History of Beach Volleyball

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Anna Androsky Kinesiology Barbara Hayden 11-12-13 Main Topic: Beach Volleyball Sub Topic: Kerri Walsh- Jennings Why Did I Pick This Topic? – I picked this activity because when I watched the summer Olympics I was fascinated by watching Misty May and Kerri Walsh- Jennings. I was fascinated by how good they were at beach volleyball and how well they played together. I also played volleyball in high school and I never knew a lot about the background of the sport, or how beach volleyball got started. The Complete History of Beach Volleyball- The history of beach volleyball was all started by the history of actual volleyball. William G. Morgan, an instructor at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Mass. decides to blend 3 different sports: basketball, tennis, and hand ball to create a game for his class of businessmen. William was looking to make a sport that was less physical contact than basketball. He creates the game of volleyball (which he called mintonette.) Morgan borrows the net from tennis and raises it 6 feet, and 6 inches above the floor, just above a man’s average height. This happened in 1895. In the 1920’s there are reports of men’s beach volleyball games being played in Hawaii but more reports say that the sport’s origin was in Santa Monica, California. This is where the first volleyball courts are put up on the beaches. Families play 6 vs 6. Starting the in the 1930’s the first two- man beach volleyball game is played in Santa Monica, California. Also in the 1930’s people escaped the Great Depression by going out to play beach volleyball. It didn’t cost anything and some physical activity with good weather could turn anyone’s mood better. At this time 4 vs 4 games and 3 vs 3 games were started to be played. In 1947, the first official two-man Beach Volleyball tournament is held at Will Rogers State Beach, California with no

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