Nice bikini top!

A post shared by Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) on Jun 16, 2017 at 8:16am PDT

That killer smile!

Throwback to one of my first big photo shoots

A post shared by Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) on Apr 13, 2017 at 2:53pm PDT

Here’s a shot she posted from her SI shoot:

Tbt to when this swan was being super pushy

A post shared by Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) on Mar 16, 2017 at 1:53pm PDT

This is a killer shot!

@si_swimsuit

A post shared by Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) on Feb 18, 2017 at 2:36pm PST

Looking lovely and playful in a white bikini . . .

‪Itsss ma burffdayyyy ‬#23

A post shared by Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) on Feb 25, 2017 at 4:20am PST

#4. Carley Bobby
Actress: Leslie Bibb
Movie: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Love Interest: Ricky Bobby, played by Will Ferrell
Quote: “If we wanted two wussies, we would have named them Dr. Quinn and Medicine Woman!”

#5. Tenley Parrish
Actress: Kelly Preston (actually it was Jessica Biel)
Movie: Summer Catch
Love Interest: Ryan Dunne, played by Freddie Prinze Jr.
Quote: “Let yourself be great.” Seriously. This movie sucked. That’s the best there is.

#6. Darcy Sears
Actress: Ali Larter
Movie: Varsity Blues
Love Interest: Jonathan ‘Mox’ Moxon, played by James Van Der Beek
Quote: “Baby I got so excited thinking about next year and Florida state and the future, I think I need to be your wide receiver.”

#8. Adele Invergorder
Actress: Charlize Theron
Movie: The Legend of Bagger Vance
Love Interest: Rannulph Juhu, played by Matt Damon
Quote: “And now I’m supposed to run into your arms and melt like butter on a hot muffin?”

Solid list, although there were some swings and misses. I’m not a big fan of Renee Zellweger, but love the young Halle Berry from The Program. And hey, any site that takes time to rank women from sports movies deserves some mention.

That’s her on the right. I could say that it was her terrifc serves, clutch digs or powerful spikes, but I’d be lying. As I watched the match, I started to wonder – how much of beach volleyball’s success is based on sex? The sport really came to the forefront during the 2004 Olympics in Sydney, when May and Walsh (and all of the other competitors) showed off their toned, athletic bodies in tiny bikinis. If you remember, it was pretty amazing how popular the sport became as it was introduced to an international audience. Everyone was talking about it. Moreover, everyone was watching it, and the unbeatable Misty May and Kerri Walsh became household names. Still at the Koester match, I looked around the court, trying to figure out what percentage of attendees were there for the volleyball and what percentage were there for the view. I noticed a couple of male “photographers” taking pictures of Koester. No press passes, just big cameras with long lenses. It’s clear that a large percentage of beach volleyball fans are there for the eye candy. And I’m not just talking about women. There were a lot of female fans clustered around the men’s matches as well.

From a pure sports standpoint, indoor volleyball is more entertaining to watch. Due to the hard surface, the athletes are able to move more quickly and jump higher, which results in longer rallies and harder spikes. My wife is a former volleyball player and she doesn’t like to play on the beach because it’s hard on the ankles and it’s difficult to run and jump. For those reasons, she believes that beach volleyball players are in better shape when compared to their indoor counterparts. And given what I saw at the tourney, it’s hard to disagree.

So how aware are the players of the role that sex plays in their sport? They don’t seem to have a problem playing in bikinis, so they probably understand that it’s part of the game. Is Koester aware that 70% of the fans in attendance are staring at her amazing body? Does she like it? Does she even care?

It would be interesting to hear the answers to these questions, but I get the sense that sex is the dirty little secret around the AVP. Few will address it directly, but everyone knows it’s there and that it’s necessary for the sport to survive. After all, if all the girls started to wear loose-fitting jogging shorts and all the guys wore t-shirts, how much would attendance suffer?

Oh, by the way, the match went three sets, but Koester and Straton ultimately lost, 17-15 in the final set. But I still think she’s a winner.

Here’s a gratuitous video of these beach volleyball players in action. Enjoy.

UPDATE – New videos added:

Photo courtesy of Flickr.