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The only thing that could make beach volleyball hotter is if the players were models, and this weekend, we mortals are in luck. The 5th Annual Wildfox Model Beach Volleyball Tournament will be going down this weekend on 8th and Ocean and lo and behold, the event is 100 percent open to the public!
Over the course of two days, 12 of the nation's top modeling agencies will be competing against each other to see who will win the age-old battle of beauty and athleticism. The event aims to raise money for the IRIE Foundation, which helps out kids in South Florida with after school programs. Guests in the past have included Jamie Foxx, Cedric The Entertainer and Michael Bay, so this year should promise to attract its fair share of celebs.
Many of the teams have been participating since the early 00s, when the competition had a different name, so there are definitely some rivalries brewing beneath the insanely attractive surface. Will Mega Models take home the grand prize again, or will a newbie like BMG Models spike their way to the top? We dug around to see what the competition had to say about this weekend's hottest showdown, and it sounds steamier than ever.
Next Model Management: This year, Next is coming back with a vengeance. Their main focus is to beat Wilhelmina, and the fact that they have Crossfit Miami Beach owner Nathan Forester on their side is a definite plus, not to mention that they've been practicing like mad men. Team captain Reid Heidenry feels that to have a good team, it's all about having baller female players, and since he has his fair share to choose from, he's pretty sure that Next is going to be spiking through the competition.
Elite Model Management: Elite is all about having as much fun as they can during the competition, but it doesn't mean they'll be slacking. According to team captain Carlos Everette, the team this year is energetic and excited to get out there, but they're competitive to a tee. Their power player is Carlos Bowers, who dominates the sand as the team's attacker. He's also an actor and a singer, who happens to have sung the National Anthem at last year's event. We'll salute to that.
BMG Models: BMG is the tournament's newest addition, but these rookies are anything but nervous. They have the excitement of a team who hasn't yet been in the ring of fire. They haven't practiced as a team yet, but team captain Bianca Zinger is more focused on the bigger picture. "We're just excited to be a part of something big and be helpful," she says.
Wilhelmina Models: Although they've only practiced once, team captain Marcos Santos is fully confident that Wilhelmina is even better than 2013's reigning champion, Mega Models. Their MVP is a female model named Mara Santos, who just so happens to have played division volleyball in her younger years. Many of the team's players have been practicing individually, so whatever match they're participating in should be quite the showdown.
The Green Agency: After a short hiatus from the tournament, The Green Agency is ready to dominate the court again. Although the team hasn't exactly met yet, their captain, Roberto Santamaria, is confident that Green will be returning with a bang."If you follow year's past," he says, "we're the best team out here. We're ready to come back and be number one."
· Wildfox Model Beach Volleyball Tournament [Official Site]