Family rivalries return to 68th annual Seawright tournament

by Laura Garber 

There are many volleyball communities in Hermosa Beach, but few have a legacy that spans four generations. 

The annual Seawright volleyball tournament called back multi-generational families and friends on the sand at 28th street for its 68th year on Saturday, July 11.  

Winners of the 68th Seawright tournament team included Aiden Peters, Dane Del Riego, Kyle Grafton and Ron Grafton. 

Kim Walmer Sussman has been coming to the tournament since she was a child. She watched her parents play, and now watches her own kids compete. 

“It’s fun to see the rivalries from multiple generations out there playing,” she said. 

The “volleyball reunion,” as Walmer Sussman calls it, was started by Bunny and Roy Seawright in 1968. Their granddaughter, Annie Seawright, took over the tournament in 1998. 

Players Luke Snyder and Magnus Samuelson, both 24, competed in the tournament for their 14th year. Snyder played on a team with his mother this year. 

“My grandpa grew up here. He would play in all these back before there was the AVP,” Snyder said. 

“We’re able to connect generations and bond over something that impacts our lives so heavily, which is volleyball,” Samuelson said. “You get all these people who love each other a lot. It’s a reason to get together and it’s a good time every year.” 

Samuelson’s father, Bob Samuelson, an Olympic volleyball player, won the Seawright tournament multiple times. 

“There’s a reason why Luke and I have been doing this for 14 years,” Samuelson said. “It’s always circled on our calendar.” ER