Bump, Set, Spike

This annoying frat-boy, you-can‘t-play-with-the-varsity mentality permeates the courts. Bungalows along the strand house USC and UCLA graduates with school banners flying from their deck tops; needless to say, when the frats hold tournaments, the games are very intense. Like wars.

Keeping Dicochea’s advice in mind, when I went back the next day I tried to find some players who might have a little less to prove. I went south of the pier and hooked up with a foursome who were just my speed. It was obvious from the first serve that they were screaming neophytes. As the game progressed, there was more sand in the air than action, a frenzy of arms and legs trying to bump, set and spike, sometimes all at once.

Afterward, we cooled off with some Evian plucked from Styrofoam containers, and the talk turned to volleyball. My tired, sweaty hosts were carryovers from a class of beginners who met regularly in the springtime. Having some anxiety about the art of challenging and the etiquette behind public-beach volleyball, I asked for some pointers. Artur Hugon, a young athletic kid, responded.

“I wouldn‘t challenge anybody right away,” he said. “The best way to get started is to get involved in a class. You’ll learn the basics and meet people that you can play with on the weekends. It‘s always good to come in a group.”

Being without a partner, I packed it in for the day. But my enthusiasm and interest were stoked, and I found out that the city of Hermosa Beach offers six-week, year-round, coed classes for a measly 38 bucks (with a $3 discount for Hermosa Beach residents). Steve Fillman, who teaches and runs the program, was recruiting me to join the class only five minutes after I met him.

“We have beginner and advancedintermediate classes where you learn proper technique,” he explained, while interrupting himself intermittently to coach his students. Fillman says that the class is a good social gathering of folks who compete at the same level. He started playing 23 years ago and stuck with the sport because of its kindness to his body.

All right, so maybe I haven’t persuaded you to go out there and pound the ball around. But there are other thoroughly enjoyable ways to be a part of the sport while taking in some sun and meeting new people. Pro tournaments abound during the summertime. The Sunkist AVP Manhattan Beach Open (August 25--27), called the Wimbledon of volleyball, is one of the three seminal events on the pro tour, where you just might get a glimpse of last year‘s prestigious Triple Crown winner, David Swatik. This tourney could well be the most widely broadcast of the year, and the crowds are tremendous.

The Hermosa Beach Open (June 8--11) also attracts a lot of big names. The Karch Kiraly Classic (July 7--9) in Santa Barbara promises to be a thriller, and Seal Beach hosts the Paul Mitchell U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball (August 18--20), presented by the Association of Volleyball Professionals, where amateurs can duel with the big boys.