A Chat with Chad Turner

By Ken and Nina Delgado
Posted February 4, 2007

The high profile AVP players often get most of the attention, though there are many other talented athletes on the AVP Crocs Tour. You may not have heard much about Chad Turner lately since he missed last season due to an unfortunate ankle injury. He's fully recovered now and looking forward to the start of the 2007 AVP season. Chad played most of the 2005 season with Canyon Ceman and took a fifth place with Canyon at the AVP Boulder Open. To show you how hard the path was to a fifth place finish, they had to win matches against Matt Heath/Ryan Mariano, Sean Rosenthal/Larry Witt, Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena, and Brian Lewis/Sean Rooney.

Perhaps like us you've wondered about what goes on during the off-season for AVP pros. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to chat with Chad and for him to share a bit about his year off, what he's doing to prepare for the upcoming season, and his goals for 2007.

On The Line: How did you injure your ankle?

Chad Turner: It's been an ongoing problem from multiple ankle sprains over years of playing basketball and volleyball. When you sprain your ankle really bad sometimes you'll rip off some small pieces of bone which become floating bodies and can get caught in the joint. So I had to get those bodies removed and I had two large bone spurs removed that were pinching some nerves.

OTL: How did the recovery go? Fully recovered?

CT: I had surgery in October and I'm 100%.

OTL: How did it feel having to miss the 2006 season?

CT: It really was frustrating because I worked hard in the off-season and was ready to go. Then in February I was training with Jay Ring and I rolled my ankle and that was it. The pinching was too much to handle so I went and got X-rays and a MRI and saw doctors in Florida and in California. I tried therapy and it just wasn't getting any better so had to have surgery. My wife Tyra hurt her shoulder on the same day I rolled my ankle. She was able to play through most of the season but also needed surgery in the off-season. We decided to have our surgeries here in California which worked out great.

OTL: What is your off-season training schedule? What activities do you do?

CT: This season was different because of the surgery, so I did a lot of rehab for my ankle. I also started a periodized workout schedule that is five months long and is based on four-week cycles. Every cycle changes with different weights, cardio, sprints, plyos, etc. The program is amazing and really keeps you motivated. The program takes you right up to April and tracks your progress with charts and ongoing testing. When I'm not training I love to play golf with my dad. The one thing I miss most about Florida is the water. I was raised on the water, fishing and playing at the beach. It just isn't the same in California. When I'm in Florida I'll try to go fishing everyday.

OTL: What city do you live in and what beach do you practice at?

CT: I live in Hermosa Beach with my wife Tyra during the season and we go back to Florida in the off-season. So far I've been practicing at the HB Pier and at 2nd street with Fonoi in Hermosa.

OTL: Any particular skill/ability that you focused on improving in your training?

CT: Passing and setting you never can practice too much. At this level every pass and set is crucial. Being a blocker I try to focus on transition setting a lot. I strongly believe in being great at the basics. I also want to focus on jump serving this year. I think I can mix some things up with strong serving.

OTL: Who do you plan to play with this year?

CT: Still undecided but there are some great players out there like Casey [Jennings], Fonoi [Eric Fonoimoana], Nick [Lucena], [Dain] Blanton, [Aaron] Wachtfogel, [John] Hyden, [Ryan] Mariano to name a few who at least to my knowledge haven't decided yet on who they're playing with.

OTL: How often do you practice?

CT: As of Monday of this week [January 29] I've been training with Eric Fonoimoana. We've trained with his coach, Tim, three times this week. On volleyball practice days I go to the gym after practice and work on legs, chest, or back depending on what day it is and I always work on core. On non volleyball training days I either do a sprint workout at a track or do plyos.

OTL: What side do you play? (Left, right)

CT: I can play both sides so it really helps with choosing a partner.

OTL: What do you look for in choosing a partner?

CT: I look for someone who is aggressive. I really like aggressive volleyball. That's one thing Canyon used to always tell me "good things happen when you're aggressive". Experience is big also. Playing with someone who knows the other players and their tendencies really is an advantage. I don't really have to be buddies though, as long as we're playing well I'm fine with keeping it business only.

OTL: Do you plan to play in all the events?

CT: I plan on playing all the events including the invitationals!

OTL: What do you do for work? How do you balance work and AVP events?

CT: I have my 520 All-Lines State Adjuster license from Florida. I work for an independent adjusting firm. So basically when a Hurricane hits I'm there. It works out great because Hurricane season runs from the end of summer and into late Fall which allows me to play Volleyball for the season. In 2005 I played in Chicago and then left for New Orleans to write claims from Hurricane Katrina. Let's just say I could write a book about that experience.

OTL: Do you usually watch any matches (men or women)? If so, who and why?

CT: When I can I'm always a good boy and watch my wife [Tyra Turner] play. Usually I'm always trying to watch who I'm going to be playing next to see if I can pick up any tendencies. If I'm done playing I'll try to watch someone like [Jeff] Nygaard, [Jake] Gibb, or Furbs [Matt Fuerbringer] because their body types and game is the most like mine and I always want to try to improve my game.

OTL: Any particular tournaments you look forward to?

CT: Florida is always fun because Tyra and I will have our families and friends there. The California events are nice because there's no travel involved. I also really like the stop in Ohio at the tennis stadium [AVP Cincinnati Open]. In Ohio the facilities are great because it's a fixed stadium and is very accessible for the players and fans.

OTL: What do you most enjoy about the AVP tour?

CT: How competitive it is. It seems every year there are teams that just pop up from nowhere and have great seasons. You're getting great matches in the second round now.

OTL: What motivates you to be an AVP player?

CT: To be able to compete at the highest level of a sport is truly a blessing. Although I've been plagued with injuries the last three years I'm healthy now and I'm really excited to get after it this season.

OTL: What are your goals for this season?

CT: My main goal is to stay healthy and make it to Sunday consistently. I feel that once you're playing on Sunday anything can happen. For me the ultimate goal would be to make a final and of course win. Also, I think making it to the invitationals would be amazing.

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You can contact Chad Turner at Chadrock212@aol.com.