As avid players of the school volleyball team, we were reluctant to see the season end in the spring, especially after winning the League Championship for the first time in nine years. However, it only took us a few weeks to seek a fun way to keep in touch with the game over the summer. After a failed attempt to find an indoor location to play at, we both turned to the local West Valley College beach volleyball courts — a choice that turned out to be a huge source of joy over our summers.
Andy’s take: the game we came to love
As a rising senior who had multiple programs and activities planned throughout the summer, I remember feeling how it was almost unnatural to have days without anything to do. Even the number of recreational activities — Mini Golf, bowling, getting food and drinks — became limited until the idea of beach volleyball popped into my head. This was the perfect solution; it costs no money and is friendly to beginners.
However, despite reaching out to everybody who I thought might be interested in playing, it was difficult to coordinate games at first. While four people — the standard number required for a beach volleyball game — showed up, the lack of experience among my friends made it a struggle to keep any rallies alive; one serve over and without many back and forths, the ball was dead.
Oftentimes when receiving the serve, the ball would bounce to a completely unexpected direction, not where the players intended to pass to. Other times when going up for a hit, someone would execute a swing and a miss, hitting only air resulting in the ball landing on their own side.
On the positive side, these games were less about competitiveness and more about having fun. Many laughs were shared each time we played, so people naturally continued to show up throughout the summer. Because of this, the size of our games quickly grew.
After a few weeks of playing, there were a total of 20 of us who would come daily. My friends who had never played volleyball before slowly became accustomed to the sport and began improving their skills, all while enjoying a new way to bond with one another.
New players like seniors Caleb Yu, Nathan Lee and Renn Blanco became incredibly consistent with their passing abilities and serving the ball over to the other side. Occasionally, rallies would go on for a long time to the point where it was tiring to move to the ball.
Even while I was away at my summer programs, I saw the beach volleyball group chat chime several times because my friends wanted to play. Picking up beach volleyball this summer was one of my best ideas, as I was able to spread my love for volleyball and make new friends along the way.
Bill’s take: challenging conditions lead to expanded skills, fitness
In the past, I heard my friends talk about going to the local beach courts to play volleyball. They often bragged about how good they were at the sport, so when I had some free time at the beginning of summer, I immediately decided to try it out myself to see how different it was from playing in the gym.
Walking on the sand for the first time, I immediately noticed that it was almost impossible to run or even walk fast. I was so used to jumping off hardwood that when I tried hitting a spike on sand, I barely jumped off the ground, missing the ball entirely. The next day it’s safe to say my feet and calves were more than a little sore since I rarely exercise in my bare feet.
Eventually, my feet and legs became stronger, and I got used to the sand, learning to focus more on positioning myself where the ball went rather than using as much power as I could to slam it down.
Because of the sand’s extra cushion, I dived every chance I got, keeping many more rallies alive than I would at the gym. Additionally, with beach volleyball being outdoors, I could bump the ball as high as I wanted without a roof blocking me.
What did I get from the experience? Mostly I saw a big improvement in my ball receiving and placement skills. While I usually practice hitting in the gym, beach volleyball has allowed me to improve in the receiver position — something I hope will improve my skill during volleyball season in spring.
