This summer, junior athletes, Maddox Canham and Charlie Gordy made a name for themselves at the USA Volleyball Beach Championship in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Lions duo emerged successful, placing top 10 in the nation for Beach volleyball duos. Their thorough preparation combined with great chemistry allowed them to compete effectively on the national stage.
Although the Lions found success on the sand, Canham and Gordy’s volleyball journey started five years ago on the court.
“I started off playing indoor and eventually started playing beach,” Canham said. “I enjoy it more than regular volleyball because you get a lot more touches, and I think it’s more fun in general.”
After two years of competing in recreational beach volleyball, Canham and Gordy decided to put their skills to the test and sign up for their first tournament.
“The summer between our freshman and sophomore year we traveled to the same tournament,” Canham said. “We took the competition less seriously, but still wanted to do well. We were really there to understand what it was like, get a feel for it, and have fun.”
The experience opened their eyes to the possibility of a prominent future in beach volleyball, as they secured a ranking in the 20’s without proper preparation or mindset.
“When the tournament ended Maddox and I both believed we could do very well the next year, but we knew we needed a lot more preparation,” Gordy said. “We joined a beach club and practiced two times a week. Throughout the entirety of the year we practiced with an intense mindset. We wanted to win.”
Although a top 10 national finish was exciting for the duo, Gordy and Canham hope to replicate and better their results for future beach volleyball tournaments.
“In the future, we’re going to do a lot more tournaments outside of Dallas,” Gordy said. “We only did three travel tournaments before that. This year, we plan to use a new coach. We are going to train hard, and come back better next year.”
