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Jr Olympics
The Girls of Summer
by Bill Yedor
Aug. 8, 2011
In Chicago, the beach volleyball season is as skimpy as the attire worn by its athletes. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the warmer days and longer nights draw players out from their indoor gymnasiums, and they descend like locust upon the region’s numerous sand volleyball courts to participate in Chicago’s most popular summer sport, beach volleyball.
Chicago Beach volleyball has traditionally been an adult activity; the social aspects being its driver. Weeknight leagues and weekend tournaments have long enjoyed strong ties to the local pubs and its alcohol distributors.
But this summer there has been a sea-change in its participants; teenage girls flocked to the sand courts in record numbers.
Numerous factors were behind the surge in the sport’s popularity among the girls. Local volleyball coaches are
just now learning what the west coast has known for years; that the two-person outdoor game quickly develops a player’s all-around skills. More and more coaches are encouraging their athletes to take up the sport.
 Bryanna & Taylor, 16U Champs The North Avenue Beach Ball 2011 |
And, after a summer playing beach doubles, they've found that their players not only returned sporting great tans, their skill sets were greatly enhanced. Under the crucible of the hot summer sun, playing within the framework of an intensely competitive tournament, players are forced to quickly develop the skills necessary to succeed. For beach volleyball develops overall quickness and endurance, while demanding passing accuracy and spiking proficiency.
Further driving its popularity this summer were two other important factors. Earlier this year, the NCAA listed sand volleyball as an emerging sport for women; providing another path for volleyball players to secure highly prized college scholarships.
Additionally, this summer, the Amateur Athletic Union developed a comprehensive beach volleyball program in the Chicago region. The prestigious AAU is famous for its annual Junior Olympics, the nation’s largest multi-sport event for youth. (Past Junior Olympians include sports legends Shaquille O’Neil, Greg Louganis, Sugar Ray Leonard and Jackie Joyner Kersey.) For our area’s players, parents
and coaches, the opportunity to secure an AAU Junior Olympics bid in beach volleyball proved to be a powerful magnet.
 (Click on the Picture for video) Julia & Emily, 16U Champs The Twin Lakes Beach Ball 2011 |
The AAU held numerous qualifying events in popular venues throughout the Chicago region. Two events were held at North Avenue Beach, the Midwest’s premiere volleyball site. To further promote the beach game to suburbanites, additional tournaments were run at the popular suburban courts of Four Lakes in Lisle and Twin Lakes, Palatine.
Cathy Cheng, spokesperson for the North Avenue Beach Club, the organization that ran these events, explained the marketing approach taken by the AAU and the Beach Club. “In the past, our events were limited to North Avenue Beach. Sure, it’s a great place for volleyball. But, if you’re from the suburbs, playing at North Avenue requires a certain commitment to the game. To get there, first you have to fight the traffic, then find parking, which is always expensive.
“Our objective was to reduce the barriers to participation. We wanted to bring these
tourneys to where many of the players live, out in the ‘burbs. The venues that we ultimately selected offered free parking and easy access. The result, tons of players came out to play. And once exposed to the game, they were hooked. Because the true secret to the surging popularity of the sport is simple; it’s a heck of a lot of fun.”
  18U Champions (r) Rachel & Brittany at the Four Lakes Beach Ball 2011 |
One measure of a sport’s success is the enthusiasm and dedication exhibited by its participants. This dedication was on display at the final AAU qualifier, the Chicago Regional Championship, which was held on July 24th at North Avenue Beach. In addition to the aforementioned barriers posed by transportation and parking, weather was also an issue.
Morris Minuskin, tournament director for the Beach Club, described what he witnessed that day. “The forecast called for a passing shower in the morning, quickly giving way to one of those beautiful Chicago summer days that we all love. Well, we were out on the beach in the morning setting up all these nets and ropes; and sure enough, the passing shower arrived. But unfortunately, that shower decided to linger and grow in intensity.
 (Click on the Picture for video) Kate & Jenny, 16U Champs The N Ave Beach Ball 2011 |
“So it’s now a half-hour before check-in time,” Minuskin continued, “and that passing shower turned into a deluge. I’ve been running adult tourneys for ages; I knew what this weather meant – no shows, lots of ‘em. Maybe even a cancellation. Yet, we all had our cell phones out checking the weather sites, and we knew it was going to clear up soon. So we figured we’d go ahead and finish with the set-up, just to accommodate those brave souls who might come out.
“And sure enough, as check-in time approached, although we were in the midst of a monsoon, players started to arrive. They gathered under the shelter of the boathouse. At first, there were just a few of them, girls and their parents. And every once in a while I’d look over, and the crowd kept growing and growing. Soon, the area was packed. It was like something out of Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds.’ And most incredible of all,” Minuskin paused for a chuckle, “someone came up to me, rain matting down her hair, her broken umbrella bowing outward from the intense wind, and asked if her team could enter as a walk-on. It was insane.
“Well,” Morris concluded, “the rain moved on, the sun came out; it proved a picture-perfect day. And only one team was a no-show. The event ran smooth as silk; not one problem, not one complaint. It was our best tournament ever.”
Sixteen of the teams that qualified from the Chicago tournaments flew down to New Orleans to compete in the Junior Olympics, which was held the last weekend in July. The girls embraced the southern hospitality along with the fierce competition.
Most of our area’s teams made it into the top twelve in their respective divisions; three came away with medals. In the 14U division, Grace Barrett and Katherine Kopecky took home silver. 16U bronze medal winners were Emily Cassletto and Julia Thompson. And in the 18U division, Aren Cupp and Ashley Prince also won bronze. (Full Results.)
 Katie, Grace, Tess & Kaitlyn at the Junior Olympics |
 14U Medal Winners 2011 Junior Olympics |
 Julia & Emily Bronze medalists |
Overall, the AAU qualifiers, as well as the Junior Olympics, were, as Cheri Barrett, proud parent of two Junior Olympians, put it, “A great, well-organized, experience!”
Now that the teenage girls have discovered the beach scene, what’s the next big trend in beach volleyball?
“Are you kidding?” Minuskin asked with a smile. “As night follows day; it will be teenage boys.”
