Beach volleyball heavyweights, Olympians hitting KC sand for George Brett showdown
September 9, 2025 | Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Serial entrepreneur Lance Windholz hopes a high-profile weekend beach volleyball tournament — showcasing 24 professional players, including seven Olympians — will encourage more Kansas City athletes and enthusiasts to dig the sport he loves.
The George Brett 4v4 Volleyball Showdown arrives Saturday, Sept. 13, at Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball. Two amateur teams are set to compete alongside six elite teams, featuring Olympians Phil Dalhausser, Taylor Crabb, Taylor Sander, Nick Lucena, Chase Budinger, Alex Ranghieri, and Carli Lloyd.
Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Windholz, owner of the beach volleyball complex in Shawnee, aims to make it an annual event, he said. For the inaugural showdown, he’s teamed with AVP Hall of Famer Steve Obradovich and Kansas City Royals legend George Brett.
“If you are even somewhat interested in volleyball, and you come watch these games, you’re going to fall in love with the sport,” Windholz said. “It’s like a heavyweight boxing match with just big plays back and forth, such a fast tempo. So what we want is to just make more fans of the game.”
“This is the highest level of volleyball in America and it’s coming to KC,” he added. “I think that’s just really cool.”
Click here to purchase tickets for the George Brett 4v4 Volleyball Showdown.
Beach volleyball is a sport on the rise at the national level, Windholz noted.
“You’ve got the AVP Beach that’s growing,” he continued. “You have indoor professional leagues that are growing. Colleges are expanding scholarships to include beach now, even several in the Kansas area. So there’s just a lot more opportunities to play at the next level.”
Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
When Windholz bought Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball in 2023, he said, he wanted to bring more professional events to the facility. Then through “dumb luck,” he connected with Obradovich — a professional beach volleyball player in the 1970s and 1980s — who runs a similar tournament in Newport Beach.
“It was just a way to help these players make some money, grow the sport that he played and loved, and just kind of give back,” he explained. “After doing that, he knew he wanted to expand it.”
Obradovich also happens to be childhood friends with Brett, Windholz noted. So when looking for places to take the tournament, Kansas City came to mind. Then when Obradovich saw the eight-acre Shawnee beach facility, which features 18 volleyball courts, a full service bar and grill and a two-tier courtside deck, a partnership was formed.
“He was like, ‘This is incredible; this is awesome,” Windholz recalled. “”You have all the courts right here. You got this whole deck for a VIP area. This is amazing. I’m going to bring this to Kansas City.’”
Shawnee Mission Beach Volleyball; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
On top of the 24 professional players, there will be eight amateur players — one men’s team and one women’s team — competing, after they won a qualifying tournament in August.
“They get to play in front of all the fans against the best in the world and test their skills,” Windholz said. “It’s going to be intense. The pros are not holding back.”
”For those amateurs to play against people they watch on TV, their idols and Olympians, it’s pretty awesome,” he added.
Food trucks, vendors, a kids area with bounce houses, and a pros vs. joes area — where fans can test their skills against the professionals — are planned.
“We’re super excited,” Windholz noted. “We’re really bringing a new professional sport to Kansas City. These are Olympians, and people who have won major AVP tournaments this year. So really the best in the country are coming out to do a one day tournament for us. It’s gonna be awesome.”
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
UMKC-powered tech could help visually-impaired Kansas Citians see via artificial intelligence
Gharib Gharibi is driven to succeed by a desire to pay it forward, he said, riding a high from his startup’s first-place, $20,000 win at UMKC’s Regnier Institute Venture Creation Challenge. “They helped us transform our technology from the computer lab to the real world,” Gharibi, founder of DeepLens and a UMKC PhD student, said…
iWerx Gladstone opens, expanding Northland coworking community (Photos)
Northland startups and business owners need more collaborative workplaces to call their own, Bob Martin said less than a year ago. This week, iWerx Gladstone turns that vision into reality. “More than just a place to work, iWerx Gladstone is a business development center committed to making connections and stimulating personal and professional growth,” said…
Look inside (and out): Corrigan Station expansion offers startups skyline views from within Crossroads
Decades have passed since the last new office building opened in the Crossroads Arts District, said Edna Martinson. In a matter of weeks, startups and small businesses can “create their own vibe” when the 22,910-square-foot Corrigan Station expansion project — led by Copaken-Brooks — unlocks its doors and opens them to Kansas City innovators, added Martinson,…
$18M buyout of TomboyX shares shows investing in women pays off, says Women’s Capital Connection
Women are winning in Kansas City, said Kelly Sievers as 24 members of Women’s Capital Connection receive their return from an $18-million buyout of their shares in a Seattle woman’s startup. “They’re getting a great infusion of capital to grow even more and we also still have money in the company because we invested a…