Dalhauser to share Olympic experience with Saipan kids

Phil Dalhauser will not only come to play again in the Marianas Cup, but he will also share to kids on Saipan his fruitful stint in Beijing, where he won the Olympic gold medal for beach volleyball.

Along with other professional players who will be arriving next week for one of Saipan’s biggest annual international sports events, Dalhauser will be visiting various schools to conduct a beach volleyball clinic that would give students the opportunity to exchange ideas.

The 17th Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival will be held March 6-8 at the Pacific Islands Club.

But before the start of the tournament, Dalhauser and the other pros from the U.S. mainland, Japan, and Korea will be hosting a free kids’ clinic at the PIC volleyball court on March 5 starting at 3pm.

Then on March 15, the pros will conduct the Kids’ Marianas Cup.

Dalhauser will also showcase his talents with Paul Baxter in the highly anticipated exhibition match against Shimpei Aoiki and Yasuo Nakaya. Korean players will also join this special side event on March 6 beginning at 5pm.

PIC’s director of sales and marketing Kanae Quinn said the exhibition matches would be open to the public.

The 29-year-old Dalhauser teamed up with Todd Rogers to power the U.S. to a gold medal win over the tandem of Fabio Magahaes and Marcio Araujo of Brazil in Beijing.

The Americans prevailed in the deciding third set, 15-4.

Dalhausser, a 6’9” behemoth, was nicknamed “The Beijing Beast” after his successful stint in the Summer Games, where he earned the MVP award.

He and Rogers became the first U.S. Men’s team to win a world title and they’ve won four of the seven international tournaments they’ve played in 2008. Dalhausser enjoyed a breakout year with Rogers in 2006, winning eight AVP Tour events and a FIVB event in Austria.

The Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association thanks all the sponsors for contributing to this worthwhile, international event. Sponsors include Aon Insurance, Aqua Resort Club, Chong’s Corporation, Delta Management Corporation, Glooay Mai Thai Spa, Gregg Elliott Artworks, Hertz, Hyatt Regency Saipan, Island Apparel, IT&E, KSPN2, LISS, Marianas Eye Institute, Mariana Resort & Spa, Marianas Trekking, Marianas Visitors Authority, Microl Corp., No Ka Oi, Northwest Airlines, Pacific Development, Inc., Pacific Eagle Enterprises, PIC Guam, PIC Saipan, Pacific Trading, Co., Saipan Grand Hotel, Seafix Inc., Shell Marianas, Star Sands Plaza, Stars & Stripes, Law Offices of Stephen J. Nutting, Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino, Topnotch, Traders Insurance, Triple J Wholesale, and WDI Saipan (Tony Roma’s & Capricciosa’s).