Previous Story
Pros show how it’s done
|
Posted on Feb 24 2006
A crowd of local players and international spectators journeyed to the Pacific Islands Club yesterday to catch a glimpse of some of the world’s best beach volleyball players hit the San Antonio sand for a pair of clinics under the sun for no loss of funds.
Phil Dalhausser, Paul Baxter, Taichi Morikawa, Tetsuo Yamamoto, Heidi Ilustre, Diane Pascua, Hatsumi Yui, and Emi Oguri were the top names from the AVP Pro Tour who lent a hand during yesterday’s free skills sections, but they were having as much fun as their amateur counterparts listening to the tunes and playing in the dunes.
Two by two, the players mixed with the next closest would-be teammate in an intense warm-up session that allowed a point to stay on the court. One mistake and it was back to the waiting line as returning players like Gabriel White took turns with the big names and their tournament partners.
Aside from generating goodwill and passing on tricks of the trade, the tour pros used the daytime sessions to get a feel for their competition, as they later dueled in a pair of exhibition matches.
After the clinic wrapped up, the American combo of Dalhausser-Baxter faced off against Japan’s Morikawa-Yamamoto in the men’s exhibition match, while Ilustre-Pascua of the Philippines played Yui-Oguri of Japan.
Neither of the matches was completed by press time, but a number of spectators gathered around to watch the kings and queens of the beach play full speed on the sand.
According to tournament coordinator and Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association president Jon Cramer, there will be between 75-100 participants of all skill levels ready to play hand-to-hand in the sand, thanks in part to the more than $16,000 in cash and prizes on the line.
All of the action continues this morning as the games get underway in the 14th edition of the beachside festival, and rolls into Sunday as well with the return of the horseshoe tournament.
The Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival is the biggest event of its kind in the region, and it costs nothing to watch the activities this weekend at the PIC.
