A Denver Native, Tom returned to Colorado to after college in California and began a career in commercia real estate. In 1988 he played in his first volleyball league with the Denver Chamber of Commerce and fell in love the sport. The next summer, he helped start a 12 team grass league, Volleyball Of The Rockies (VOTR) and a part-time volley-gig grew to over 200 grass teams by 1994. He traded in his suit and tie day job, for board shorts and sand in 1998 with the opening of The Island. Since then, the business has grown to include VOTR, Island and Oasis Leagues, SOB Volleyball Vacations in Mexico, and year-round tournaments in Colorado including the AVP Denver Open. Married with two kids, he spends his free time with family skiing, camping, and traveling to “research” new beaches! Tom have never played MBO, but he does have a Leadville 100 Belt Buckle!

Born and raised in Florida, I grew up with a deep passion for sports — playing football, volleyball, and soccer before going on to play collegiate soccer while earning a degree in Sports Management from St. Thomas University. That foundation led me to Colorado, where I began organizing national tournaments for soccer, basketball, and flag football, bringing my love of competition and logistics together.

After a four year run in advertising, I took the leap into hospitality, opening my own bar and restaurant — blending business strategy with community-building. In 2011, I stepped into the role of General Manager at The Oasis, where I led the transformation of the venue into a full-fledged volleyball destination. My hands-on leadership and vision helped evolve The Oasis into a premier hub for recreational and competitive play.

In 2021, I moved into the VP of Operations role at VOTR, focusing on reorganization, growth, and program development. Today, I bring together a lifetime of experience in sports, management, and hospitality to create dynamic spaces and events where people connect, compete, and build community.

Born and raised in Southen California, Melissa played beach volleyball in the original Island leagues in 1998. An accountant with three kids in diapers, she offered to help parttime with the books and payroll. Three decades later, she still makes sure the checks don't bounce and the IRS doesn't knock on our door. Her leadership, insight and support has impacted every part of the company and every major decision since she joined the VOTR team. When she is not crunching numbers, Melissa is either chasing her grand babies around or crushing balls on the tennis court.

Born and raised in Southern California, my family moved here in the early 80's, where I dedicated most of my youth to Tae Kwon Do achieving the rank of black belt at the age of 14. I competed nationally for the US Team until I graduated from Smoky Hill High School when I then left for the United States Navy. After the Navy I attended J&W university, where I received my degree in hospitality management and continued pursuing my career as an Executive Chef and Director of Food and Beverage working all over Denver.

I came to The Island in the Spring of 2014 as The Executive Chef managing not only the kitchen for our players, but orchestating over 40 private events annually. COVID killed the event business so in 2021 took the role as the Director of Food Operations for both the Island as well as the Oasis where I continue to make sure we offer a quality menus and killer weekly specials for the Denver Volleyball Community.

Russ has taken over 140,000 photos of SOB Volleyball Players strutting their stuff. Hire him for you next tournament !!

COMING JUNE 2025

Devin has been a proud part of the Volleyball of the Rockies (VOTR) team since 2019. He started as a part-time “ninja” in the grass leagues and steadily worked his way up to Director of Operations where is in charge of all things "Island". Devin brings energy, dedication, and a deep love for the game to everything he does at VOTR. When he’s not keeping things running behind the scenes, he’s probably swapping stories about the time he was bitten by a shark as a kid—yes, really!

Cristian Martinez is the Tournament Department Director at Volleyball of the Rockies (VOTR), where he leads the creation and execution of over 100 top-tier volleyball tournaments across the region. From managing logistics to coordinating teams, Cristian plays a key role in delivering seamless, competitive, and memorable events. Born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, Cristian discovered his love for sports early on while playing football—and knew he wanted to stay connected to athletics for life. He earned his degree in Sports Management from Metropolitan State University of Denver, blending his passion with the skills to thrive in the industry. With a deep appreciation for team dynamics, competition, and community, Cristian brings both experience and enthusiasm to every event he helps bring to life.

