Ready for the Beach!

I’ve been watching The Weather Channel a lot this week. The reason is that volleyball was moved outside.

Our first game of the spring season was on Tuesday night on the sand volleyball courts at The Tracks Tavern and Grille. The Tracks is a well established volleyball and sports bar located in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood. The place features three outdoor sand volleyball courts where 140 co-ed bar teams play weekly.

I’ve played at The Tracks for several years now and my current team has been playing together for exactly one year. After playing indoors all winter, my team, The Sasquatch Militia, is coming back as the reigning champions and we are looking to defend our title and, of course, have a ton of fun on the bar’s beach.

On Monday, The Weather Channel said that Tuesday would be flirting with the mid-60s all afternoon. But as the sun waned, so did the warm temperatures and my team and our opponents were forced to volley in an ice-cold sandbox.

By the time our game started at 8 p.m., the wind was roaring and the temperatures were plummeting. Most of us were bundled up in sweatshirts and knit caps, some even wore socks. The air wasn’t the problem though, it was the sand. The sand itself was damp and cold and after only a few minutes, it felt like I had submerged my feet into the freezing water of Lake Michigan in late December.

As the game progressed, our toes became more and more numb – my toenails even began to look like they belonged to Smirfette! Needless to say, it was pretty difficult moving around when our feet were as heavy as ice blocks. But in the end, The Militia endured and won the match 3-0. And the more we play outside, the better we will get, at least once we thaw out a bit more and are able to shake off the cobwebs that accumulated in our joints over our month hiatus.

I’m a firm believer that the beach game has helped improve my overall volleyball skills simply because sand volleyball is a lot harder than indoor. I played competitive indoor volleyball on a hard gym floor for eight years prior to joining The Tracks’ league. Since then, my overhand serves and my spikes have significantly improved. I’ve noticed that when I play outside, it’s a lot less about how high I can play, but more about how well I can see the other side of the net since there's obviously no roof blocking the blinding sun and wearing aviators simply won’t cut it.

We have another game tonight, so of course I’m checking the weather like I’m John Malan. As I peer out the window, I notice that it’s still sunny right now, but according to weather.com, tonight’s forecast is calling for rain, rain and more rain, right when we are supposed to hit the sand. Man, I thought playing on Tuesday night was rough. Now we will be cold AND sopping!

But, I’m really not too upset about the weather, mostly because part of the fun of playing outdoor volleyball is braving the elements. Trying to control a slippery ball is one thing, but playing in sweltering heat and blistering sunshine is another. I’m actually looking forward to the summer nights when I can hardly breathe due to exhaustion and when I might as well be playing in my swimsuit since I’ll be sweating profusely.

Think I’m crazy? Nah, I’m just used to it.

I play volleyball year-round and for four nights per week. As much as I like playing on humid summer nights, there’s just something about that first game of the spring season when I get to play on a sand court again, facing anything Mother Nature can throw at me – besides lightening, we don’t play if it’s storming outside, thank goodness!

If you’re interested in getting your own team together, Milwaukee and the surrounding areas offer many other volleyball leagues. Several places I recommend are: Badger Regional Volleyball, Milwaukee Recreation, Milwaukee Social Club, Olympic Lanes, Circle B Recreation, Libby Montana’s and Kelly’s Bleachers II. Most of these facilities offer A, B and C levels (A being the most competitive), so you don’t have to be a semi-pro to play on a team, especially because it’s purely recreational.

Besides withstanding Wisconsin’s ever-changing weather conditions, I don’t know what I like more: diving to dig a ball without busting a kneecap or squishing my toes into the smooth sand. Regardless, it seems that every time my team plays on the sand, we come off the court having enjoyed it.

If you ask any of us, or any volleyball player for that matter, “Would you rather play inside or outside in April,” I’m pretty sure everyone would say the latter, even if the cold spring nights are currently a little difficult to bear.

Comments

[Amanda]

Awesome! I love volleyball, but I only get to play pick-up games in the summertime. It's great that you get to play so often. I bet you're pretty good then. :) I'm not though. I can only lob it over -- me no good at the three hits thing. ha.

[Suzieq]

Ugh! I can't imagine playing in the rain. Or in the cold for that matter! You're a trooper!!!

Good luck tonight!

[wfbdoglover]

Memories! I use to play at Libby's when it was Kelly's.... now I am probably showing my age and with the knee ailment like you mentioned, I can no longer play.

Maybe some time we will come down to watch a game... sure sounds like a good time!

Not sure if you remember the days when they had the Volleyball tournaments at the lakefront. I even remember catching them on the TV when I lived in NY.

Fun times to look forward too!

[Karen]

Thanks for all of the well-wishing, ladies. Luckily, the weathermen were wrong and it didn't rain, not even a drop. It was still quite cold though, but I was smart and played in three layers of socks and three shirts.

WFB- I think I remember watching the USPV play along the shores of Lake Michigan back in the day. That would be really cool if we could get pros here again.

Also, volleyball down at The Tracks is highly entertaining. You should definitely check it out sometime. :)