At first, heading out to the beach to play volleyball seemed simple enough, but living in the burbs makes it a little tough. Just getting to the lake to play takes a good hour if the "bottle neck" is not choking and parking anywhere near the beach is a challenge or costly. You'd think finding a place to play is easy; there are tons of nets, but if you don't have your own, you have to rent a net and lines and pay for the court. And this is just to practice.
Tournaments are a little more complicated. Most professional beach volleyball tournaments have a team entry fee -- we are just talking two-person teams -- of $100 to get into the bracket. If the tournament is local, the entry fee is the bulk of the cost, but be sure you come with food, water, sunblock, extra clothes, a couple pairs of sunglasses with different lenses, a few volleyballs (the brand differs tour to tour), a towel or two, and a first aid kit. If the tournament is out of town, you need to make plans for transportation and hotel to be sure you can check into the tournament by 7am.
Tournaments and equipment alone put my season as a primarily local player at about $2,500. The other "costs" come down to gym memberships, personal trainers, whole foods and telling your family that you will be gone basically every Saturday for the entire season. Sometimes, your family may say you are choosing volleyball over them, but that usually is their way of saying they miss you.
Peace,
Sarah
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