New RBVL Champions Crowned, on a Heartbreaking Day
Charles Nopper
By Sean Shevlin
The 2025 Rockaway Beach Volleyball League (RBVL) playoffs kicked-off on Saturday, August 9, under beautiful, sun-splashed skies and temperatures in the 70s at Riis. Perfect weather for the league to conclude its 36th season. Sixty-six teams across 10 divisions gathered to compete for a championship and, the ultimate prize, the vaunted sweatshirt.
Spirits were high as players, friends and family packed the beach for the commencement of the first round, at 10:30 a.m. However, during the early afternoon ambulances could be seen by the flagpole, at the top of the beach, and all play soon stopped as word filtered down that a player had suffered a heart attack and was being treated in one of those ambulances. That player was Rockaway resident Charles Nopper, who later died. He was 43. Nopper, beloved by many, was a former DSNY worker, who spent time behind the bar at Jamesons and as manager at Bishops Barn. The RBVL committee extends its heartfelt condolences to the Nopper family, on this devastating loss. A funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, August 14 at 11 a.m. at St. Francis de Sales Church.
Meanwhile, all but the Sun division, Charles’ division, elected to continue play, and nine champions were crowned. Congratulations to all!!
The winners include Storage Place of the Ocean Division, Rockaway Soda of Ocean Breeze, BHYC Snotty Yachties of the Wave Division, the 123 Bangouts of Beach, Leo’s Tavern of Beach Breeze, Danger Zone of Boardwalk, Boarder’s Surf Shop on Sun Ray, DysFUNctional of Moon and the BHYC Social Yachties of the Star Division.
