Va. Beach fields 2 women's squads in Va. Senior Games

By John Streit

Correspondent

When it came to recruiting players for their senior women's volleyball team, Cheryl Smith and Sam Meinecke ran into an unexpected road block.

"The hardest part was going up to someone and asking if they were 50," Meinecke said with a laugh. "You weren't sure. You were like, 'Ah, are they 50?'"

"That was, because you didn't want to insult anybody," Smith added. "You didn't want to hear, 'What do you mean, I'm only 40.'"

Comprising mostly Virginia Beach women who play recreational volleyball, the "Beach Biddies" formed in 2004 to take a crack at the Virginia Senior Games. They qualified for the 2005 National Senior Games by placing third at the state level and haven't looked back.

The 50- to 54-year-old Biddies and their 55-and-up "Beach Biddies, Too" squads are set for their latest challenge on Saturday. They will compete in the Virginia Senior Games as part of the two-weekend, multi-sport, state-level championships for athletes 50 and older.

The Biddies' contests, which are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. at Bayside Recreation Center, will determine the qualifying teams for the 2009 National Senior Games in San Francisco.

The teams already have earned a bronze medal at the state level and they picked up gold in 2006 and 2007.

Their performances on the national level have seen a steady rise since the original team placed 16th in Philadelphia in 2005. Two years later at the next national games in Louisville, Ky., the Beach Biddies took ninth while the Beach Biddies, Too just missed fourth place.

Meinecke and Smith said this year's teams are hungry for podium spots.

"Most of us were athletes in school, and that competitiveness never dies," Smith said. "When you're competitive, you're competitive."

Meinecke added: "It never goes away, that urge to win."

Most of the biddies are friends, teammates or acquaintances through recreational volleyball outlets like Lynnhaven's Tidewater Volleyball Association or Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation.

"It was Jeannie Brobst who first took the initiative to start the team," Meinecke said. "Then, we got enough to play, and it's just grown from there."

While the original 2004 team mates are still members, some have "graduated" to the Biddies, Too team. That left Smith and Meinecke with the task of recruiting players for this year's Beach Biddies squad.

But in light of the teams' success, the process was a little less awkward this time around.

"Once word got out that we were doing well, people were like, 'I want to do this,'" Meinecke said. "That's been kind of cool."

The Virginia Senior Games are far from a volleyball-only event. More than 1,000 athletes from across Virginia will converge on the Beach for the fifth consecutive year, filling out more than 70 events from Thursday through May 11, before picking up again May 16 to 18.

Individual contests are scattered across the city at recreation centers, public areas and high schools. All of the games' events serve as qualifiers for the 2009 National Senior Games.

Event director Janis Sweeney, of Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation, said the planning goes smoothly despite the large number of events and locations.

"Every place we've been holding events at for five years has graciously wanted to stay involved," Sweeney said.

This will be last year for Virginia Beach's hosting cycle, though. The games will move to a new location next year. Sweeney said that location has not yet been determined.

As of press time, Sweeney said that volunteers are still needed to help with the event. Interested individuals are asked to contact Anne Marie Studds at Bayside Rec Center at 460-7540.

John Streit, 639-4805 or vb.beacon sports@yahoo.com