Sun, sand, and beach volleyball
Be a ch vol - leyball has always had a huge following here and around the world.
In fact, during the Olympics, tickets for this game of two teammates on each side of the court, were always the first to be sold out. I guess it’s a combination of the speed of the game, the excitement, the sand, and the party atmosphere that’s just enthralling for the fans.
Locally, a group of young players has put up Beach Volleyball Republic, to take the game closer to the fans, and to also give them an opportunity to be able to actually play the sport!
Maria Rosario “Charo” Soriano is one of the co-founders of this group, and she looks forward to bringing the sport to new heights in the country.
PHILIPPINE STAR: Talk about the Beach Volleyball Republic and how it came about.
CHARO SORIANO: BVR’s serendipitous inception came about when Bea Tan, Dzi Gervacio, and Gretchen Ho asked me to join one of their tournaments — Kings & Queens of the Sands. There was no mention of forming a corporation or partnering yet, just playing. Then, these spirited girls, along with Alexa Micek, asked me and Fille Cainglet if we wanted to join them in organizing beach volleyball tournaments. With no hesitation, I said yes. From them on, it was countless hours of ideation, brainstorming, and goal-setting. I am very fortunate to be part of a driven, focused, and passionate group of ladies, who we now know as the BVR founders.
And, besides, I love the sport. I love how Beach Volleyball is a marriage between controlled intrinsic skills and uncontrolled external environment. It’s everything that I love, put in one place. The elements, such as the sun, water, and wind, lift my spirits and balance my soul. Also, I love how Beach Volleyball is a tandem sport. It helps me become a better communicator and, at the same time, it develops me into a tougher and stronger athlete and person.
BVR’s vision is to be able to grow the sport in the Philippines and to be the hub of beach volleyball in Asia. It is our mission to bring high-level beach volleyball programs in a fun and interactive manner through the following platforms: 1) BVR Royals Tournaments, 2) BVR Sandroots Camp, 3) BVR Regional Circuit (BVR On Tour), and 4) BVR International. How was the recent international tournament that you had?
The recently concluded BVR International Invitational was such a surreal experience for me, both as a player and a BVR co-founder.
As a player, it was an honor to be able to play with such competent and highlevel athletes coming from all around the world — USA, Brazil, New Zealand, HongKong, Thailand, and Singapore. I learned a lot from each and every player, from each and every tandem. And, for that, I am more than thankful. As a BVR co-founder, I am thrilled, almost ecstatic at the thought that we — and when I say we, I mean all of the stakeholders, not only BVR, our local partners, our corporate sponsors, LVPI, players, officials, spectators, ABS-CBN (our broadcast partner) and, most especially, the lovers of the sport — are in this together.
I know BVR still has a lot of avenues to improve on, however, I am still proud of what we have accomplished so far. And I know that we will strive to be more efficient, more professional, and to be better. I’m happy, seeing the players and our stakeholders happy. And that’s something that I hold dear in my heart.
What would be the ultimate goal for your group?
My dream ... BVR’s dream is to be able to develop a pool of local talents that can eventually compete in the Olympics. It will not be in our generation, but, with our combined efforts and passionate drive, I hope our programs will be able to achieve this.
More kids are getting into beach volleyball, and that must make you happy.
Yes, very! Sports are important because they provide numerous positive opportunities in all the facets in our lives — physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Being dedicated athletes helps us build our moral character. Moreover, personally, the world of sports mirrors how I was able to live my life. It has taught me the values that we get from winning (i.e. humility, integrity, commitment, confidence, and teamwork) and the lessons that we learn from losing (determination, perseverance, and resilience). And I want to be able to share with these young kids what volleyball has taught me, with the hopes that they will learn from the sport and love it, as well.
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