Whether it's spanking the ball “Wilson,” clapping encouragement for one another or, in this case, swatting at dive-bombing mosquitoes, Capital region beach volleyball is as much about the slap as it is the sand.
In
Meridian Township's Tuesday Night co-ed volleyball league, the Volleyballers barely dispatched the Sanddiggers when Sarah Kufta lay a verbal smack on teammate Jason Morden, referring to him as “lefty love tap.”
The jab is followed later by a Jason Morden, a bartender who, along with landscaper Jeff Porter, comprises the Volleyballers' male quotient. Fourth team member Cindy Wikstrom stays clear of the banter, which is a byproduct of a life-long friendship beyond the sport.
While such joshing would also be common among buddies simply out for a good time, the Volleyballers are all business on the court. The team finished runners-up the past two seasons and has been league members for eight years.
“I just love volleyball in general,” says Kufta, 29, an administrative assistant and a former Haslett High School spiker. “It's a lifestyle.”
And it’s a lifestyle that appeals to everyone—from students to bartenders, municipal employees to executives.
Spike CircuitThe aptly named "Volleyaballers" squad is one of 18 four- and five-person teams on the Meridian Township circuit, which plays Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights in Nancy Moore Park.
The Volleyballers crew is also part of the larger Capital region’s robust beach volleyball community, which includes a 45-team league in
Mason and frequent Michigan Amateur and Recreation Association-sponsored tournaments in Lansing's Marshall Park.
Grains of sand and gritty competition forge friendship and kinship, says Mike Devlin, Meridian Township Parks and Recreation specialist.
“You are there with your friends,” Devlin says. “ You are competing with other people and you kind of see the same people over and over every year.”
The recreation specialist re-assumed oversight of the township's sand volleyball program this summer with the goal of returning it to its previous luster when 30 teams competed. A quick look south suggests growth potential is there.
In Mason, people play beach volleyball five nights a week, April to September, in sand pits outside
City Limits Bowling Center.
The five different proprietor-run, co-ed league range from highly vigorous contested, four-sided affairs to more recreational six vs. six pursuits.
Due to popularity, the center split the sand circuit into two seasons. The first session ran from late April to mid-July and featured 50 teams, says City Limits' general manager, Matt McCormick. The second term, which consists of 45 teams, concludes in September.
“We don't do a lot of advertising really,” says McCormick, whose facility also sports a bar and grill where players socialize afterwards. “We get a lot of the same teams every year. They have a good time, so they tell their friends and we do all right.”
The EnthusiastsSome players play in more than one league at the Mason establishment, which is not uncommon among enthusiasts.
Pete Dumond, 37, is one of those who could easily dink and dig from dusk to dawn.
The Holt resident is patriarch of the Next Generation squad in the Meridian Township Tuesday night league and also takes part in Michigan Amateur and Recreation Volleyball Association tourneys in Marshall Park.
Dumond's two daughters, Alexis, 19, and Marisa, 14, join him on The Next Generation side. Alexis' boyfriend, James Williams, also plays on the team.
Alexis, a
Michigan State University (MSU) student, played for
Haslett High School; her younger sibling is a member of a Lansing Area Volleyball Association-sponsored team.
“The only thing about having kids there is sometimes they are a little distracted,” says Dumond, general manager of Lansing-based
Commercial Blueprint Inc. “I try to make it more fun than it is about being too serious.
“My kids play in all kind of volleyball leagues, so they have enough serious leagues to worry about. We go out there and have a good time and, if they mess up, I try to be positive and just swallow any negative comment I may have.”
During a recent Tuesday, the father barely had time to swallow air.
The most skilled of beach volleyball acolytes play on two-member teams, which requires each player to cover more ground.
Undaunted by the challenge, dad took charge. On one play, Dumond adroitly dove to his right and used the back of his hand to return the volley, which fell between two opposing players.
With Alexis out with a non-volleyball related head wound, the elder Dumond led the
charge as Next Generation won both contests that night despite having three players.
Hitting the SandUnlike the indoor game's hardwood gym floor, the beach variety offers a more forgiving platform. “It's softer to land,” the Volleyballers' Cindy Wikstrom says.
The outdoor game adds a few wrinkles—namely wind, if not the odd raindrop—to the version inside.
In the case of tree-encased Nancy Moore Park, mosquitoes the hurdle. Team members are encouraged to bring bug repellent.
“The mosquitoes get a little wicked once in awhile,” Devlin says.
Wikstrom, 32, is the
Michigan Association of Medical Examiners executive director and evads ravenous insects without chemicals.
“I just keep moving,” she says.
Shifting sand beneath bare feet also makes jumping and maneuvering difficult, says Megan Greenberg, 18, who plays on the Farmers Tan team in the Tuesday league.
Shoelessness also wreaks havoc on feet.
“They get dirty,” Greenberg says. “I like shoes.”
The MSU child development major is joined by sister Lindsay, 16, who will be a junior at
Okemos High this fall. The Farmers Tan outfit also includes dentist Andy Schoonover, teacher Chrissy Schnoonover, Ethan Fahy and Keith Miller.
Lindsay played on the school's JV team and is using the summer sand session to stay sharp.
The Tuesday night league competition is “pretty intense sometimes,” Lindsay says.
“People don't like to lose,” observes Greenberg.
To receive Capital Gains free every week, click here.
Larry O'Connor is a mid-Michigan freelance writer who is too short to spike, too wide to dig and too clumsy to dink, but who otherwise would make a fine volleyballer.
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.
Photos:
Beach volleyball action from Meridian Township's Nancy Moore Park including a shot of the Sanddiggers team
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie