Scots hoping to be best barn none
Lynne Beattie hopes to sow the seeds of future beach volleyball success at the Commonwealth Games – after using a farmer’s barn to boost her own bid.
Beattie, 32, and team-mate Mel Coutts, 47, have been preparing for the sport’s Games debut Down Under by creating their own indoor court during the cold snap.
Crucially, though, the 120 tonnes of sand at the makeshift facility near Edinburgh will be transported to a local school after next month’s showpiece to encourage a new generation of beach volleyball players.
Beattie, who swapped training in freezing conditions for the Florida sunshine last week, said: “It has been a vision for the sport to have an indoor facility. If you got to the beach and the sand is frozen hard, you just can’t train.
“After qualifying, our CEO was asking around to get support. A local farmer had space in his barn and said as long as could get his tractors in and out, we could have the rest. Sometimes it feels colder in there than outside but the sand stays the same.
“The plan is to transport the sand to a school for an outdoor court. The governing body is in talks with Edinburgh University to get a permanent outdoor court.”
Asked if the wish is for kids to be jumping fences to play beach volleyball rather than football, she said: “That’s the hope!”
Coutts reckons a bronze “isn’t beyond the realms of possibility” for the wildcards.
Funding from sportscotland isn’t the only backing the pair are enjoying. Coutts said: “One of our neighbours gives us soup when we’re training. Her name is Sandra Mackie and we are so grateful for her support.”