Sam Schachter and Dan Dearing have announced they are teaming up and they have Paris 2024 in sight.
Both Schachter and Dearing took to social media Tuesday to make the announcement.
“I am thrilled to announce that I will be teaming up with Dan Dearing for the 2022 season. It has been a long time coming (since we were kids and grew up playing this game with and against each other) and cannot wait to get back on tour with this phenom.” – Sam Schachter, via instagram
photo from Sam Schachter’s instagram
Schachter knows what it takes to make it to the Olympics, he competed alongside former partner Josh Binstock at the 2016 Rio Games. He failed to qualify for the Tokyo Games with most recent partner Sam Pedlow after a heartbreaking finish at the last chance qualifier in Mexico.
Momentum caught up with Schachter a few months ago and he had a lot to say about what he has learned through the past few Olympic cycles and how he plans to apply those lessons to his next partnership.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned is how much work needs to be done off the court. 99 percent of the training happens off court, behind the scenes. When I was younger I was intense on the court and committed to focus on the court, but off the court I didn’t have the same level of focus. I’ve been playing on the tour for over 10 years. Now I really organize my life and my practices as well as my mental training.”
photo from Dan Dearing’s instagram
That kind of maturity and focus to off-court training is something Dan Dearing knows a lot about. The 31 year old Ontario native previously partnered with Garrett May and most recently with Ivan Reka, but he has had to battle through serious injury over the years, which at times sidelined him from the game for extended periods. He is healthy now and ready for the intense competition schedule the duo will face in 2022.
“I am super excited he (Schachter) is dedicating his time, energy and experience and belief he has in me. It has taken me many years to develop mentally what I know now and what I am capable of being – one of the best beach volleyball players in the world.” – Dan Dearing, via Instagram
Schachter and Dearing plan to compete in over 16 events this season alone. The pair is looking for support to help fund their team and season and in doing so, get them one step closer to realizing their dreams of representing Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.