"Sudbury" and "beach volleyball" may not yet be synonymous, but that hasn't prevented a number of very dedicated athletes from trying to put northern Ontario on the map.

With the OVA (Ontario Volleyball Association) beach tour making a stop in the Nickel City for a second consecutive year on July 21 and 22, the Kabuum Beach Volleyball Camp provided a wonderful warm-up for many who expect to take part.

While Ryley Adams no longer calls Sudbury home, the 14-year-old Barrie resident may well hold the distinction of the longest-running attendee at Kabuum Beach, according to organizers and coaches Dale Beausoleil and Michael Margarit.

Following in the footsteps of older sisters Allison and Jaymie Adams, Ryley has garnered considerable experience both on the hardcourt and the outdoor venue, though the latter provides him with a greater challenge.

"This is more effort, you have to work harder," said Adams. "Sand makes it harder to jump and we're only two players on the court. But I enjoy beach more, because you get more touches."

The Eastview Seconday student is paired this summer with club volleyball teammate Kirk McNeill from Newmarket.

"I partnered with him because he's a great passer," Adams said.

Closer to home, the tandem of Hayden Kosmerly and Sven Trodel, both from Lockerby Composite, also figured to have found a partnership that worked.

While both can hit with ease, Trodel's size provides an imposing presence at the net while Kosmerly's natural athleticism allows for impressive back-court coverage. That was until not one, but both, players broke their pinky fingers roughly three weeks apart.

This was a disapointing blow to the pair who had been selected for the Team Ontario U18 squad and have already purchased airline tickets for the 2012 Beach Nationals at Spanish Banks Beach in Vancouver.

While the recent injury to Trodel will require a six-week recuperation, Kosmerly was back on the court at Kabuum, with something of a dilemna on his hands.

"Hopefully I can get a good partner and still compete," he said. "We were pretty excited about Nationals, then the setback happened."

After getting their feet wet on the OVA Tour last summer, Trodel and Kosmerly spent much of the past six weeks on the courts of Ashbridges Bay Beach in Toronto, earning a berth on the provincial team.

"It wasn't something we expected, but it was something we were working really hard towards," Kosmerly said. "We were walking distance to Ashbridges Bay. It's awesome to get out there with the other players, players that are our age, players that are our level."

The U18 local tandem are soon-to-be former Lockerby Vikings, with Kosmerly heading to Humber College to begin play in the fall while Trodel makes his way to the Windsor University Lancers.

First time Kabuum participant, Tia Richter, is a Lancer of another sort, having just completed Grade 9 at Lasalle Secondary. A competitive gymnast with the Sudbury Laurels GymZone, Richter followed family advice in making her way out to the week-long sessions at Cambrian College this summer.

"My brother did it last year," she noted. "He said it was a lot of fun and he learned a lot of great stuff."

Like Adams, she quickly noticed a difference when moving from her more familiar training in the gymnasium at Lasalle to the "tennis courts turned beach volleyball courts" of Cambrian College.

"It's harder to move in the sand," Richter said. "And you have to adjust to just two players on the court, and being aware of wind conditions."

No need to convince Manon Duhaime of Collège Notre-Dame. A participant in beach volleyball during the 2010 Ontario Summer Games in Sudbury, Duhaime has cracked the roster once again, albeit with a different partner the second time around.

"I didn't have a partner when I arrived for tryouts," Duhaime explained. "Emily Sanders was there alone too, so we just ended up practicing together. At the mini-tournament, we partnered since we had practiced together and we ended up winning the tournament."

That victory provided an automatic spot on the team for Sanders and Duhaime, the latter of whom had paired with Kayla Kosturik of North Bay two years ago.

"At this point, at 16U, we both take our turn blocking, we both take our turn passing," said Duhaime. "We're pretty much the same skill level, but she (Emily) does hit harder."

The local girls were also preparing for the first beach tournament of the summer, travelling to Cobourg this weekend. OVA Tour action will commence at Moonlight Beach in Sudbury on July 21, with games expected to start around 9:00 a.m.

Posted by Mark Gentili