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Organizers Hope Top Beach Volleyball Event Can Flourish Without Beaches

Posted on: Tuesday, 6 June 2006, 18:00 CDT

By BILL BEACON

MONTREAL (CP) - Somehow, one imagines that snowdrift volleyball wouldn't work quite as well as beach volleyball.

But despite it's dearth of tropical beaches, Canada has done well in a sport that conjures images of fit-looking and lightly clad Californians, Brazilians and Australians. And Mark Heese of Aurora, Ont., who with former partner John Child has top-five finishes at three consecutive Olympic Games, including a bronze medal at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, says Canadians simply have to work harder to make up for what geography has denied.

"When we first started competing on the tour, that was always the question - Brazil, yeah, but Canada?" Heese said Tuesday. "They said we aren't supposed to be good at this, but we're trying to dispel that idea."

One way is to turn tennis courts into sandboxes, as organizers will do at Uniprix Stadium for the Swatch Beach Volleyball World Tour event in Montreal, July 12-16.

The national tennis training centre and venue for the annual Rogers Cup tennis tournament will be transformed into a makeshift Copacabana for the Tour's only North American stop.

"We do have some beaches in this country, but we're capable of creating our own in a stadium," added Heese. "We've done a lot to remain competitive against teams that are traditional beach volleyball and summer nations, and we've done well.

"We've been hanging around the upper echelons of the sport for years and we're looking forward to making that breakthrough at the Olympics and walking away with gold. That's our goal."

The tournament has been held on and off in Montreal and Toronto in the past decade, but last year was taken over from private promoters by Volleyball Canada, which hopes to see it take root and grow into a moneymaking event.

Last year, about 17,000 spectators turned out and they hope to draw at least 25,000 over five days this year.

"That is very achievable," said Caroline Sharp, the tournament director. "There was the threat of the event not being staged a few times and we have to build that trust with the public.

"This year, our sales are on target. Our walkup is the biggest part. Next year, you'll see more advance sales because it will be a set thing on the calendar and people will want the best seats. It's a growing thing."

For now, they use the 5,000-seat Court No. 1 as the main stadium and seven other courts for competition. About 3,000 tonnes of sand will be brought in to cover the courts. The top tickets range from $20 for early rounds to $35 for the finals on July 16.

Sharp hopes that when the tournament grows, they can move into the 10,000-seat Centre Court.

The long-range plan is for it to become what the men's and women's Rogers Cup events are to Tennis Canada - the centrepiece of the competition schedule, producing revenues to help develop the sport across the country.

Most of the top players in the world will be at Uniprix Stadium, including Olympic champion Emanuel Rego and partner Ricardo Santos of Brazil.

Australians Andrew Schacht and Josh Stack, third last year, will also play, as well as several top European teams. The best American duos will skip the event due to conflict with a tournament on the U.S. domestic tour.

On the women's side, defending champions Julianna Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca of Brazil will be back while three top Chinese teams, including second-ranked Tian Jia and Wang Fei, will make their first appearance at the event.

Heese will play with his new partner Rich VanHuizen of Langley, B.C., while Conrad Leinemann of Kelowna, B.C. and Ahren Cadieux of Toronto are also in the draw.

Annie Martin of Sherbrooke, Que., who placed fifth at the 2004 Olympics with Guylaine Dumont, now has Kara Zakrewski of Mississauga, Ont., as her partner.

"It's the only stop in North America so it's important for us to play well at home with all the fans," said Martin.

Also playing are Sarah Maxwell of Truro, N.S., and Marie-Andree Lessard of Montreal.

The tournament was held at Ashbridges Bay in Toronto from 1998 to 2000, but Volleyball Canada hopes to get it settled in Montreal, where Sharp said support is keener from the municipal and provincial governments.

The Quebec government put up $200,000 Cdn for the event, which has $400,000 US in prize money.

An attraction for the players is access to the same locker-room and lounge areas as the Rogers Cup tennis players.

"A lot of the other tournaments are in beautiful locations on beaches, but they are temporary stadiums," said Sharp. "As long as you can create that beach atmosphere.

"I find it's a more professional atmosphere here. The athletes really like it. They have air-conditioned rooms they can relax in. It's more like the facilities at the Olympics."

Volleyball Canada has a three year contract to play at Uniprix Stadium, with the 2007 and 2008 events counting toward qualification of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The top 24 men's and women's teams, with a maximum of two per country, qualify for the Games.

About 250 athletes from 32 countries will compete.

Aside from the competitions, players will also hold clinics to teach basics of the game to youngsters.

And Martin feels the sport will sell itself once fans come out to see it live.

"People who watch it are really impressed," she said. "It's not just about the bathing suits.

"It's a tough sport to jump in the sand and get the ball. I hope it can become a big sport like tennis or some other sports."

Source: Canadian Press

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