Photos from the 2006 AVPNext Chicago Wildcard event held on June 17th at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This event featured Men's & Women's Open divisions with the winners receiving an entry into the Main Draw of the Chicago AVP Pro Beach Tournament in July. There were also USAV Junior Divisions with the winners qualifying for the Junior Olympics.
Volleyball legend and three-time Gold Medalist, Karch Kiraly is synonymous with the sport of Pro Beach Volleyball. Clearly the 'winningest' player in the history of the sport, Karch has earned more than three million dollars playing beach volleyball and has become one of the most recognized sports figures today.
At age 45 (November 3rd), Kiraly is considered the "Michael Jordan" of pro beach volleyball as he is the oldest player to compete in the sport and continues to perform at the highest level --- beating competitors literally half his age. He has won at least one tournament in 24 of the 27 seasons he has played, spanning four different decades. He has claimed a title in 24 different states with 13 different partners. In domestic events, he has finished lower than ninth place only four times and has been in the semifinals over 80% of the time
