BEACH NOTES : Dodd Continues His Search for a Steady Playing Partner

When Tim Hovland told Mike Dodd a month ago that he wanted to end their nine-year, professional volleyball union, he said he wanted to “dance with a new partner.�

Hovland has played exclusively with 22-year-old Kent Steffes since the breakup.

Dodd has been dancing to the tune of “Hello, Goodby.�

Today at noon, when the $150,000 Cuervo Gold Crown tournament gets started at San Diego’s Mission Bay, Dodd will be playing with his fifth different partner--counting Hovland--in as many weeks.

For a man who was a steady sight for so many years standing on Hovland’s right, the variety of the past few weeks has been exhilarating.

“I’ve really enjoyed this,� Dodd said. “It’s exciting getting the chance to play with someone with different skills each week.�

In Cleveland, it was hello Dan Vrebalovich and goodby Hovland.

In Chicago, it was hello Scott Ayakatubby and goodby Vrebalovich.

And in Seal Beach, it was hello to fellow South Bay native Brent Frohoff and goodby Ayakatubby.

Frohoff’s regular partner, Karch Kiraly, is returning from television assignment at the Goodwill Games this weekend.

So at Mission Bay, Dodd will greet partner No. 5: veteran Pat Powers.

At least the lack of stability hasn’t affected Dodd’s game. He and Vrebalovich finished third at Cleveland, and Dodd-Frohoff--a first-time union of two long-time buddies--came in second at Seal Beach.

“I was really looking forward to playing with Brent,� Dodd said. “I’ve played a million pickup games with him down at Marine (Avenue in Manhattan Beach) and I had a feeling we’d do well.�

Dodd played on the left side with Frohoff--his first time on that side in seven years.

“It was kind of weird,� Dodd said. “No, it was very weird.�

Coming at Randy Stoklos from a different angle in Sunday’s final, Dodd was able to score a few points simply out of newness. But Dodd and Frohoff had to come through the consolation bracket to reach the final, and a well-rested Sinjin Smith and Stoklos won their 10th tournament of the year, 15-6.

“I was happy to come all the way back through the losers’ bracket, but Sinjin and Randy were fresh as daisies,� Dodd said.

Dodd won’t get too used to playing with Powers either. Dodd will be teamed with former Olympian Steve Timmons in next week’s Seattle Seafair Open.

He doesn’t know who his partner will be in the season-ending USA Championships of Pro Beach Volleyball at Hermosa Beach Aug. 25-26.

It could be any of the above.

“Next year I’ll pick one guy and stay with him the whole year,� Dodd said. “That’s the only way to do it. It just didn’t happen this year. But I really don’t know who it will be.�

Dodd and Powers, who last played together in 1981, are the fourth-seeded team in this weekend’s Gold Crown event, which is the final jewel in Cuervo’s triple crown of big-money tournaments.

Smith and Stoklos have already won more than $300,000 between them this year, including the titles of the first two Cuervo events at Clearwater, Fla., and Boulder, Colo.

No team has ever won all three events of the Cuervo Gold Crown. The winning team at Mission Bay will split $70,000, which will be delivered in gold coins to the event site by a Brinks armored car for Saturday’s final.

To pull off the clean sweep of the Cuervo events, Smith and Stoklos will have to survive the tournament’s shotgun format. The top eight teams on the beach play a round-robin format, with the top two teams competing for the championship.

The unluckiest man in beach volleyball would have to be Ayakatubby, who was scheduled to play in San Diego with Dodd, then had to withdraw because of a dislocated ring finger on his left hand.

Ayakatubby suffered the injury last weekend while playing in the International Surf Festival’s Six-Man beach tournament at Manhattan Beach.

It’s just another setback in what has been a star-crossed three years for Ayakatubby, who was once Frohoff’s regular sidekick.

Ayakatubby suffered a severely herniated disc in his lower back that wiped out half of his 1988 season. The injury has recurred and Ayakatubby has had to skip a smattering of tournaments since because of back stiffness.

He has also faced bouts of heat exhaustion, thwarting several promising finishes.

At least Patty Dodd won’t have to worry about picking another partner this weekend in the Venice Beach Open.

Dodd got a call this week to play with Lisa Strand--who was a winner in Tokyo with Janice Opalinski--but she decided to stay with Rita Crockett-Royster instead.

Strand would have been Dodd’s fourth partner of the year.

“I was in limbo for awhile,� Dodd said. “It was very stressful and difficult to make a decision. Going from partner to partner in one summer is kind of crazy.�

Dodd and Crockett-Royster finished fourth last weekend at Pismo Beach.

You might catch a look at some of beach volleyball’s future standouts today at Marine Avenue.

Mira Costa High Coach Mike Cook--the winningest volleyball coach in California history--is running a boys’ high school level two-man tournament today, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Five members of Cook’s 1990 Mira Costa team--which swept undefeated to the Southern Section 4-A Division title and the No. 1 ranking in the nation--will be in action today.

Canyon Ceman--who was Mira Costa’s deluxe setter and class valedictorian--and long-time partner David Swatik are one of the top teams in the tournament. Both Ceman and Swatik have AA ratings in the California Beach Volleyball Assn.

On Saturday, Cook is holding a co-ed open tournament, also at Marine Avenue. In its 23rd year, the tournament attracts players from the fringes of the men’s and women’s pro tournament.

Some of this year’s players are Barry Hanna, Doug Foust, and Mike Doll--all AAA-rated players who have seen action on the pro circuit.

“They’re going to pick up some girls and play,� Cook said. “We’ve been doing it this way since 1968. This used to be a darn strong tournament before the men’s pro tour got going.