In the begining there was a parking lot ...... then trucks started rolling in and  lo sand did appear in piles and strips to grace the black, asphalt surface. Shortly thereafter did the Big Blue Tractor get to work and, deftly guided by it's skilled operator, did it level the golden grains to a depth of 6 to 7 inches. Four hours later, the surface preparation was complete and an expectant hush descended on Duncan as the downtown core awaited, eagerly, for the finishing touches to be applied on our Nation's birthday.

At 8am, the courts started to take shape, nets were raised to stand tall and proud in the sand. Boundary ropes attached to plates below the sand defined the battle arenas and safety padding decorated the harshest of the perceived dangers to wayward players.

At 10:15 the featured warm-up session started, Jazzercise led by Sabrina. She took players and spectators through a music pumped array of exercises designed to shape, sharpen and sweat. The beach resounded to the sounds and the sand provided a soft forgiving surface to pound your feet into.

Finally... the time arrived for our gallant competitors to take to the sand and engage in the time-honoured tradition of spanking a round piece of leather into opposition territory in an attempt to hit the sand within their boundary ropes. 7 teams responded to the challenge with grit, determination, speed, strength and athletic prowess. Bodies were flung to the sand to dig up the ball and save a point. Powerful spikes rained down from the sets put up by finely honed players and elegant passing from the back court.

By-passers and devoted fans of the game were treated to spiked jump serves and an amazing display of blocking and scrambling to recover wayward balls. After 5 hours of play, the teams had been whittled down to just four to appear in the finals. But before sending them out once more to do battle, all the players were given the opportunity to win some prizes by serving to hit the prize. All in all it was a hilarious contest which demonstrated that everyone in not as accurate as we would like to think to they are!

So to the final confrontations .... battle lines were drawn in the sand ( well actually they were marked out by ropes, but I'm allowed some artistic license), the sun beat down out of an azure sky and the red and white balls began to fly!In the consolation final, "That's what She set" were pitted against "Team Canada" in a tightly fought contest for 3rd and 4th. In the end "That's what She set" emerged victorious to claim their prizes and head for a well earned cool one!

In the grand final, we were treated to "Onr hit Wonders" playing against "Cobras". Once again these two teams reached for the top and played with ferocity and feeling. The final point was hammered home by "Cobras" and they get to have their names imortalised on the beautiful plaque donated by Heritage House Trophies. They also got to choose first from the pile of cool prized donated by our sponsors ( we also let them head out and re-hydrate with a cool one!)

So the tournament was over and fun was had bay all. Reviews of the moment were enthusiastic and people were excited to see it happen again next year. However, the true test was yet to come ... could the parking lot be restored to the city in time for the shopping crowds to use it over the weekend?

Once again a dedicated and gracious group of volunteers arrived at 7am Saturday. If you've never seen a bobcat dance the fandango ... you should have been there Saturday morning. Man and machine in perfect harmony, it was truly an amazing sight to watch a parking lot full of sand emerge back to it's former glory. The Cat pushed, shoved, shoveled and dumped sand into the waiting trucks and by 9:45 we were clear. The lot was even brushed clean to ensure as many grains as possible were removed.

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone involved in this amazing project. Longevity John for the vision, cajoaling donors and persuading the city it would be both fun and feasible and for providing the stage and entertainment. Evans Redi-mix for lending us the sand. To all the truck drivers for bringing it in and removing it. To the City of Duncan for allowing the use of the parking lot, to Avalon Farms for the expert leveling of the sand to produce a fabulous surface. To the bobcat operators for saving our backs from havin gto shovel for two days to clear the lot. To Sabrina for hosting the Jazzercise warm up session. To the tournament prize sponsors : Spank-It sports, Merridale Ciderworks, Arbutus ridge Golf Club, COVL.