U Sport indoor volleyball silver medalist Emma Boyd and her partner Katelyn Holway 4th place at the Volleyball B.C. Beach Provincials. The Adult 1 Star Beach Provincials took place July 31 at Spanish Banks Beach, in Vancouver.

Boyd, 19, is a 6' 2" blocker, and her partner Katelyn Holway, 22, is a 5'6" defender. They are both from Whitehorse.

The Subzero Alumni pair traded in their indoor court shoes for sand socks. Due to an ankle injury sustained in late May, Boyd was unable to commit to beach training. With only one practice and the Subzero Adult Beach Tournament in Carcross, under their belts, the team placed 2nd in Pool Play beating a more experienced team from the Lower Mainland (25-15) as well as Team Nunuvut (25-13), who were just finishing off their CSG training program.

The team’s performance was outstanding, especially considering the pair have never played in 30ºC weather before.

Keeping hydrated and reapplying sunscreen was the easy part. Heat exhaustion set in by late afternoon and the final two matches took a lot out of the team. Chemistry between partners is a big part of beach volleyball. This kept Boyd and Holway positive as the physical demands of the sport became more challenging as the day wore on.

The Boyd and Holway duo are already looking forward to next year’s out-of-territory competitions and foresee many years of competing in beach volleyball. Boyd was one of the youngest adult competitors; ages ranged from 19 - 55+.

Beach volleyball events like the Van Open and Beach Tour are certainly in next summer’s plans.

– Submitted by Anne Marie Peeters