Falyn Fonoimoana: Race, volleyball, and the importance of uncomfortable conversation

SANDCAST: Beach Volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter

This episode of SANDCAST: Beach volleyball with Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter, features Falyn Fonoimoana.

Times have, obviously, been a bit fraught lately. Between Covid-19, George Floyd’s murder and the ensuing riots, tension has been high. Fonoimoana, one of only a few black athletes on the AVP Tour, has been outspoken on social media on the racial issues throughout the United States. This conversaion on SANDCAST covered much more than the standard beach volleyball chatter typically featured on the show.

On this episode, we discuss:

• Fonoimoana’s upbringing in the California South Bay, a predominantly white and affluent community, and her experiences growing up as one of only a few black individuals.
• Recent experiences she’s had involving racism, including a bizarre run-in at Lazy Acres, a grocery store in Hermosa Beach.
• Why she has been so active on social media, and what she’s hoping to achieve by it.
• What we as a volleyball community can do to continue having conversations on uncomfortable topics, no matter what your stance on these topics may be.
• Plans she has to improve this community, including launching a start-up non-profit business, similar to her uncle Eric Fonoimoana’s Dig For Kids Foundation.

This episode, like all episodes, is brought to you by our guys at Wilson Volleyball. The beaches are opening up again, so it's about that time to get some new OPTX volleyballs, using our discount code, Sandcast-20, for 20 percent off!

You can watch the full episode on our YouTube channel!