TO SOME, beach volleyball is a pastime, a hobby. To others, it’s a game, sport, a career. Yet to others still, it’s a way of life, a lifestyle, a culture.
When people who share the same passion for sand, sun and volleyball get their act together to lay the foundation for the sport, it’s more than just a game, it’s called love of the game.
From the hearts of volleyball stars Bea Tan, Fille Cainglet- Cayetano, Dzi Gervacio, Gretchen Ho, Charo Soriano, and Alexa Micek, the Beach Volleyball Republic came to life.
They formed the BVR with a strong belief that Beach Volleyball can become a healthy lifestyle for millions of Filipinos connected by 1,001 islands. Their vision is for BVR to provide an avenue for athletes to train, develop their skills, build a community, and compete in high-level exhibition tournaments all over the country.
“We believe that our love for Beach Volleyball unites us and helps bring forth a strong community of athletes, working towards a shared dream, looking towards the same path of growth and development,” said Ho.
For Cayetano, the BVR will become a family bound by trust and true friendship. Tan said it’s the culture of belongingness and the nurturing of excellence.
Gervacio said she was deeply touched by the group’s sense of sacrifice, describing how her BVR stood beside here during her most recent ACL injury.
“The failures that we experienced as a player were in fact the greatest trophies that we have even gotten as a person. And we want others to have trophies of their own,” Soriano said.
And most of all, Micek believes that beach volleyball is one of the fastest growing sports in the world that’s needed to be nurtured. BVR is a showcase of the Filipinas’ beauty and brawn under the sun.
“The combination of these elements will only continue to captivate the athletes and spectators of the world. Considering the enthusiasm and zeal of the volleyball community in the Philippines as well as the vast amount of pristine beaches, this country is the perfect place to become the beach volleyball hotbed of Asia,” added Micek.
At the moment, the BVR’s most effective tool to realize their vision, is the ongoing Beach Volley Tour, and currently, the best showcase the tour can have are the founders themselves.
They do the planning, talk to sponsors, organize and lead the events and play at the sandcourt against players from collegiate teams and foreign clubs.
Provincial tours
Eight legs are mapped for this year. The 1st leg took place in Ilocos Sur last January, in partnership with Sun Soaked Festival 2016.
The second leg was held in La Union on Valentine’s Day, then in Anguib Beach, Sta. Ana, Cagayan Valley in the same month.
In partnership with Cagayan Economic Zone Authority and Cagayan Adventure and Leisure, the leg coincided with other international events at Anguib Beach – Kite & Windsurf 2016.
From the northern tip of Luzon, they flew to the beautiful island of Lakawon, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental for the Lakawon Beachfest 2016. And the most recent leg was held at the Global Clark in Pampanga.
The venue was the world-class The Villages International Sports Complex, which is being developed to become one of Southeast Asia’s sporting destination. Aside from newly built beach volley sandlot, the Villages boasts of a huge field that can be used for outdoor sports like football, rugby, Frisbee and the like.
Aside from the BVR mainstays, collegiate players from UP and UST, Air Force clubs and the Hawaiian pair of Tatiana Sablan and Canadian Chloe Reimer saw action.
After the Clark leg, three more will be held at Pearl of The Pacific, Boracay Island, Aklan, on April 26 and 27, Siquijor Island on May 21 and 22, and the final leg at the — BVR On Tour Finals—at Sands, SM MOA By The Bay on May 25-28.
At the MOA finals, 16 teams comprised of the leg champions and other invited topnotch teams will battle it out for trophies and cash prizes courtesy of sponsors led by PLDT Home Ultera C500 Juice Drink as well as supporters ARG Lumiere, New Era, Delimondo, Royce Hotel and Casino, Midori Hotel-Casino and Foton Motors Philippines.
Milestone
From a small beginning last year, the young league set another milestone when it forged a TV partnership with one of the biggest networks in the country, ABS-CBN, to cover its games, beginning with the Boracay leg slated April 27 and 28.
Soriano said the TV coverage is one of the rewarding segments of their hard work.
“This is a humbling experience for us,” Soriano said when they signed the contract with the network. “We love the sport, we share the same passion. I didn’t think this will happen so quickly.”
ABS-CBN Integrated Sports head Dino Laurena said beach volleyball may not be considered as a major sporting event right now, but it attracts the same interest as say, indoor volleyball and basketball.
“Fans deserve to witness how beach volley is played by our best players in the country. That’s why we’re bringing it to them through our sports channel,”