Sand soccer draws competitors from far and wide

The combination of sand, soccer and sun is enough to lure three dozen adults from Quebec to Virginia Beach, even if they do have to pile into three vans, drive 18 hours and pay $4 a gallon for gas.

Such is the lure of the North American Sand Soccer championships, where soccer and a party collide for a ball on the beach.

"I prefer to be competitive on the grass, but soccer is more fun in the sand," Charles Couture said. "You can jump anywhere and you won't be hurt."

Couture's team, "Nordique," and its female counterpart, "Les Quebecoises," are 2 of more than 900 teams set to compete in the 15th edition of the championships, which descend on the Oceanfront today and conclude Sunday. Eighteen city blocks will host the 9,200 players, who hail from Brazil, Germany, across the United States and, yes, Quebec, where gas at first sounds like a bargain.

"It's $1.43," said Anne Julie Bouchard, captain of Les Quebecoises.

Then again, that's $1.43 a liter. Figure 3-1/2 liters to a gallon, and suddenly the prices on Virginia Beach Boulevard seem almost reasonable.

Still, it's no deterrent for the Canadians, who worked Wednesday at their regular jobs before departing at 6 p.m. for the lengthy ride with only minimal time set for stops. The group of 18- to 23-year-olds plan to be back at work by Tuesday.

"Everybody's going to be a zombie," Couture confessed.

Both teams competed in the event in 2005 and had a blast, Bouchard said, and they vowed to return. Snow on the ground until early May hasn't made practicing easy. With a shortage of beaches, both teams have used a beach volleyball facility in Quebec to prepare for the weekend conditions.

"The last time, it was hard," Bouchard said. "It was really sunny outside and really hot. I'm an asthmatic, and it's hard on the feet without shoes. You don't really know which part of your foot to use."

That's part of the challenge for this "anything goes" five-on-five game played on grids 25 to 40 yards long. Unlike the "other" game, goals are plentiful. Brackets are seeded for all levels of play, from 8/9-year-old beginners to professional. Nearly everyone can play. Some teams are co-ed; others are college teams; many are corporate.

The best of the best will participate in the U.S. Open, which will feature the top 10 pro/am men's beach soccer teams competing over three days for cash prizes at 25th Street.

Longtime U.S. National team and MLS player Eddie Pope will be on hand throughout the weekend, including at today's kids clinic. The clinic for children 13 and under runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Oceanfront and 29th Street.

New this year: a "USA vs. the World" exhibition to be played at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the 25th Street Stadium. Twenty of the top American and 20 in- ternational players will show off their skills in a five-on-five format.

"You'll be able to see the sport at its highest level" in that game, said tournament director Dick Whalen.

As usual, several sidekick sports will be in the mix: wrestling, flag football, rugby and for the first time, beach lacrosse. Barefoot players will use conventional sticks and play in 30 x 40 fields. Given the wild popularity of wrestling, added three years ago, and lacrosse being such a hotbed sport in Hampton Roads, Whalen quipped: "There should be enough combat to satisfy any soul."

 Vicki L. Friedman, (757) 477-6874, VickiL120@cox.net