A Set Above the Rest...

Over the years, my beach volleyball team transformed dramatically from drabo to fabo.

Year One...circa 2007. We had about 20 people. All girls. Pink t-shirts. Very little skill. 

Year One... three-fourths of the way through the season.... our friend Bill was running by the courts during a particularly horrible game... shirtless (yes, that detail IS important)... my friend Cristy literally grabbed him off the running path (mid-run) and forced him to help the unhelpable. 

Don't get too excited. We didn't win that game. We didn't win any games. But all is not lost. We did learn that Bill has volleyball skills.  And friends.

The next year, with the help of Bill and a few other guy friends (and of course our own mad skills) we were able to not only win a few games... but win most of the games.

And so Team Sandy Balls was formed. 

We've progressed past just beach volleyball... and trained throughout the winter. Keeping our name - which really doesn't make a lot of sense, and may be slightly inappropriate when you're in an elementary school gym. 

Now our shining summer has arrived... and we've come to the realization that it may be time to step up from recreation and enter the league of intermediate volleyball. What gave us this idea, you ask?!

Well, it may have something to do with us playing maybe the worst team in the league tonight and, thus, forcing our egos to increase 120 percent. Or the fact that we haven't lost a set. Or our secret longing to get professional uniforms and wear spandex. So many factors. Considerations.

So watch out...Sandy Balls is stepping it up... stepping it up for a little more sweat and a lot more spandex. 

Keep it sandy, Chicago.