The warm sand and sun is where some students have chosen to spend their afternoons slamming volleyballs over the net.
EC has been know to offer multiple volleyball courses, one in the gymnasium and the other in the sand.
Many students have opted to take beach volleyball for physical education credit. Students report that instructors John Featherstone and Bruce Fitzpatrick are passionate about beach volleyball and are quick to pass on knowledge to the beginner or the more experienced player.
“Beach volleyball is an awesome sport to play,” Richie Bautista, P.E. major, 31, said. “You have good people here with all different skill levels. It’s a competitive sport, but not a violent sport to play. I have made some of my best friends out here playing volleyball.”
Volleyball is a sport that uses agility, quickness and intelligence. It is necessary to learn the fundamentals of volleyball if you are going to improve. The three main concepts are passing, setting and hitting.
“I compete in California Beach Volleyball Association tournaments, so I play at an advanced skill level,” Bautista said. “I still learn from coach Featherstone. He’s out here playing with us every time. You can see how much he loves the sport. I mean how couldn’t you; the wind, the sand, it’s like we have our own community out here.”
One will notice that it is much harder to move around in beach volleyball than it is in volleyball that is played in a gymnasium.
A beach volleyball player will sink in the sand; it’s harder to jump in the sand compared to the gymnasium.
“I think that this beach volleyball class is a kickback course to get away from the typical course one would associate with college,” David Regula, 19, psychology major, said. “We even have students who aren’t in the class and who want to come and play. I played competitive volleyball in high school and wanted to keep playing.”
“I would say it’s one of the best physical education classes available on campus,” Bautista said. “I can’t wait to come out here, take my shirt off and play some ball. I even come out here when we don’t have class. It’s a great sport and we are lucky to have it available as a physical education course.”
“I recommend this class to other students,” Regula said. “The beach is better to play volleyball on than a court. You don’t have to look for a court to play on to have a game; you can just play on the beach.”
Many students in the class have seen that beach volleyball works your muscles in different ways than hitting the gym, especially Bautista.
“I used to be a competitive body builder who competed in contests on Venice Beach,” Bautista said. “I weighed close to two-hundred pounds. Playing on the beach has helped me lose thirty-five pounds. Out here on the beach you want to be fast, agile and quick. The kind of muscles that I had built for body building would slow me down in the sand.”
The beach volleyball courts are located north of the North Gym and east of the track. There is a steady enrollment in this alternative course.
“I hope that this class is here to stay,” Bautista said. “I know that there are many students enrolled in the class. It is one of the courses that really has a place on this campus.”
Beach volleyball can be taken for physical education credit. This semester, there were two different classes available, one Monday and Wednesday and the other Tuesday and Thursday. The course will also be offered during the fall semester.
“A lot of people like this class,” Regula said. “This is my second semester taking this same class. “I don’t take this class for the credits; I take this class for the love of beach volleyball.”