Sun, Sand, and Spacelocker
Posted: Saturday, July 18, 2009
by Gabriela Schmid
Spacelocker
Summer's here, the heat's on, and nowhere is the heat on more than at the beach. And with beach volleyball an official Olympic sport, even the beach gets hotter.
In Vancouver, the 2010 Olympics are less than a year away, and beach volleyball athletes are heading to the beaches in droves to hone their best moves. Doesn't seem to matter that Vancouver hosts the Winter Olympics, it's beach volleyball season, and what else matters?
Europe began to show some interest in the 1930s, and interest continued to grow there and in the US through the '40s. The Manhattan Beach Open tournament (now considered to be the Wimbledon of Beach Volleyball) was first held in 1960. In 1996, the sport was recognized as an official Olympic event.
In the US, professional Beach Volleyball is governed by the AVP. Players in both the men's and women's teams receive equal prize money. women's beach volleyball, however, appears to be vastly more popular, and for good reason.
In 1994, the bikini became the official uniform of women's Olympic beach volleyball, blending female sexuality with athletics. Ticket sales took off too. And never forget the cheerleaders.
Dancers, sex appeal, and bikinis worn by women cheerleaders and players rivaled athletic ability to make beach volleyball the fifth largest television audience of all the sports at the Olympic Games held in Australia in 2000.
Volleyball's come a long way from the days when teenagers storied their crusty gym socks and shorts at the bottom of high school lockers. At the same time Spacelocker keeps the spirit as alive as it was in the teen years. Spacelocker remains a place for fun, friends, and funky times with SpaceMates.
Spacelocker: The Happiest Space On Earth
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