From an outside perspective, American beach volleyball is doing quite well. Now, seen from the inside, there are reasons to be optimistic, while remaining realistic that there is still a lot of work to be done before it becomes a major sport. .
In reality, the quality of play never regresses. On the contrary, among women, four of the last seven Olympic gold medals have been won by representatives of the country of Jill and Joe Biden.
In 2023, two of the top three teams on the Beach Pro Tour are Americans. In five Elite16 events, teams from the United States have won five medals. In short, things are going pretty well for the US beach volleyball program.
Met in Montreal as part of the Beach Pro Tour stop at Parc Jean-Drapeau, the Hughes/Cheng and Kloth/Nuss duos were ready to paint a portrait of the program from which they came.
According to Sara Hughes, the oldest of the players interviewed, at 28, “Volleyball in general is growing very quickly in the United States. »
The turning point, according to her and her teammate Kelly Cheng, a year her junior, was the creation of a quality college league, within the NCAA, in 2016. “We were among the first to play in the university program. It’s very special for us, because we always wanted to have an impact on our community,” said Hughes, a University of South California alumnus.
Cheng squarely supports his partner’s words: “The development of the NCAA has had a huge impact. We were in a junior tournament last week and the level of play of these players is phenomenal. I believe that the United States will have very talented athletes for a very long time. »
In Brazil, where beach volleyball is second nature, there are dozens of competitive teams on the international stage. Both in men and in women. In addition to being numerous, they are talented. Cheng is convinced that the United States can aspire to become a similar power.
You have to grow the sport within the border first, recalls Hughes: “It will be extremely competitive within the United States itself. And that will push and force us to become better. »
According to her, only one thing could serve as a catapult for their sport: another Olympic gold medal. “It would change everything. »
The duo of Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss have the same reflection on the fate of American beach volleyball: “Now we have to perform at the Olympics, because that’s where everyone is watching us. That’s why we’re fighting for a place there,” Kloth explains.
Their sport is naturally overshadowed by the delirious sports offer already in place south of the border.
“With us, it’s the male sports that dominate, like football and baseball, and that’s what gets the most attention, so volleyball is almost invisible,” the 26-year-old continues, before see some light. At the Olympics, it is one of the most watched sports. So we believe there is an opportunity there! »
With a gold medal would come interest, visibility and credibility, summarizes Nuss. “That’s also part of our goal, to keep pushing our sport after the Olympics. »
For now, as their rivals and compatriots have explained, the NCAA serves as a necessary foundation for the expansion of a sport in which quality of spectacle and public interest do not correlate.
“With the NCAA, volleyball is growing exponentially,” maintains Nuss.
That said, the mission is to form competitive pairs and find nuggets across the country to allow players to progress together right out of the university ranks. As was the case for Kloth and her.
“There are so many talented players. […] This is one of the main ingredients. Lots of players have the potential to succeed, but they can’t find a partner. This is another issue right now. »
An issue, therefore, which will not be settled in Montreal this week. Nevertheless, a potential triumph could cement the fact that the United States is probably the country with the greatest potential by the Paris Games.