Cassidy helps manage all the leagues at the Island. Originally from Pennsylvania, she found her passion for sports early on, competing in both soccer and track at the collegiate level. She moved to Colorado to complete her master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology, building on her undergraduate studies in Sport Management and Psychology. Cassidy has worked extensively in youth development and community sports, first with the YMCA of Central Kentucky and later as the Director of Youth Sports for the YMCAs of Northern Colorado, where she oversaw programming across four branches.

Cassidy brings a thoughtful, people-first approach to her role at VOTR, combining deep industry knowledge with a love for building community through sport. She is also a published author in the sports field, contributing to the advancement of pedagogy with a cross-institutional research paper on adaptive teaching methods in sport education.

Outside of work, Cassidy is a dedicated explorer—whether she’s hiking, traveling, heading to the beach, or soaking in live music. She’s deeply connected to her family and friends and finds joy and balance in the outdoors, where she feels most at home.

COMING JUNE 2025

After 11 years of working for the Town of Parker, it was time for fresh scenery and Emma transitioned out of public recreation and into the private sector. Emma earned her degree in Recreation Management from Metropolitan State University of Denver and went on to earn her master’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation from Temple University, furthering her belief of the impact that sports and recreation can have on the community. Her enthusiasm for sports started while playing competitive softball and tennis at a young age and has now shifted to more recreational activities, like hiking, paddleboarding, and spending time outside with her Australian Shephard. Emma’s passion for people and building community can be seen while she’s managing the VOTR Grass and Hardcourt leagues, directing tournaments, or hanging out around The Island. She brings a balance of hard work and organization while making more than enough time to chat, share stories, and is rarely seen without a smile!

Bartender Extraordinaire... Mia lights up the bar with her smile and keeps the drinks cold and the beer flowing. Mess with her and she will create and name a shot after you!

COMING JUNE 2025

COMING JUNE 2025

In 1988 Bob started managing an eight team hardcourt league for Harvey Park Recreation Center with a couple friends, Lee and Rich. The following summer, they convinced the teams to move outdoors. Outdoor 6's quickly morphed to 4's and Volleyball Of The Rockies was born. Tom Davenport joined the team that fall, and they grew the program to over 40 teams in their second summer. By 1994, VOTR had over 200 teams, Lee and Rich had moved on, and the first SOB Volleyball Vacation traveled to Cancun. In 1998 Bob helped open the Island.

COMING JUNE 2025

For the better part of two decades, Doug laid the foundation for our current volleyball programming. Born and a raised in Oregon, Doug graduated from from DU (accounting). He did a post college stint bartending at the Island and ended up stepping into a league manager roll, running both VOTR Grass Leagues in the Parks and Sand leagues at the Island. As the business grew, Doug shifted to managing staff our staff and orchestrating all the VOTR tournaments. Respected by the players for his seeding and professionalism, Doug was easily one of the top tournament directors in the country. Post COVID, Doug made a pivot back to his college major, and he now crunches numbers for a local environmental consulting company.

Nick joined Volleyball of the Rockies (VOTR) after graduating from Gonzaga with a Masters in Sports and Recreation. In the decade that followed, he managed the VOTR Grass and Hardcourt Leagues and not only grew to programming to over 500 teams, but he also added new programs like Fall Ball, Grass Doubles, and Dive Indoor Leagues. At his desk, he was an excel wizard and streamlined processes for everything he touched. Ready for new challenges, Nick moved on to fatherhood and a new gig 3 minutes from home at the City of Edgewater where he manages programing for the City of Edgewater Recreation Department.

COMING JUNE 2025

VOTR has always used part-time staff in our parks leagues, affectionately known as Ninjas, for their ability to deftly set up, run and tear down nightly off-site programming in the Parks and Gyms. Brandon spend the better part of a decade with us and earned invites to help at most mountain tournaments as well as our SOB Ixtapa Volleyball Vacations. He currently resides in Bend, Oregon where he spends his days in his shop fabricating custom commercial and residential furniture and fixtures and occasionally playing volleyball with is wife Kendra.

COMING JUNE 2025