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Ty Loomis is using his AVP status to illuminate a path to global awareness and education.

By Ashley Breeding

TyLoomisBecoming a professional athlete is a common aspiration among young boys—“You watch them on TV, and they’re surrounded by pretty girls, screaming fans and beer,” Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) player and local Ty Loomis (half) jokes. “It doesn’t get any better than that.”

After 12 years of touring in the AVP, Ty is using his stardom to educate, engage and empower others about various issues affecting the world today. In August, Ty plans to travel to the Middle East with three fellow pros to entertain U.S. troops and teach them to play volleyball.

We caught up with Ty before he departed to see if he could give us a few fitness pointers. We’re certain this 6-foot-3-inch athlete no doubt still has pretty girls and screaming fans at his side, too.

Laguna Beach Magazine: What is your favorite thing about volleyball?
Ty Loomis: I’ve become cultured through my travels and experiences—that’s the biggest thing. You get to learn a lot about different places and, ultimately, yourself. Volleyball is also a sport where fans get super close to you, and that’s awesome.
LBM: What are your favorite local beach volleyball courts?
TL: I play at Main Beach and at Emerald Bay. It’s great to play with and get to know the local community.
LBM: What’s your greatest AVP highlight?
TL: I’ve got two: The Pan Am Games in 2007 in Rio de Janeiro, where my partner [Hans Stolfus] and I played two guys who had won the ’04 Olympics on their home beach in front of their 7,500 fans, who were booing us. We lost, but still took the silver medal. It was our Super Bowl moment.
Also, in 2009, I won my first AVP tournament with Casey Patterson. It was Fourth of July on Coney Island, it was live on NBC and it was the grand slam of prize money.
LBM: How did you keep the booing from getting in your head and ruining your game?
TL: Oh, we just gave it right back to them. It just fuels us more.
LBM: What advice can you serve up to newcomers to volleyball as well as players who want to advance their skills?
TL: Just get out there and play, play, play. Also, get on YouTube and watch AVP and FIVB [Federation Internationale de Volleyball] footage—it’s great inspiration that has helped me a lot.
LBM: What does it take to stay in top performance shape?
TL: I circuit train at the gym, work out on the beach—sprints, fast feet and running against a resistance band—and do some yoga every day. I’ll also do things at home, like foam roll while I watch the basketball game. And I stick to a healthy, whole foods diet and take raw vegan supplements. It’s the stuff your body really needs.
LBM: When you’re not in the sand, where can we find you?
TL: My other big dream is to be an Internet entrepreneur. These days, my focus is shifting to my site [intellectualrevolution.tv], an intellectual discovery website. This might be my last year in the AVP, but I’ll always play volleyball.I’ve become cultured through my travels and experiences—that’s the biggest thing. You get to learn a lot about different places and, ultimately, yourself. Volleyball is also a sport where fans get super close to you, and that’s awesome.
LBM: What are your favorite local beach volleyball courts?
TL: I play at Main Beach and at Emerald Bay. It’s great to play with and get to know the local community.
LBM: What’s your greatest AVP highlight?
TL: I’ve got two: The Pan Am Games in 2007 in Rio de Janeiro, where my partner [Hans Stolfus] and I played two guys who had won the ’04 Olympics on their home beach in front of their 7,500 fans, who were booing us. We lost, but still took the silver medal. It was our Super Bowl moment.
Also, in 2009, I won my first AVP tournament with Casey Patterson. It was Fourth of July on Coney Island, it was live on NBC and it was the grand slam of prize money.
LBM: How did you keep the booing from getting in your head and ruining your game?
TL: Oh, we just gave it right back to them. It just fuels us more.
LBM: What advice can you serve up to newcomers to volleyball as well as players who want to advance their skills?
TL: Just get out there and play, play, play. Also, get on YouTube and watch AVP and FIVB [Federation Internationale de Volleyball] footage—it’s great inspiration that has helped me a lot.
LBM: What does it take to stay in top performance shape?
TL: I circuit train at the gym, work out on the beach—sprints, fast feet and running against a resistance band—and do some yoga every day. I’ll also do things at home, like foam roll while I watch the basketball game. And I stick to a healthy, whole foods diet and take raw vegan supplements. It’s the stuff your body really needs.
LBM: When you’re not in the sand, where can we find you?
TL: My other big dream is to be an Internet entrepreneur. These days, my focus is shifting to my site [intellectualrevolution.tv], an intellectual discovery website. This might be my last year in the AVP, but I’ll always play volleyball.

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