Actually, everything was arranged: Almost 1000 spectators per day were expected at the Bavarian Beach Volleyball Championships, the organizers “Beach4U” and the Bavarian Volleyball Association (BVV) had developed a special program for this. In addition to the tournament, in which the best beach volleyball players in Bavaria were played on Saturday and Sunday, spectators were able to put their sporting skills to the test in so-called “Fun Areas” with the “Spike Ball” and “Shark Net”.
The problem: The entire weekend literally fell through, especially the finals on Sunday were overshadowed by 17 degrees and constant rain. “Some certainly didn’t know whether beach volleyball or water polo was being played here,” says Tobi Hohner about the empty grandstand on the day of the final and laughs. The 36-year-old from the organizing club “Beach4U” commented on the games on the center court of the central university sports center in the Olympic Park for the few dozen spectators next to the field.
The organizers have learned from the rain of recent years
Of course, he would have wished for more suitable weather for the finals, but together with BVV he has prepared for bad weather. “We know from the last few years that it often rains at this time. That’s why we organized the streaming,” says Hohner. All of the weekend’s games were streamed live on BVV’s YouTube channel, and almost 500 viewers a day watched the finals from home.
On the course, Amelie Busch and Samira Winkler from TV Dingolfing won the women’s event, in the final they prevailed against Lisa Gantner and Kristin Standhardinger from DJK München Ost with 21:18 and 21:17. “Of course we had high hopes after fourth place two years ago and second place last year,” said Winkler after the final. “But the fact that it worked out and that we actually won feels great.”
Kim Huber and Daniel Kirchner from Beach4U triumphed in the men’s category. In a high-class final game, the duo, who will be taking part in the German championships at Timmendorfer Strand next week, won 21:19 and 21:17 against Lennart Kroha and Tim Rosenow.
Soon more beach volleyball in Munich
“This weekend we wanted to get as many people as possible interested in beach volleyball in Munich,” says Hohner. The Bavarian championships also served as the last test for the planned “Munich Beach Days” this year. From next year, the Bavarian championships and tournaments with participants from all over Germany will be held over two weeks in Munich. The state capital should thus become the capital for beach volleyball – and the sport in Germany should continue to grow.
The Munich Beach Days are expected to be held from the beginning to the middle of August next year. “Maybe we’ll have better luck with the weather then,” says Hohner. If necessary, the competitions will certainly be streamed again.
