Word: beaching
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Although it is called volleyball, there are some signal differences between the seaside sport and the amateur game played in schools and in the Olympics. Regular volleyball employs six players a side on a hard-surface court, while beach teams consist of only two usually bare-foot acrobats who charge through the sand to get to the ball, giving the game the flavor of balletic misdemeanor. The ball used on the beach is somewhat heavier than the indoor one, mainly to counteract the effects of sea breezes. The object of both games is to make the ball hit the floor...
...Beach-volleyball stars themselves were the ones who pulled their sport up from the tide line. Back in the 1970s, tournaments, such as they were, could offer top players no more than a free pair of swim trunks, dinner in a local restaurant and perhaps a date with the winner of the accompanying bikini contest. But in 1983 a group of players who believed in the game's potential formed the Association of Volleyball Professionals to fight for bigger purses and better promotions. The group, which numbers 250 members, went on strike during the 1984 World Championships in California...
...have suitable facilities. Between them, ESPN and Prime Ticket, cable sports networks, air 25 tournaments on the tour, and they reputedly pay the A.V.P. handsomely for the rights to do so. Armato thinks volleyball does well on the small screen because it features "a lot of action, the beach and a lot of tanned, great-looking people." Formerly a big hit only between San Diego and Sorrento Beach, north of Los Angeles, the tournaments are currently attracting crowds that average 25,000 at waterside sites in Atlantic City, Chicago and Cleveland. A.V.P. officials are thinking of charging admission next year...
...that six players made more than $100,000 in prizes last year. Smith, for instance, who is president of the A.V.P., leads the league in endorsements. He was awarded part of a beachwear company, owns a clothing store, published an autobiography and will soon be featured in a beach-volleyball video game. Says he: "Everyone is surprised at what's gone...
They certainly are. For one thing, women can't seem to watch enough beach volleyball. Players have become sex symbols who are regularly asked to autograph arms, legs and other parts of bikinied anatomies. "It's just outrageous how many girls go to these things," says Hanseth. "For some of the younger guys, it's like a sailor going into port." Male fans around the U.S. may soon have the chance to swoon over sweaty women. Thanks to the success of the A.V.P., some members of the fledgling Women's Beach Volleyball Association have asked attorney Armato to help them...