AVP Chicago Open champ Casey Patterson aims for another title as he winds down career; 'It's a real nostalgic moment'

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Some of the top men's and women's beach volleyball players in the world are here in Chicago this weekend for the AVP's Gold Series Chicago Open.

CBS 2's Matt Zahn chatted with one of the defending champs, who's closing out a great career.

"This event is one of the players' favorites. The beach is iconic, with a lot of legends of the game, and for me it's just exciting to be here, especially I would say because of us winning it last year," said 18-time AVP Tour winner Casey Patterson. "The city is so rad during the summer, that whether you play well or not, you're just excited to be here."

How was it winning last year?

"Winning last year was amazing, because Chase Budinger and I were in all three finals. I just was bummed my family wasn't here. Besides that it was all-time," he said.

His family won't be here for the 2022 open, either.

"I just had a fifth baby, so I just keep putting myself in a tough spot," he said.

How does he balance such a big family with his career?

"I don't know, I think it's one of those things where everyone's like, 'How do you do it?' and I'm like, 'To be honest, I don't even know while I'm doing it how I'm still making it happen, you know? It's good, though. Being a parent is very similar to being an athlete, where you can't control a lot of things that are going on, and so you've just got to be mentally tough, and go with the flow, and deal with whatever's in front of you. So it's fun."

What has the journey been like for Patterson as he nears the end of his career?

"It's pretty incredible if you think about all the years past, traveling, and all the events played. It's very special now, because we were just in Manhattan Beach, and my oldest of five – the two boys are 13 and 11, and now they love volleyball. So now they're volunteering to be a ball boy on our court, and so for me it's a real nostalgic moment," he said.

What's next for Patterson after volleyball?

"You know what, I think I'm pretty hardcore into pickleball right now. You feel like you're 21 years old. I'm not lying. I've played probably 3 hours every day. So I think that might be the transition so I don't get so sad about not playing volleyball. I can have some fun to go play," he said.

There's also a professional APP pickleball tournament in Highland Park this weekend, and Patterson said he's tempted to watch that tournament.

"If things go well, and that tournament's still going, I'll probably shoot over there and go watch that," he said.

Asked if he has any moment that stands out during his volleyball career, Patterson pointed to winning last year's Chicago tournament after a long hiatus for the COVID-19 pandemic.

"A lot of us athletes, and a lot of people just in general kind of lost our identity for a little bit, because so many things were taken away. So then to be able to have it come back, and then be able to win in the last series of the year, and have it be so special, it was a real magical moment for me, and that's something that I'll remember forever," he said.

He picked that over some other great accomplishments like playing in the 2016 Olympics.

General admission is free to the event at Oak Street Beach, running from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday.