He summerfor most, means beach, sun and heat. The rush and moments of stress in the office give way to the Bermudalas loungersthe glasses snorkel and in many cases… the ‘Pachangas‘ of beach volleyball. It is common to see the Nova Icaria, in Barcelona, full of yellow nets in which dozens of people of all levels share a good time hitting the ball. Beyond amateur sport, which brings together millions of fans of a higher or lower level, on a professional level, with the heat the reference catalan circuit of the summer season: the Vichy Catalan Volleyball Tour.
It’s been a couple of weeks since the couples have begun to duel in this championship that will last until August 27. It is the indicator that the summer season is here. But beach volleyball is much more than a summer sport. In it Eurofitness Hebron Valley there is currently 10 fixed beach volleyball courts all year round and coaches from the Catalan Volleyball Federation (FCV) who teach and train groups by levels as well as clubs that train regularly.
post-pandemic demand
“The post-pandemic has made many people want to practice sports outdoors and beach volleyball is absorbing much of that demand,” says Maribel Zamora, president of the Catalan Volleyball Federation, during the presentation of the summer championship. Beyond the 1,500 athletes who will compete in the professional tournament, Beach volleyball is a sport that is usually relegated to the hot months in the popular imagination. “Beach volleyball in Catalonia has not only been a summer sport for a long time,” remarks the president of the Federation. More and more fans are training and more and more sports facilities are adapting spaces for their practice throughout the year.
Beyond the most professional competition, there are countless amateur tournaments of this sport that come to gather real crowds. Without going any further, last weekend the circuit Voleiboom by Turiauto Jeep brought together more than 400 players, divided into 4×4 and 2×2 categories, both in the senior and minor categories in Castelldefels. In these minor encounters professionalization, the rules are usually adapted to make the game more accessible to all levels, as well as teams of four or mixed people are allowed. In the professionals, on the other hand, the official rules are respected and they are developed in a 2×2 female and male format. It is the case of Vichy Catalan Volleyball Tour.
Pioneering Catalonia
“The Catalan circuit is a reference at the state level because there is a lot of volleyball tradition here. Catalonia is one of the areas where this sport was developed before in Spain and it shows in tradition and in commitment of athletes”, he assures. “Both beach volleyball and track volleyball are two of the most most practiced in the world. We are not a minority sport, perhaps we are a sport that has not received much media attention and we are working on this”, reasons the president. For this reason, during the eight official meetings of the ‘tour’, there will also be tests on the circuit for minors and the Gingham Morethe ‘amateur’ circuit that will allow non-professional athletes to measure themselves against other couples.
“We understand that at an ‘amateur’ level, to enjoy and have a good time, this sport is more popular in the summer, but for people interested in learning to play and practice this sport all year round there are many options,” says Zamora. The FCV encourages beach volleyball school on the slopes of Vall d’Hebrón all year round.
Related news
This is the case of the winter league, which is played between november and april and has parties every month. In summer, on the other hand, the Vichy Catalan Volleyball Tour it has the most condensed encounters in time. After the first day of the circuit that took place on the weekend of May 13 and 14 in Mataró, the only venue for Maresme, next weekend the second meeting will take place in Vilanova i la Geltrú on June 10 and 11. The rest of the tests will be held in Torredembarra, on June 17 and 18; Tarragona on July 1 and 2; Cunit on July 8 and 9 and Cambrils on July 29 and 30. After Empuriabrava, which will take place on August 19 and 20, Badalona will host the grand finale of the circuit on August 26 and 27.
All the finals of the tournament, in which a total of 12,000 euros in prizes will be at stake, will be broadcast on the ‘Esport 3’ channel and the other matches can be seen on streaming in the web. “It is a completely professionalized sport, and hence the high figures in prizes that are distributed,” explains Zamora.
2023-06-04 06:00:49
#Beach #volleyball #summer #sport
