I am really an old, almost fat, beach volley player

Luca Bolognese - Aug 2004

I used to play a lot, back in Italy. We would come out from work, go to the beach, play two or three hours, swim a bit and then go out for the night. This would happen about every day. We took it awfully seriously. We would go to the Italian national championships and all. It was quite a big deal.

Seattle, on the other hand, is not too conductive to beach volley. Not too many real beaches and all of them quite far (commute wise) from where I live. So I don’t play anymore, but I still like the game. One weekend or two each year, my wife and I go down to Los Angeles to watch AVP tournaments. And man, it is a lot of fun!!

And, by the way, beach volley has a lot going for it. For the players it is a low impact sport (the sand is soft). Plus you play the ball a lot, much more than in normal volleyball (or even soccer). Your are always in to the game, no place for hiding. It happens under the sun, so you don’t get all the nasty problem of not warming up correctly. And the environment oh man!! You are on the beach, not in some crazy smelling gym somewhere. All in all, you got to love it.

Anyway, down memory lane