It’s been the summer of everything possible for Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson. And the Montreal Elite 16 tournament is timely. Between their desire to host the show and that of concluding the tournament with gold around their necks, they also want to make this tournament memorable. For themselves and for the supporters.
The Canadians landed in the metropolis on Monday, as is the case with every tournament, even if the next one will not only have a special flavor, but one that will be completely unique.
Met by the Zoom platform last week, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson were still in Los Angeles, in preparation for the Elite 16 tournament of the Beach Pro Tour organized in Montreal.
A few days before the event, this meeting occupied all their thoughts. Their excitement “grows a little more every day,” Wilkerson says in a gray tank top from her sponsor Wilson.
“I could say I’m 10 out of 10, she explains to quantify her excitement, but the tournament hasn’t even started yet, so I have to leave myself a margin. But I’m so excited to be there. I’m sure when I get to the site I’ll be 10 out of 10 and when we play in front of our families and friends it’ll be 1000 out of 10! »
With more restraint, Humana-Paredes tries to visualize what their first duel will look like. For her, it will be so beautiful that it is difficult to conceive: “I try to imagine what it will look like and how it will sound when the stadium is full. At 9 p.m., with a crowded central, I can’t wait to see how we’re going to feel. »
This tournament will bring together the best beach volleyball players in the world. Parc Jean-Drapeau will temporarily become the Mecca of world beach volleyball. Where all the faithful will converge to commune in front of so much sumptuousness.
During the discussion, words like ‘huge’, ‘significant’, ‘interesting’ and ‘historic’ were used to try to best describe the potential of the event. Wilkerson wasn’t shy about emphasizing the latter: “I think it’s fair to say it could be a historic event. »
Mainly because this tournament is part of the long process leading to the most prestigious competition of all.
Since the announcement of the arrival of the Beach Pro Tour in Montreal, no one has managed, through the many exchanges, to remember the last time that an event of this caliber and this scale was presented in Canada. And that’s probably because it never happened.
“I don’t know if people understand how high the caliber is,” Humana-Paredes says, doing up her ponytail. Right now it’s the best volleyball I’ve ever seen. We are in the most beautiful and powerful period in the history of beach volleyball. It has never been so physical, athletic, dynamic, fast, attractive and strategic. All matches are battles. »
To illustrate what she is talking about, the 30-year-old makes the following comparison: “If you want to see the best basketball players, you go see the NBA. If you want to see the best drivers, you go to F1. And the Beach Pro Tour is the volleyball equivalent. It’s the creme de la creme. »
The Canadian duo is currently ranked 25th in the world. However, you only have to watch a few of her matches to see how her ranking is not representative of the quality of her game. The players have played only five tournaments on the Beach Pro Tour since their union, the last fall. Each time, they finished in the top 5.
They won bronze at the Elite 16 in Ostrava at the end of May and gold at the Jurmala Challenge in mid-June. “The more time we spend together, the better we get,” Humana-Paredes points out.
Their objective this week is therefore very clear.
Things have happened extremely fast since their merger at the end of the last season. Even though they hadn’t evolved together since the university ranks, the chemistry began to operate as if they had never been apart.
It was, however, difficult to judge how well they would be able to compete with pairs playing together for at least the last Olympic cycle. However, they quickly felt at ease. Enough to estimate, at the start of the season, to be able to reach something like their full potential around the date circled in felt-tip pen on their calendar. The one marking the start of the Montreal tournament.
“We believed it. We knew our standards, but obviously, we want even more. Even that we would have liked to arrive here with even more medals, if I am honest. »
Unlike all their previous tournaments, they will play a different role. That of local favorites. Nevertheless, the pressure does not scare them. They thrive on it. But also “challenges, expectations, demands and bigger goals,” adds Wilkerson.
It is nevertheless obvious, for Humana-Paredes, “that it is always better to play in front of a crowd that wants you to succeed”. “It will be like having another teammate on the pitch with us and that will definitely help us. »
Helping what, ultimately? Winning, promoting women’s beach volleyball in Canada or making this week unforgettable?
Probably a bit of all three.