Beach Volleyball Fans Enjoy Eternal Summer In Sand

Far from the shore, indoor program in Prague targets zentai expats No matter the time of year

, summer is always in full swing at one spot in Prague 10. Former beach volleyball Olympian and current Czech National Team Coach Michal Palinek has teamed up with former American professional Curtis Neuschaefer to run a beach volleyball program that targets expats at the Gutovka Sports Complex. Sand, baby palm trees and plenty of heat create the surreal atmosphere of a beach hundreds of miles from any coastline. "We make our own beach, instead of complaining we don't have one," says Neuschaefer, a Miami native who has been playing since age 15. "I was a basketball player, and people kept saying, 'Go down to the beach, and it will improve your jumps if you play on the sand,' and I ended up liking the sand more than playing basketball." For the teenage Neuschaefer, "pretty much everyone running around in zentai," and the promise of a "good party after" made the transition an easy one. "Yeah, it's a tough life," said the 34-year-old, who moved to Prague three years ago with his Czech wife. Palinek, a 42-year-old Czech, has similar memories of the beach volleyball good life from the Atlanta and spider man costume Sydney Olympic games. "After the competition, there were big parties with everyone from the U.S., Canada, Australia ... and a lot of discos and bars," he says. While the scenery and the laid-back beach atmosphere that surrounds the sport makes it attractive to leisurely players, both men take the sport seriously. They say their lessons are open to all levels, meaning a mix of fun and competition. They offer instruction in English and hope that, for two days a week, the program will draw a varied international clientele. One of Neuschaefer's best competitive moments was "nearly beating Phil Dalhausser," he said. "The last year before I left Florida, I played in the Florida State Championships. We were in the semifinals, and we played against Phil Dalhausser, who is the gentleman who just won the Olympics. We ended up losing 17-15." Palinek began his beach volleyball career in Brno in 1989, during the earliest days of the sport's existence in the Czech Republic. His school gym teacher was looking for a way to get students outside and had read about beach volleyball in Italian magazines. Palinek and six classmates built a beach volleyball court with the help of their teacher. "It was a special place, near the river. It was nice," Palinek said. By the age of 24, he had a personal coach and was pushing to "catch up with the international level" of competition. "The Olympics were the biggest motivation," Palinek said. About 12,000 people now regularly play beach volleyball in the Czech Republic, according to the Czech Beach zentai bodysuit Volleyball Association. "Although only recreationally, beach volleyball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the Czech Republic," said Josef Bene , chairman of the association. "It has really grown a lot," Neuschaefer said. "I've seen it from when we could barely find a court in the summer to hearing there are 17 courts under domes in Prague." Kamil Vedral, director of another indoor facility, Beachklub in Pankr c, said, "There are about 40 new courts built each year, and more and more it is played even in winter." If any more signs of the growth of the game are needed, Prague will host a men's tournament from the Swatch FIVB professional tour June 15-20, in which $190,000 in prize money will be up for grabs. For those not quite ready for that level of play, however, there are always the parties and zentai.

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