Today we’d like to introduce you to Blake Rose and Brian Price.
Hi Blake and Brian, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We found the game of beach tennis in Brazil – Blake’s wife, Glenda, is from Rio – and were instantly hooked. When we got back to LA, we found permanent courts near us in Ocean Park. What were the odds!
The game is so easy to learn and pretty instantly fun. Yet the top players are incredibly skilled and from all over the world, like tennis. So we saw the inclusive, global nature of the game and the possibilities of the professional tour.
With the growth of tennis derivatives like pickleball and padel, we decided very quickly to create something in the world of beach tennis. That is OLA and we started by asking anybody we knew to come try it in late Spring 2022!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Juggling the launch of OLA with our “day jobs” was definitely a balancing act. We’ve been in the mindset of each event being bigger and better than the last and each time feels a little less chaotic. But if we aren’t at least a little stressed, we’re probably staying in our comfort zones.
In general, we get stretched thin, survive, and then bake in those learnings so the next time it feels routine. And we rinse and repeat, but we’ve had to learn so much about throwing events in the elements as Mother Nature’s sand, rain, wind, and lack of electricity outlets doesn’t care what we have on the calendar!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about OLA Beach Tennis?
Created in 1970s Italy, Beach Tennis has traveled the globe, introducing the fun flow of the game to everyone from Rio de Janeiro to Los Angeles to Barcelona and all the beaches between.
Tennis players, pickleball players, even ping-pong players will feel right at home in the sand. In beach tennis, players use rackets to hit a tennis ball back and forth over a net and within the court boundary. Like badminton and volleyball, the point is over when the ball hits the ground.
At OLA, we cherish stretches in time where we are fully present. Free from any distraction, engaging with a fun focus and relaxed intensity. Completely in the moment. We found beach tennis to be the perfect sport for this flow state.
We combine relaxed and competitive beach tennis opportunities with showcases of our favorite wellness activations and local products. At OLA, you come for the game but leave with new friends and teammates, bragging rights, and some bucket list items checked.
Whether it’s at one of our weekly OLA Open Plays or by entering in our quarterly tournaments and wellness events, consider this your official invitation to #EntraNaOnda.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
We (Blake and Brian) both grew up in Dayton, Ohio and we joke sometimes that OLA Open Play is like recess. We were one grade apart and lived in the same neighborhood so after school it was only a question of what sport we’d be playing and at whose house – i.e., who had the best hoop, biggest yard, and best snacks!
We didn’t have the vocabulary but what we were constantly seeking was friendship and flow in that competition and fun. And luckily, we’ve found something in beach tennis that allows us to keep chasing that feeling.
Pricing:
- OLA Open Play (with Racket Rental) – $15
- OLA Open Play (without Racket Rental) – $10
- OLA Open Play (OLA Racket Owner) – $5
Contact Info:
- Website: olabeachtennis.com
- Instagram: @olabeachtennis
