

Kathleen Sullivan works for the city of Santa Barbara’s Parks & Recreation Department.

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