Okay, so today I tried something new – playing beach volleyball with Paula. I’ve never really played before, just messed around a bit on vacation, but Paula is pretty good, so I figured, why not?
First off, we got to the beach, and let me tell you, the sand was hot. Like, frying-an-egg hot. We quickly staked out a spot, dropped our towels and other stuff, and started to set up the net. That was the first challenge. It’s not super hard, but definitely easier with two people. We got the poles up, stretched the net across, and made sure it was tight enough. Not too shabby for a first try, I think.
Then came the actual playing. Paula gave me a quick rundown of the rules – basically, get the ball over the net and don’t let it touch the ground on your side. Easy peasy, right? Wrong. Turns out, moving in the sand is way harder than it looks. I felt like I was running in slow motion. I tried to dive a few times, but mostly ended up just face-planting into the sand. It was not pretty but funny.
Paula was super patient, though. She showed me how to bump, set, and even spike the ball (though my spikes were more like gentle taps). I watched her move, how she positioned herself, and tried to copy her, but my body just wouldn’t cooperate. We practiced a bit, just hitting the ball back and forth. I started to get the hang of it, a little. My arms were definitely feeling it, though. It’s a real workout!
We actually tried to play a game
We decided to try and play a real game, just us two. It was…well, it was a lot of chasing the ball and laughing. We weren’t exactly keeping score, but I think Paula won, like, 100 to 2. But hey, I scored two points! That’s something, right?
We played until we were both completely exhausted and covered in sand. We packed up the net, which was way easier than putting it up, and then cooled off in the water. It felt amazing after all that running around.
- Biggest takeaway: Beach volleyball is HARD.
- Funniest moment: Me, face-down in the sand, again.
- Would I do it again? Definitely. Maybe after a few more practice sessions, though.
All in all, it was a really fun day. I learned a new sport (sort of), got some exercise, and spent some quality time with a friend. Can’t beat that.
