Serve up some fun at the West Valley Campus beach volleyball workshop

While Arizona isn’t known for its beaches, there is still a fun way to get your toes in the sand! Arizona State University Beach Volleyball is hosting a workshop for fifth to eighth graders this Tuesday, Sept. 16.

Open to the public, this workshop will provide young athletes with the opportunity to get expert lessons and enjoy friendly competition with Coach Kristen Glattfelder and the ASU Beach Volleyball team.

Coach Glattfelder spoke on just how exciting this opportunity is.

“We were looking for opportunities to grow our sport, get the community excited about ASU and the beach volleyball program,” Glattfelder said. “We wanted to give opportunities for those who may not have the means to go to a camp or clinic to experience beach volleyball on a college campus and give them a chance to be mentored by our student athletes.”

ASU Beach Volleyball will present similar camps on Oct. 1 and 21 at the Tempe campus, providing youth across the valley with an opportunity to get involved and active.

“We have done sessions on the Tempe campus and they have become very popular by word of mouth and we have received a lot of great feedback from parents and the kids,” Glattfelder said. “We wanted to hit a different part of Arizona and give those around the West Valley campus the ability to work with our student athletes.”

Coach Glattfelder also touched on the recent growth of excitement around beach volleyball and how she hopes camps like this will continue to get more young athletes interested in the sport.

“Beach volleyball is the fastest growing sport in the NCAA,” Glattfelder explained. “We want to keep finding ways to grow the sport, get people excited about ASU and get them coming out and supporting the athletes at our events. It's so much fun to come out and watch, the environment is electric!”

Supporters of ASU Beach Volleyball and fans of the sport can take part in this event to gain hands-on experience, learn new techniques and practice alongside our very own Sun Devil student athletes.

“We will teach and practice the basic skills of beach volleyball, play some fun games, talk about ways they can grow as individuals and they will hear about opportunities through ASU,” Glattfelder said.

Coach Glattfelder will team up with the Sun Devil players to offer camp participants expert tips on how they can step up their game.

“I'm most excited about getting to engage with the community and teach them about our sport,” Glattfelder said. “I'm looking forward to our athletes getting the opportunity to mentor and lead these kids and be good role models for them, and hopefully gaining some new fans for our program.”

No experience or gear is required, attendance is as easy as showing up to the Sun Devil Fitness Complex at ASU’s West Valley campus.

“We will be on the sand volleyball courts so you will not need shoes or socks, just bring a good attitude, the desire to learn and have a good time! Food and drinks will be provided, and everyone will receive a T-shirt!”

For more experienced volleyball players, the team will be holding camps on Sept. 27, Dec. 13-14, Jan. 10 and Feb. 7. For interested fans, keep your calendars marked for Nov. 1-2, where ASU beach volleyball will be competing in a tournament against U of A, GCU and Boise State: Free entry!

See the official ASU Beach Volleyball website for more information on the program.