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(AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)OK, beach Volleyball is pretty cool.
I wasn't a 100 percent sure I'd enjoy watching the sport, since I'm not much of an ocean and beach fan.
Now, like so many other things I've learned and enjoyed during my Beijing trip, I just might pay more attention to beach volleyball (I went to a men's match, mind you).
The action is fast. The crowd is into it. And they even have automatic mist sprayers for those of us in the crowd when it gets a little hot. Those sprayers seem to hit at the perfect time, every time.
And there's star power, too. I saw the world's No. 1 team, American's Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, at a practice court as I walked into the stadium.
Then, once I was in, Al Roker sat down two seats to my right. He's the weather guy for NBC's 'Today Show', and if beach volleyball is a way for him to relax after dealing with screaming fans all day, then it's good enough for me.
I watched the American team of Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser win against a Swiss team. It was nice to see so many USA flags in the crowd, and hearing chants of "U-S-A!" made me smile.
Then, the real patriotism hit.
China's top ranked beach volleyball team played against Germany. It seemed like all the seats in the stadium suddenly turned into a bunch of waving red flags. The Chinese love their sports, and with every touch of the volleyball by Team China, the crowd went nuts.
Some guy with a microphone encouraged the Chinese to cheer as loud as they could, and during timeouts even taught the crowd how to dance and cheer. He did this accompanied by American music. Queen's "We Will Rock You", MC Hammer's "You Can't Touch This", and Naughty By Nature's "Hip Hop Hooray, Ho, Hay, Ho" were a few of the songs Chinese fans now know how to cheer too.
Sure, it was cheesy.
But it was also plain fun.
And I caught my foot tapping along to the music several times.
That guy also taught the crowd how to do the Wave. You know, when the crowd waits their turn, then stands up and raises their arms? I think that's new to the Chinese too.
Same for cheerleaders in bikinis. Every time the "beach babes" (their term, not mine) ran out, every man who had a camera all of a sudden turned into Ansel Adams. I think this may be the only sport where fans (men) can't wait for a timeout, because that's when the ladies run out onto the sand to do their next dance routine.
Fast paced action, water misters for the crowd, and talented cheerleaders.
Yeah, beach volleyball is pretty cool.
E-mail: acabrero@ksl.com
