P433 Teletext on 4 433 Jul18 23:13:21 ———— —————————————————————————— VOLLEYBALL HITS THE BEACH Beach volleyball has come to Channel 4 for a new 12-part series on the FIVB Beach Volleyball Tour of 2005. The series travels between the continents to highlight tournaments in diverse locations such as Brazil, Mexico, China, Indonesia and Russia. All the action from the beaches is featured, plus profiles of the stars of the game. For the uninitiated, read on for our beginners' guide to the sport. ——————————————————————————————————1/7—— by Todd Florance NEW CARS REVIEWED p703 4Services TV today 4 Guide RacingP433 Teletext on 4 433 Jul18 23:12:19 ———— —————————————————————————— VOLLEYBALL HITS THE BEACH Beach volleyball was first played in the 1920s in Santa Monica, California, which is the sport's spiritual home. It first had six players per side, then four, and then reduced to just two per team. By the 1940s, the first official tournaments were taking place. The first prize in a 1948 competition was a crate of soft drinks, but the events on the 2004 calendar had prize money totalling almost £25 million. ——————————————————————————————————2/7—— Inspiration from 4Homes 410 NEW CARS REVIEWED p703 4Services TV today 4 Guide RacingP433 Teletext on 4 433 Jul18 23:14:17 ———— —————————————————————————— VOLLEYBALL HITS THE BEACH The object of beach volleyball is to force the ball down on to the floor of your opponents' court, or force them to make a mistake and drop the ball. One point is scored at the end of each rally. You need 21 points to win each of the first two sets, but in the third set you only need 15 to win. Sets must be won by at least two clear points, with the team that has the best of the three sets winning the match. ——————————————————————————————————3/7—— Teletext Cars 700 Bambooule! 140 NEW CARS REVIEWED p703 4Services TV today 4 Guide RacingP433 Teletext on 4 433 Jul18 23:14:27 ———— —————————————————————————— VOLLEYBALL HITS THE BEACH Beach volleyball became an Olympic sport at Atlanta in 1996, where the US won men's gold and Brazil the women's. Since then, it has become one of the most popular sports in the Games, with most matches selling out quickly to capacities of around 10,000 spectators. The men's and women's competition has 24 teams each, but for the Athens games last year, 700 players vied for a place in the Olympic tournament. ——————————————————————————————————4/7—— Latest films on Channel 4 425 NEW CARS REVIEWED p703 4Services TV today 4 Guide RacingP433 (eletext on 4 433 Jul18 23:11:55 ———— —————————————————————————— VOLLEYBALL HITS THE BEACH The most successful countries on the beach volleyball circuit are the US, China, Australia, Germany and Brazil. However, proving that you don't need a real beach to play beach volleyball, landlocked nation Switzerland has two teams currently ranked in the top 10. The current world-beaters in the sport are from Brazil, with men's and women's teams from there named World Tour Champions for the last two years. ——————————————————————————————————5/7—— Go digital! 104-5 Planet Sound 350 NEW CARS REVIEWED p703 4Services TV today 4 Guide RacingP433 (eletext on 4 433 Jul18 23:25:13 ———— —————————————————————————— VOLLEYBALL HITS THE BEACH One of the most recognisable aspects of the beach volleyball game is the use of hand signals between team members. Usually, they indicate what type of blocking action the player near the net will make on the ball. Their team-mate then knows where to defend at the rear. Signals are made in secret behind the back. Female players' skimpy costumes mean close-up shots of the signals are a favourite of the tabloid papers. ——————————————————————————————————6/7—— Big Brother index 444 ] NEW CARS REVIEWED p703 4Services TV today 4 Guide RacingP433 Teletext on 4 433 Jul18 23:11:11 ———— —————————————————————————— VOLLEYBALL HITS THE BEACH Although no Britons rank among the top beach volleyball players, there are hopes to enter an Olympic team in 2008. Exmouth, Barry Island and Bournemouth have their own clubs, and Brighton has held the UK's first coaching course. The next big tournament for 2005 is the most prestigious event in the British calendar, the UK Open. The competition is held in Weymouth on July 29-31. FIVB Beach Volleyball, various times ——————————————————————————————————7/7—— channel4gujde@teletext.co.uk NEW CARS REVIEWED p703 4Services TV today 4 Guide Racing