10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 2017
CONTACT US
FOLLOW US
facebook.com/
DailyAstorianSports
Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
ghenley@dailyastorian.com
Sand, sunshine and spikes
THE 36TH ANNUAL SEASIDE BEACH VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT DELIVERS
Photos by Jeff Ter Har/For The Daily Astorian
The event is a major summer attraction for downtown Seaside.
By KAELIA NEAL
The Daily Astorian
EASIDE — The 36th annual Seaside
Beach Volleyball tournament was full
of sand, sunshine and spikes.
After two extremely close sets, Chelsea
Ching, Garrett Wilson, Kacey Losik and
Wyatt Harrison won the fi nal quads coed
open on Sunday, the last championship
game of the tournament.
“It was incredible,” Ching said of her
experience at the tournament. “You hang out
and have a good time.”
In the fi nal match, every player was
essential for the team win. Considering
this was their fi rst time playing together
as a team, it was impressive to see their
chemistry.
Wilson, Losik and Harrison fought hard
on the net as blocking and hitting machines.
Ching took care of the defense and was an
asset for picking up tips.
After back and forth rallies, Ching, Wil-
son, Losik and Harrison won set one 24-22
and set two 21-19.
The team travels with a crew from Santa
Cruz of about 35 people.
“It’s kind of a tradition,” said Ching , who
has been to the tournament three times.
“It was an epic year,” Wilson said. “We
had a really good group of people.”
S
What Wilson appreciates about the Sea-
side tournament is that “everyone that
comes here stays and watches.” He has
attended nine times, and said this year was
his favorite because of the rallies he had
during the matches.
The winners receive cash prizes, total-
ing a combined $76,000, according to Sea-
side Chamber of Commerce director Brian
Owen.
He said that this is an event that has
grown from what used to be about fi ve
courts to what are now 154.
“There’s nothing like it,” Owen said.
“For a small town having one of the world’s
largest beach volleyball tournaments is a
blessing.”
Owen said he was happy with the fl ow of
events, and the change that made it so youth
were guaranteed at least two days of play.
The event, which began Thursday, was
predicted to bring in more than a thousand
teams. If not playing volleyball, people
were lounging on their
chairs and couches or
dancing and cheering the
players on.
“We are highly
impressed that people
come here and just
love the experience,”
Owen said.
ABOVE: The amateur beach volleyball tournament is considered the largest
of its kind in the world. BELOW: Volleyball players hit the beach in Seaside
over the weekend. More photos online at DailyAstorian.com/sports
Gooooolf! Footgolf blends soccer and golf
Lewis and Clark
has fi rst course
on the coast
By KAELIA NEAL
The Daily Astorian
Kaelia Neal/The Daily Astorian
Lewis and Clark Golf and RV Park has the first footgolf course on the
Oregon Coast. The game mixes soccer and golf.
The Lewis and Clark Golf and
RV Park has opened the fi rst foot-
golf course on the Oregon C oast, one
of nine American FootGolf League
courses in Oregon.
“Everybody we tell about it is
excited about it,” said Richard Lee,
who owns the park.
A mix of soccer and golf, Lee said
footgolf is a very social sport. “We
have families where parents play golf
and kids play footgolf at the same
time,” he said.
A family traveling from Seattle
decided to try a game and liked it so
much that they played a second one
that evening. “They thought it was
fantastic,” Lee said.
The goal of the game is to kick a
soccer ball into a hole with the least
number of kicks — or strokes — pos-
sible. There are 18 footgolf holes on
a regulation golf course at the Lewis
and Clark Golf and RV Park.
The main differences between
footgolf and golf are that footgolf’s
holes are 21 inches in diameter, the
distances to the holes are shorter, and
there is no equipment that is needed
to be carried around besides the ball.
Footgolf is a game for people of
all skill levels “because it doesn’t
require any training,” Lee said. “Any-
one can kick a ball.”
There are two different sets of tees
at the Lewis and Clark course. One
set is for people comfortable with a
soccer ball. Those who are not regu-
lar soccer players can kick from tees
closer to the holes.
Lee said a good soccer player can
get through the course in about an
hour, whereas a group of people who
have not played much soccer will
take around two hours.
Footgolf teaches accuracy and
control of a soccer ball, Lee said. “I
think it’ll appeal to the people who
play soccer.”
It takes less time to play compared
to golf so the games will not overlap
that much, which makes the sports
compatible, Lee said.
Each game costs $15 for adults
and $12 for youth 12 and younger.
Players can play in pairs, in threes or
in fours.
Soccer balls are available for rent
for $3, but players can play with their
own ball.
Lee had extra room on his golf
course and wanted to provide another
venue of something to do for his RV
guests and for the community. He
saw footgolf in a golf magazine, and
it sparked his interest to try the new
sport.
“I think it’ll make a good fi t,” he
said.