Since the lockdown, living in Hermosa Beach has helped LA Blaze Middle Blocker Greg Faulkner to stay busy and in shape by playing with that community’s group of beach volleyball players. “We all have our own gear that we can still set up, and we all have good relationships with the police there who have been nice enough to let us keep playing,” said Faulkner. The same goes for his coaching gigs at Surfside Volleyball Club and Palos Verdes High School. Needing to limit practices in the gym, Greg has found it more comfortable to transition his teams to the beach where there is less risk of transmission of the Virus. He remarked, “Anything I can do to help my players stay in shape, especially the ones getting ready for their high school and middle school seasons.” Aside from coaching and playing, Greg says he’s been working his way up on the leaderboards on the famous online video game Call of Duty: Warzone. Most of all, Greg’s biggest concern has been staying in contact with friends and family as much as possible.
Greg also shared a project that he has been working on with other NCAA college coaches and players during the lockdown. This group aims to provide student-athletes of color a support network for advice, where they can discuss and share any issues they are dealing with. They have started off by covering organizations in the BIG West Conference, hoping to grow further to help all colleges across the nation. “Issues have happened in the past years that not everyone has spoken upon. It’s just nice to be able to have that opportunity to speak on these issues, especially during the pandemic. It’s been vital to helping these players know they are not alone, especially during isolation.” Other notable names working on this mission are Theo Edwards (CSUN), Joshua Walker (University of Hawaii), Spencer Fredrick (UCSB), Damani Lenore (CSUN), Aniefre Thomas (University of Hawaii), Josiah Byers (CSUN), Arvis Greene (CSUN).
Follow along with Greg on his ventures both on the court and off through the Blaze, and his own, social media accounts.