Eric Fonoimoana
Eric Fonoimoana ( born June 7, 1969 in Manhattan Beach, United States) is an American beach volleyball player and Olympic champion.
Career
From 1991 to 1997 Eric Fonoimoana played with many different partners. His achievements during this time were the first victory on the AVP Tour in 1994 in Baltimore with Scott Ayakatubby and second place in his first FIVB tournament with Mike Whitmarsh at Carolina Beach in Puerto Rico.
From the end of 1997, Eric joined with Dain Blanton Fonoimoana. The two won by the year 2000 three tournaments during the American tour. At the World Tour of the FIVB, the two Americans could not win a single tournament to mid-September 2000. However, at the Sydney Olympics, they won with a final victory over the Brazilian Zé Marco and Ricardo the gold medal. By the end of 2001, the two played together yet; their greatest success in the last year of their collaboration was a second place in Hermosa Beach.
Fonoimoanas 2002 was the most successful year on the AVP Tour. He won four titles with Dax Holdren and was the most valuable player (MVP) of the Year. This was followed by another title with Holdren 2003, a victory with his new partner Kevin Wong in the same year as well as one derived tournament with Wong and Mike Lambert 2004. Fonoimoana won seven consecutive years since 1998, with five different partners at least one title per year.
In the coming years the Californians moved more frequently his partner, both played a few tournaments with his cousin Albert Hannemann and with the comrades of his greatest success Dain Blanton, before he ended his career in late 2008.
Private
Eric Fonoimoana grew up in Manhattan Beach in California, the youngest of six siblings. His sister Lelei went as a swimmer for the team of the United States at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal at the start. Eric Fonoimoana visited his parents the Mira Costa High School and began with the volleyball. He then studied at the University of Santa Barbara and a Ph.D. in sociology. Today he lives with his wife Eliza in Hermosa Beach.
In the spring of 2000 Fonoimoana founded the charitable organization " Dig for Kids" that children from less affluent income brackets Tutoring and counseling in educational matters and should provide qualified volleyball training. By winning the gold medal of the Californian many sponsors were aware of this project, so already benefited over 2,800 students of the institution.