It’s been a familiar site at AVP tournaments for over 15 years, and if you’ve been to one, then you know.

You’ll be sitting in the stands at center court waiting for the next match to begin, when you turn and notice a crowd gathering at the entrance to the court. You strain your neck to see what is going on and you manage to catch a glimpse of a pink hat bobbing and weaving through the crowd, but you just can’t make out the person wearing it. You know who it is, but he is just out of your visual range. Every once in a while though, you catch tantalizing glimpses of the person -- a bit of an arm, then maybe a leg or a flash of color from his shorts or equipment bag, but never the entire person.

Then, finally, the crowd parts and the man emerges and steps onto the court. He is beach legend, Karch Kiraly, three-time Olympic gold medalist and the all-time men’s beach volleyball career winner with 147 titles, including three last season with his then partner, Mike Lambert. It was a season highlighted with a win at the AVP Manhattan Beach Open and being named the 2004 AVP Team of the Year.

However, even with all those wins, don’t let that "legendary" status fool you into thinking that Kiraly is one of those self-absorbed professional athletes. On the contrary, he is the total opposite.

Kiraly is one of the true gentleman of the sport of beach volleyball and one of its greatest ambassadors. During every tournament, when he’s not warming up or playing a match, you will find him chatting, standing for photographs and signing autographs for fans, or doing an interview with the press. He always has time for anyone who asks.

When it’s time to play though, Kiraly shows you why he’s won all those titles, as he shuts out the world and totally focuses on the match at hand.

At 44 years of age, Kiraly’s career is beginning to wind down, though you wouldn’t know it by watching him play. His physical conditioning and his mental toughness are still second to none in the men’s game and what keeps him successfully competing against the younger competition.

"Physically, I’m not as strong as I was, but I try to make up for it mentally," Kiraly said in a June 27th interview with Colleen Kane in the Cincinnati Enquirer during the AVP Cincinnati Open. "It’s a big challenge, and I relish it, competing with guys half my age."

Adds Olympic bronze medalist, Holly McPeak, who knows a little about winning herself, as she holds the women’s career mark with 72 titles, "Nobody works harder or is more disciplined than Karch. "Obviously his physical attributes and superb volleyball skills have helped him stay at the top of the sport for a long time, but his mental toughness is second to none. He is a gamer and loves the big match. To win three gold medals, you have to be!"

Things took an interesting turn for Kiraly at the first event this season in Ft. Lauderdale though, when he reinjured his shoulder, which he had surgery on during the off season. Whispers began to circulate that he might not play again, and even he began to wonder if he would return.

After getting his doctor’s assurance that it wasn’t serious, Kiraly donned his pink hat and took to the court once again at the next tournament, but after some uncharacteristic finishes, he unselfishly encouraged Lambert to find another partner. Kiraly knows Lambert is one of the top players on the tour, and he wanted his partner to have the best possible chance of winning. And, Kiraly was right, as Lambert teamed up with John Hyden and won the AVP Cincinnati Open.

Meanwhile, Kiraly teamed up with Adam Jewell, another strong player with a lot of potential. While Jewell has won before – he and Jake Gibb won the 2005 AVP Austin Open – the new team has played inconsistently in their first four events together, finishing 13th two times (Santa Barbara and Cincinnati) and 5th two times (San Diego and Belmar).

Coming into the AVP Hermosa Beach Open, they are looking to finally find that consistency and, not only make it into the final four, but reach the final, something Kiraly is very familiar with at Hermosa. He’s won the event six times and finished second four times. His first win there was in 1992 with Kent Steffes, and his last one was in 1998 with Adam Johnson.

As for life after his beach volleyball career, Kiraly might have given a glimpse at one of the things he might be doing last year when he worked as a TV analyst on NBC’s Olympic Beach Volleyball broadcasts with Chris Marlowe. A job in which he received many good reviews.

"I thought Karch's debut as a broadcaster at the Olympics was sensational," Marlowe said by email recently. "(The) inside information he obtained from the players and coaches was invaluable. He is easy to work with and is getting better each time out. (And), Karch is actually quite funny -- I think you will see that humor evolve into the broadcasts as he works more."

When the day comes and Kiraly does steps off the sand for the final time, it will be a sad day not just for him, but for fans of the sport as well. Right now though, retirement is not in his plans.

"I want to see how far I can push it," Kiraly said in the Cincinnati Enquirer interview. "It’s hard to give a career like this up, when I tell my wife I’m going to the office, and it’s the beach. But, I’m also looking to see how late is too late, how old is too old."

Until he decides to retire, however, you should try your best to get out to as many AVP events as you can and enjoy watching the legend in the pink hat!