THIS IS ERIC FONOI'S LAST YEAR IN AVP. LETS ALL WISH HIM THE BEST.
Eric "The Body" Fonoimoana struck Olympic Gold at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and has been a dominant and consistent force on the AVP Tour since winnoing his first event in 1994. He won at least one tournament for seven straight years between 1998 and 2004.2002 proved to be Eric's year to shine - he reached the finals six times and won four titles with former partner Dax Holdren and was also named AVP's Most Valuable Player.In 2005 Fonoimoana reached the top 10 in terms of all-time tournaments played, and is rapidly approaching the $1 million mark in career earnings.A true community activist, Eric has dedicated much of his winnings and time off the beach to his foundation "Dig for Kids" which helps kids in inner cities excel in school and volleyball.Eric grew up in Manhattan Beach, California as the youngest of three brothers, Kirk, Scott and Toa and two sisters, Debbie and Lelei. Lelei was a swimmer in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. Eric attended Mira Costa High School, the same school his parents attended, where he started his volleyball career. The volleyball team there now hands out an annual Eric Fonoimoana Commitment Award. Fonoimoana continued to play at UC-Santa Barbara where he was named MVP his senior year and graduated with a degree in Sociology.
His cousins, Al and Nick Hannemann, also played on the AVP Tour. Fonoimoana currently resides in Hermosa Beach, California with his wife Eliza.
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credit: avp.com